COLUMBIA - The weekend was an opportunity for the Missouri football team to break up the monotony.
The team played a closed scrimmage Saturday at Faurot Field, the first time the Tigers played anything resembling a game since the spring game. During Sunday's off-day, many eyes, MIsouri coach Barry Odom's included, were turned to Bellerive and the late drama that played out between Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship.
"I followed a little bit of that, obviously great for our state, and what a great job St. Louis did, and our state, on representing who we are. That was awesome," Odom said Monday. "The greatest thing I saw was the 'M-I-Z' Z-O-U' chants, that was pretty darn cool. And then at the end, down the stretch, I'm going to use that with our team, about the competitive spirit that it takes and the focus. So you can always find learning lessons and teaching tools, and it's awesome when it was right down the street."
Missouri was focused on efficiency and consistency in the scrimmage, and the offense turned the ball over twice, once on downs and a fumble by an unnamed young running back.
Drew Lock said his goal going into the scrimmage was for the team to put together sustained drives by keeping third down distances manageable, and was happy with the outcome.
"Like, 'OK, we got into a third down our first few plays, let's get that first on third-and-4, and then carry out and get four to five first downs in a drive,'" Lock said, "instead of like how we used to get one first down and chuck it deep or one first down and go three-and-out. Seeing a real offense roll down the field, take some time out of the clock, it was fun."
Missouri's run game is going to be a big part of that offensive style, and while it's no mystery who will be getting most of the carries - Damarea Crockett and Larry Rountree III are both listed at the top of the depth chart. It hasn't yet been decided whether Rountree III will continue his kick return duties, which was initially how he got on the field before Crockett went down with a right shoulder injury at Georgia.
And if either Crockett or Rountree III are injured, the Tigers have redshirt sophomore Dawson Downing and redshirt freshman Isaiah Miller available to step in. Downing is expected to factor in on special teams more heavily this year, but has game experience that coaches see as invaluable, and true freshman Tyler Badie could factor in at tailback.
The team has options if they elect to keep Rountree III away from kickoff returns. One is redshirt junior Richaud Floyd, who after a bumpy start as punt returner a year ago finished the season with two return touchdowns and a return average of 23 yards. Floyd was listed as Johnathan Johnson's backup at wide receiver to start camp.
Also in play are some true freshmen. Wideouts Kam Scott, Khmari Thompson and Dominic Gicinto, as well as running back Jalen Knox all returned kicks in high school and could see playing time anyway. That, along with the new four-game grace period before a redshirt is used up, could make the decision easy for the coaching staff.
Gicinto in particular has distinguished himself. He was under-recruited, an early enrollee out of Raytown, and his speed both on the field and at learning the playbook put him behind Nate Brown on the depth chart entering camp.
"Even as we're talking about these true freshman questions I forget that Dom is a true freshman," wide receivers coach A.J. Ofodile said. "Because he was here all spring, he feels more like a sophomore.
"The final decision (to offer him) was obviously his performance his senior year. But he came to camp twice and then was also at the Memphis mega-camp. Blazed great 40 (yard dash) times, I think he ran the fastest time at the Memphis mega-camp amongst 1,800 kids, he ran a 4.39 there, and his fastest time he ran for us was 4.38 at Night at the Zou. Was a little bit slight in frame, so we didn't know how he'd handle the physicality of it, then he went out and had a monster senior season: blocked well, ran hard, broke tackles, ran away from people, did everything you could ask. So at that point you're saying, 'What more could a kid do to deserve a scholarship than that?'"
Notes: Redshirt sophomores Micah Wilson and Lindsey Scott took most of the reps with the second-team offense because of their first six practices and performances in Saturday's scrimmage. Defensively, Odom mentioned true freshmen Nick Bolton (linebacker) and Jarvis Ware (defensive back) could also contribute immediately off good early results in camp. Safety Ronnell Perkins returned to practice Monday, while Terez Hall was held out again because of a hamstring injury. Hall is expected back later this week.