Quarterbacks
Running Backs

We are skipping over wide receivers, as I'm already tired of being on the same schedule as Inside Mizzou's daily position previews--I want to be unique, dammit!  We'll do tight ends today, O-line tomorrow, and wide receivers Saturday after Jeremy Maclin's late-Friday-morning announcement.

Returnees

Andrew Jones (6'5, 240, sophomore)
2008: 20 catches, 146 yards

One of (technically) three true freshman tight ends to see their redshirts torn off in 2008 (including TE/long snapper Beau Brinkley), Jones got a leg up on the field for 2009 by filling in admirably during Chase Coffman's turf toe absence.  We're talking about a limited sample size here, but Jones showed toughness and a very reliable set of hands.  He also looked like he had bulked up a little from the beginning of the season and should end up being able to pretty easily carry 245-255 pounds on his 6'5 frame.

If there's one single difference between Jones and Coffman, it's in pure athleticism.  I don't see Andrew Jones hurtling anybody anytime soon (though with his likely ability to win collisions pretty well, I'm not against him trying and seeing what happens--just don't break your wrist on the way down), and it's unlikely that he'll put up too many big gainers (Coffman's longest catch of the season was for 48 yards; Jones: 15), but aside from a reliable running game, the most important weapon a QB can have at his disposal is a reliable target on third-and-6.  There is almost no doubt that Jones can and will become a big-time chains mover, which will allow Blaine Gabbert (or whoever wins the starting job) to take more chances on deep routes, knowing that he can still convert a first down on an underneath route on the next down.

The Iowa State game was Jones' shining moment from this season.  You can check out some of what Jones has to offer at the 1:32, 3:23, 3:31, 4:16 and 5:03 marks of this video.

Michael Egnew (6'6, 220, sophomore)
2008: 4 catches, 22 yards

If Jones is the relatively known quantity, Michael Egnew is the wild card.  With Danario Alexander hurt, Egnew spent the first few weeks doing a reasonably credible wide receiver impersonation before moving back down to #3 TE on the depth chart after Alexander got rolling.  Egnew, who clearly needs a nickname...Eggo or something...was a solid downfield blocker and effort guy in his time on the field, but when you watch him play, you quickly start thinking two things: 1) Damn, this guy needs to put on about 20 pounds, and 2) Damn, this guy could be one ridiculously athletic tight end. 

If Andrew Jones is in the Martin Rucker mold of tight end, Egnew is the longer, leaner Coffman model.  That's where I'm going to stop any comparison of anybody to Coffman, but those are the roles Jones and Egnew could play if both continue to improve on the field.  I'm excited about Egnew's upside, but I'm much less sure of his becoming a guaranteed contributor.

Jon Gissinger (6'3, 240, senior)
2008: 1 catch, 10 yards

This Poway, CA, product has been a solid team player and backup for going on four years now, and it appears that he will be the same in 2009.  Each spring, Giss makes some ridiculous catch that makes me think he should probably crack into the TE rotation, but a) he's been stuck behind some ridiculously good tight ends, and b) well, I guess he doesn't make those plays all the time, huh?  Gissinger is a solid special teams contributor and all-around athlete, but he just hasn't quite been able to see the field much yet.  With two sophomores in front of him, it wouldn't surprise me to see him used as the main blocking back on those rare occasions when a Mizzou TE is used primarily as such.

And here's to hoping he gets to catch a few passes his senior year!

Redshirts

There were no scholarship redshirts at this position.

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So for those of you filled with consternation about the 2008 Mizzou defense, this PowerMizzou article about incoming LB Joshua Tatum is probably music to your ears.

"With next year's group of guys, I definitely think we have the firepower to do so," Tatum said. "I am going to bring a lot of intensity to the game. I am just an old school, smash-mouth linebacker.

"I think that with Sean Weatherspoon, Brian Coulter and getting guys like Sheldon Richardson, we have a good chance to build the defense up and just continue on with greatness. It starts with recruiting and getting the biggest and most talented guys. The way Missouri's defense plays next year will only make it better and make guys want to come to the school and be a part of greatness."

...

"I think next year we will be giving it to guys. Not taking anything away from last year's team, but we are going to work very hard in the off-season, and it's always about getting guys that play at a high level and practice at a high level. Competition is everything. I will be competing with Sean Weatherspoon. I will be pushing him, and he will be pushing me. I can't wait to get down there, so we can immediately get it going. And it starts with defense."

Here's to hoping he can back up the talk...

As if my own previews weren't enough, ahem, Dave Matter talks his second look at what the Big 12 North will have in store for 2009.

Oh yeah, and Gary Pinkel: Toledo Varsity T Hall of Famer.

On to basketball, where Gabe at PM says the NCAA Tourney door is wiiiiide open for Mizzou if they're ready to walk through it.  Meanwhile, The Trib reminds us that this team is pretty fun.

Finally, The Trib's Steve Walentik takes a breath and reflects on what the first 15 games have told us about Mizzou basketball.

Leo Lyons has also been a big part of the Tigers' fast start, and he still remains one of only six players to rank in the top 15 in the Big 12 in both scoring and rebounding. He's averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds through 15 games. But Lyons has struggled lately, averaged fewer than 10 points in his past four contests and has only topped 12 once in the past six. He reached a new low Tuesday night with four points and two rebounds in 14 foul-plagued minutes. The Tigers will need Lyons to return to his early season form if they're going to reach their full potential in league play. The question is, how?

1 - One football game remains.  Who wins it--Florida or Oklahoma?

2 - Give me the one storyline you're most interested in for Mizzou (or in Doug's case, Kansas) Spring Football in two months.

3 - Missouri stands at 13-2 in basketball right now, and despite being labeled as the conference's "Biggest Disappointment" by Andy Katz and Adrian Branch on ESPNU, that has to be just about the best any self-respecting Mizzou fan could have expected at the beginning of the season (despite the gut-wrenching quality of the Xavier loss).  At this point, seeing what you have (or haven't, ahem) seen, what do you expect from this team in Big 12 play?

4 - I may have already asked this question a while back, but who's your favorite player on this (or in Doug's case, KU's) team?

5 - Give me the four teams that will receive first-round byes at the Big 12 Tournament.

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It's going to be inevitable to talk about Missouri in 2009 without talking about losses--Daniel, Coffman, Maclin (probably), etc.  However, there is a potentially strong identity for Missouri to carve out of what is returning...namely, threats in the running game.

Returnees

Derrick Washington (5'11, 215, junior)

Derrick Washington was, to say the least, feast-or-famine in 2008.

• First five games: 67 carries, 500 rushing yards, 10 TDs (plus 9 catches, 92 yards, another 2 TDs) (7.8 yards per touch)
  
• Next two: 15 carries, 28 rushing yards, 2 TDs (plus 8 catches, 70 yards) (4.3 yards per touch)
  
• Next four games: 59 carries, 381 rushing yards, 4 TDs (plus 7 catches, 66 yards) (6.77 yards per touch)
  
• Final three games: 36 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD (plus 5 catches, 49 yards) (4.3 yards per touch)

Thanks to his outstanding receiving ability, his per-touch averages were never really too terrible, but three things were clear regarding Washington: 1) his success took the Missouri offense to a stratospheric level, 2) he struggled mightily against the better rush defenses on the schedule (OU, Texas, Northwestern, OSU), and 3) he didn't look nearly as explosive at the end of the season.  Now, (1) needs no explanation--matching the Daniel-Maclin-Coffman trifecta with an unstoppable running game is just about unfair.  Really, (2) doesn't need an explanation either--better defenses stop good players better.  That's, like, science or something.  However, (3) needed a bit of an explanation...and it possibly just got one:

Why the drop-off in the second half of the season? Was Washington injured? Gary Pinkel never mentioned his tailback in his weekly injury reports, but, for what it’s worth, a relative of Washington’s recently posted on a MU message board that the tailback injured his knee in MU’s second game, which eventually required his knee to be drained to relieve swelling.

Now, this obviously wasn't a tremendously significant injury, as Washington's most productive stretch--Nevada, Buffalo and Nebraska--came after the second game.  Plus, he went for 151 total yards and 2 TDs in frigid temps up in Ames late in the season.  Regardless, it's as good an explanation as anything else to explain why Washington was struggling.  When #24 is on, he exploits even tiny holes and runs through arm tackles.  Against OU and Northwestern in particular, even when there were holes to be exploited, he was only getting 4-6 yards instead of 8-12.

Mizzou's chances for a surprise North title in 2009 rely on Washington being both healthy and productive, and while I'm 90% optimistic he will be both, his late-season struggles prevent me from being 100% optimistic.

De'Vion Moore (5'9, 195, sophomore)

Obviously after one season of mostly junk-time work, it's hard to get a read on De'Vion Moore's potential, but it's tempting to go in one of two extreme directions:

1. Barring one big carry against Colorado, here were his stats during conference play (junk time or no): 19 carries, 69 yards (3.6 per carry), 0 TDs.  Not amazing stuff.  It seems clear early on that he has the ceiling of Marcus Woods and the floor of Earl Goldsmith.  He's shifty but not all that productive.
   
2. Did you see that one big carry against Colorado (4:03 of this video)?  Holy crap!  He got a whole and just exploded away from every defender!  Kid's got some serious jets and could make a nice inside-outside combo with D-Wash in '09.

As always, reality probably lies halfway between the two extremes, but with three years of eligibility remaining, there's still plenty of potential in De'Vion to be exploited.  And he certainly makes for an interesting change of pace with Washington running mostly between the tackles.

Redshirts

Drew Temple (5'10, 190ish, RSFr)

We obviously don't know a ton about Drew Temple at this point, but his Rivals video tells us that he runs a lot like his older brother Tony--stringing runs outside until a hole develops, then trying to explode through it--only, it appears, he maybe seeks out contact a bit more.  How that translates to success at Mizzou, who the heck knows, but for as disappointing as Tony Temple was at times, I think we would all be pretty happy to have a TT proxy in the backfield for another few years, huh?

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