The Missouri Tigers Football program is officially inside two months away from its annual Spring game, which is a true signal that the team is getting back into the swing of things before summer.
If you ask me, it’s always great to get a dose of much needed football during our the dark period of being being deprived of it for so long. And once you get to that spring game, you’re just a few hot months (four to be exact) away from seeing kickoff at Memorial again.
When you put it that way, this isn’t going to be so bad after all. It’s true, we’ll be back to football season in no time.
Apr 19, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel stands on the sidelines during the Black & Gold Game at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports
But the best part about the spring game is getting the chance to see some of the updated Missouri Tigers football roster getting its first crack at putting on the pads and showing us what they’ve got. For anyone out there who hasn’t taken the opportunity to watch a spring game– whether it’s in Columbia or the nearest college town with a football team, going to one of these is always worth it.
Sure, they don’t play at 100 percent, they don’t hit as hard and it is your team vs. your team. But make no mistake, the spring game is a great opportunity to get a feel of how this team is going to perform. After all, the line up will look quite a bit different from last year.
The quarterback will be the same– or so we think– and he’ll have a similar core of blocker s in front of him. Maty Mauk impressed in last year’s spring game, and we’re thinking he will do the same here.
And yes, the centerpiece of the defense in 2015– Kentrell Brothers– saw significant playing time last year. This a huge first step to building on last season’s success: having key players come armed with experience under their belt.
But we also have another turn around at wide receiver. Nate Brown will be the ace on the pass catching side of things. So where will other players lie in the line up? What about freshman newbies? Does they have the chops to be starters?
On the defensive side, you will get your first look at the prize jewel of offseason additions: defensive end recruit Terry Beckner Jr. Will he be the beast that we’ve seen in Shane Ray, Kony Ealy, Michael Sam and Markus Golden as of recently?
Spring games are great places to get the “first impression” answers to these questions. And we can only hope that Mizzou gets what it expects out of these and other players.
Here are a few things to consider as we approach the Missouri Tigers football spring game:
Just How Good Is Terry Beckner?
Beckner was an extremely sought after player. He had offers at Florida State, Ohio State, Auburn and Oklahoma. He chose Mizzou, most likely for their storied recent history of grooming defensive lineman into national powerhouse pass rushers who get picked in the NFL Draft. Missouri took advantage of this opportunity and signed one of the best defensive high school players in the country. Many had him has a top 15 or top 20 recruit in all the land. Some had him as high as No. 2.
So, will he live up to these expectations? Our first gut reaction to this question should be, “yes!” Given the coaching staff’s remarkable ability to recruit and develop players, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be. His scouting report shows him to be a potential behemoth at the line of scrimmage and may collect sack numbers in the similar vein as Shane Ray this year. What we do know, the Spring Game will be a great chance for Tiger fans to get a first glimpse at what he’s got.
Nov 1, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk (7) runs the ball as Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Kendall Randolph (29) makes the tackle during the first half at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Is Drew Lock the future face of Missouri Tigers Football?
If you ask some of the brightest recruiting minds– and hardcore Mizzou fans too– the answer to this question is a unanimous and resounding “yes.” The excitement surrounding this four-star recruit has been as loud as anything we’ve heard in years. Some have even suggested that Lock will start as early as next year.
Hold on a sec. Before we entertain any other thoughts, let’s just nip that in the butt. I don’t think there is any chance Lock plays in favor of Maty Mauk next season. That being said, I think Lock has the skills and potential to be a long-term leader and possibly a prolific quarterback. If he plays to the potential everyone is talking about, he’ll have a better total career than Mauk and he might even break Mizzou quarterback records.
So, is he the future of Missouri Tigers football? Yes. Is he a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2015? No. Still, the Spring Game will give us a first look. And don’t be surprised if you hear some people calling for him to be the starter next year.
Missouri Tigers
How different will the Defense Look Under New Coaching?
This is always an interesting predicament and a question that can’t really be answered until you see it in action. What kind of new things will new defensive coordinator Barry Odom bring to the Mizzou defensive structure. Odom was groomed at Missouri and has experience working with Gary Pinkel, so we can’t imagine things to look horribly different. Still, whenever you have a new group of coaches, things will change. One thing that will be interesting is to see how the defensive secondary does with the new coaching. Last season began with that area of things being the biggest question mark and they largely held their own. This year, same scenario with new coaches.
Has Maty Mauk Improved His Game?
Count on the Spring Game to see just where the MU quarterback has stepped up his game. Last year, we loved Mauk’s poise, energy, leadership and his ability to throw vertically with precision and create some big pass plays. We hated when he ran around and threw the ball without thinking which led to turnovers. The offensive line will be key to answering this question. In what was supposed to be one of the SEC’s best lines, it turned into Mauk running around like a chicken with his head cut off for a lot of the season. This can’t happen again. Mauk must do better at decision making, but he must also be given the time to do so. We’ll see in the Spring Game if Mauk has improved his short route throwing and his pocket presence, the two areas we’d like to see the most progress as we move forward in 2015.
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