Plenty to ponder as Missouri football closes spring camp

On paper, the 2016 Missouri football team was bound to be a tough nut to crack. Following two Southeastern Conference East Division titles, was the 2015 team’s 5-7 campaign a fluke or a sign of what the status quo will be for Missouri in the SEC?

But throw in a new coaching regime, a string of player departures and restricted media access under new head coach Barry Odom, and there are more questions now than ever. Missouri’s Black and Gold Scrimmage on Saturday provided some answers, but there’s still plenty that remains undetermined as the Tigers shut the door on spring camp.

Overall Offense

The Big Question: What exactly is it going to look like?

If coach Odom’s motive for keeping eyes away from the Tigers this spring was to prevent anyone from getting a sense of his offensive tendencies, mission accomplished. With offensive coordinator Josh Henson gone after a dreadful 2015 season and former Oklahoma and Utah State coordinator Josh Heupel taking the reins, it’s hard to say exactly what Missouri’s offense is going to look like — especially given Odom’s defensive-heavy resume.

But the buzzword of spring camp was “tempo.”

“The tempo coming out of the huddle is a little bit different than maybe what has been done,” Odom said. “Playing with some urgency and some tempo. Trying to get the play off a little bit quicker. So changing our tempo some has helped.”

The tempo wasn’t noticeably different in the spring game. Is that just a matter of more time being needed to get up to speed? And, oh yeah, does Missouri even have enough talent on offense to manufacture a bounceback season?

Quarterbacks

The Big Question: Why won’t Missouri admit Drew Lock is the starter?

Lock came in as a true freshman last season and impressed in fall camp. When Maty Mauk was suspended, Lock took over and started the final eight games of the season. It wasn’t pretty by any means. Lock completed just 48 percent of his passes as a starter and Missouri went 2-6.

“I tend to not watch the film” from last season, Lock said. “We watch the flash tape and I’m like, ‘I do not want to watch this play, skip to the next one.’”

Still, Lock was just a freshman and fellow quarterbacks Marvin Zanders and Jack Lowary have nowhere near as much game experience. But the coaching staff has been very careful to avoid calling Lock the starting quarterback and, in fact, has refused to say he even has a head-start on the job.

Does Lock himself know what the depth chart is?

“It’s understood in my head, we’ll put it that way,” he said.

Diplomacy aside, Lock took most of the first-team reps Saturday and his offensive teammates refer to him as if he is the assumed starter. In the fleeting moments that quarterbacks have been open to the eye test, Lock has looked strong.

“He’s more confident,” linebacker Michael Scherer said of Lock. “The kid came in and could wing the ball a mile. He could hit whoever he wanted to hit. And then as he got in games and had more pressure on him and got less confident, he started not believing in himself.

“Now he really believes in himself and that kid is really good. I thought he was really good last fall when he came in for fall camp. He was dicing us up. And now that he’s got his confidence back, and he knows what he’s doing, he’s something to mess with, I’ll tell you that.”

So why all the smoke and mirrors? For one, Odom seems to favor the “all jobs are open” philosophy as a means of breeding competition. Missouri needs a solid backup with Mauk gone for good and backup Eddie Printz transferred. Zanders could figure into the offense in some way, even if not as QB1 — perhaps as a wildcat option.

And after Lock was thrown into the fire last season, it’s likely Odom wants to avoid putting any undue pressure on the Bieber-banged wonder. In fact, Lock wasn’t made available to the media all spring until after the Black and Gold Game.

Offensive Line

The Big Question: Are the bodies there?

Missouri’s offensive line struggled throughout last season and the Tigers have lost five seniors since, including Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern, who will both likely be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. And to make matters worse, injuries and off-field factors had Missouri down to eight scholarship offensive linemen available this spring. Lock said he calls them “The Elite Eight,” and there is some hope the added practice could pay off come fall.

“The positive is, they’ve basically been getting a ton of reps,” Heupel said, “and it’s helped push them to a greater understanding, more reps, getting better fundamentally and getting better in the things that we’re asking them to do. It’s been difficult, but it’s also going to help those eight, nine guys in the long run.”

The Tigers better hope that’s true. They’d also better hope Nate Crawford returns strong from his back surgery and that incoming freshmen Tre’vour Simms and Trystan Castillo are ready to play.

Tailbacks

The Big Question: Is Ish Witter ready to be a lead running back — and will he have to?

Ish Witter, a junior, got his fair share of playing time last season with team captain Russell Hansbrough missing time to injury. Still, he didn’t strike most as the second coming of Henry Josey.

But he’s drawn rave reviews for his offseason improvement — most notably his healthier physique and his improved ability to stay off the turf. As it stands, Witter is easily the most experienced tailback — the Tigers had just four available for most of camp — and would presumably be the clear starter among the current field.

“I think he saw himself doing things (this spring) that he physically maybe could not or wouldn’t do a year ago,” Heupel said. “He’s starting to make very good, decisive, fast vertical cuts. He’s running with a great physical presence, finishing runs and gaining an extra yard or two.”

However, the Tigers have two larger backs on their way: junior-college transfer Nate Strong and four-star high-school signee Damarea Crockett. They will likely see playing time one way or another in their first seasons at Missouri.

“They’ve got the message that I expect them all to come in and play,” Odom said. “I don’t want them to have the mindset that they’re going to sit there and eat popcorn on the sidelines.”

The only question is where Witter fits.

Receivers

The Big Question: Just how good are the newbies?

Missouri’s receiving group struggled mightily last season. Then again, so did the whole offense. But there is some room for optimism among the receiving corps. The only departure from last season is Wesley Leftwich. He was the team’s third-leading receiver in 2015 but never saw much playing time until his senior season.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have gained a senior in Alabama graduate transfer Chris Black. He exited the spring game early because of a lingering ankle injury, and it still remains unknown if he can be a go-to receiver for the Tigers — if they’ll even have a go-to receiver. Still, his experience should be a plus.

The other additions who could make a big difference are Justin Smith, Jonathon Johnson and Richaud Floyd, who are coming off their redshirt season. The 6-foot-7 Smith brings some much-needed size, which he displayed by snagging a jump-ball touchdown Saturday. Johnson looked like he might have contributed last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Floyd has impressed in the slot this spring, which earned him reps with the first team in the spring game. He also scored a touchdown in the scrimmage.

“I think we’ve made a lot of strides on the perimeter in one-on-one situations, going up and competing and attacking the football and making more competitive plays,” Heupel said. “We were a long ways off at the beginning of spring ball. We’ve gotten better since we came back from spring break. It was great to see some of our guys make those plays (Saturday).”

Tight Ends

The Big Question: Will they get to catch the ball?

Missouri returns its tight end duo of Jason Reese and senior Sean Culkin, who dubbed themselves “1080p” ahead of last season because of their high-definition hopes for the year. (And the fact that their numbers are 10 and 80, respectively.)

Though with No. 11 Kendall Blanton ready to contribute more as a redshirt sophomore, a new nickname might be in order.

“We can do 108011p,” Culkin said with a laugh.

The senior has been impressed with Blanton’s development in both the weight room and the film rrom.

“You can see he’s starting to expand in that area,” Culkin said. “And now it’s starting to carry over on the field. He’s a guy with a lot of upside, and I’m excited for him.”

Missouri now has a tight end coach in Joe Jon Finley whose duties won’t be split between position coach and coordinator; Henson was the tight end coach last season.

There are plans to use the tight ends in a variety of ways on offense, but that was the talk last year, too, and Culkin and Reese had just 16 and 15 catches, respectively. And with such attrition up front, will the tight ends become de facto offensive linemen?

Overall Defense

The Big Question: How much has changed under DeMontie Cross?

You would think there’d be little to question on defense, given Missouri’s success on that side of the ball in 2015 — sixth in the nation in yards allowed per game — and the fact that all but three starters are returning. Still, with Odom being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach and TCU co-defensive coordinator Cross taking his place, nothing is certain.

While the Tigers’ success last season might make it seem logical for Odom to leave his fingerprints on the defense, it appears Cross is in the driver’s seat.

“I don’t ever want them to feel like I’m looking over their shoulder,” Odom said of his coordinators.

Defensive players have certainly noticed the difference under Cross.

“It’s very intense,” said linebacker Joey Burkett, a Jefferson City High School graduate. “That’s all I’m going to say. It’s a lot of fun. Very intense. Started out, it was going 100 miles an hour, and we slowed it down, learned it. It was a whole new kind of system, but we figured it out and we’re playing well.”

It wasn’t broke, but Cross, Missouri’s third defensive coordinator in three seasons, appears to be trying to fix Missouri’s defense. Either way, the talent should be there.

Defensive Line

The Big Question: Will everyone be back?

As has become the norm, Missouri’s defensive line was nasty last season, with ends Charles Harris and Walter Brady recording seven sacks apiece, Terry Beckner Jr. earning freshman all-American honors and Rickey Hatley and Josh Augusta plugging up the middle. Plus, freshman Nate Howard and sophomore Marcell Frazier provided solid depth and Missouri was slated to get back fifth-year senior Harold Brantley after a season spent recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident.

But Beckner is still recovering from an ACL injury and Harris and Howard missed extended time in camp after undergoing surgery.

That’s not to mention Brantley, whose future remains uncertain as he missed spring camp for academic reasons.

“If he can finish the way that he needs to academically, then absolutely (I expect him to return to the team),” Odom said. “… When you get that old in college, there’s certain criteria that you’ve got to hit on the number of hours. So we’re working with him daily to try to get that done.”

What’s more, Brady left the game Saturday after appearing to injure his knee.

“A pit in my stomach dropped,” Cross said. “Like anything else with any kid out there, but when you’ve got one of your starters going down like that, it’s never good. So hopefully it’s nothing serious, and we can get him back this summer and get him ready for our season opener.”

If everyone is back and healthy, Missouri’s defensive line should be one of the best in the country next season. And if not? Well, it should still be pretty darn good.

Linebackers

The Big Question: How do you replace Kentrell Brothers?

One of three starters gone to graduation is weak-side linebacker Brothers, who had more tackles than any player in the country last season.

“You don’t lose a guy like Brothers and expect a guy to come in and replace him right away,” Cross said. “But if we can do it by committee — which it’ll probably take two guys to amass the amount of tackles that he’s had over the last couple years, but as long as guys are doing their job, their assignment within the scheme, I’m happy.”

Burkett is currently atop the depth chart at the weak side, Cross said, and Brandon Lee, Trey Baldwin and Terez Hall could figure in, among others. Even if they do make up for the tackles, though, Brothers’ expertise from a strategic standpoint will be missed.

Luckily for the Tigers, they still have Scherer, Brothers’ right-hand man in racking up tackles the past few seasons. He’s had to take on an added load with Brothers gone and a new defense implemented.

“I’ve got to know what everybody’s got to do on the field,” Scherer said. “Do I have to? No. But I need to, when … I’m the older one. They’re going to turn around and look at me. So if I don’t know, then they can’t trust me.

“So I’ve got to know everybody’s role, and that’s been a little difficult, because I’m trying to learn my stuff, too. But I think we really caught onto it towards the end of spring ball.”

Secondary

The Biggest question: Who will take the team captains’ places?

Team captain Ian Simon is another departed senior. Simon started at free safety and his backup, Cortland Browning, was a senior as well. That job is still there for the taking, with junior Thomas Wilson and sophomore Cam Hilton in competition for the job. Hilton switched to defense after playing receiver as a true freshman.

“There’s a position battle everywhere,” safeties coach Ryan Walters said. “Anthony Sherrils is not safe. Thomas Wilson is not safe. Cam Hilton is not safe. There’s a long time before we play a game, and those four guys — Anthony, Thomas, Cam and (redshirt freshman) Ronnell (Perkins) are doing a great job.”

Assuming his job isn’t truly in jeopardy, Sherrils is set for a big junior season at safety.

“He’s so athletic,” Walters said. “He makes up for a lot of mistakes early on. And so I’m just trying to get him to maximize his athletic nature so that he’s making more plays. He’s making plays, but he can be making a lot more, so I’ve just got to get him consistent.”

Starting cornerback Kenya Dennis was also a team captain last season, and that’s another position up for the taking. While senior John Gibson and juniors Logan Cheadle and Anthony Hines presumably had a head start on the spot, it was redshirt freshman T.J. Warren who got the start Saturday.

“That kid, he just continued to show up,” Cross said. “He worked hard, and he’s making plays.”

Special Teams

The Big Question: How’s Tucker McCann’s leg?

Missouri saw one true freshman specialist come in and make a splash last season; Corey Fatony earned the job as punter and subsequently booted more punts in one season than any Tiger had before.

Missouri is hoping for a repeat performance as signee McCann looks to step into the kicking spot held by Andrew Baggett the last four seasons. The Tigers probably wouldn’t mind if he set the single-season field goal record.

Missouri’s return team, which clearly missed graduated all-American Marcus Murphy last season, saw Black and Finis Stribling IV start on kickoffs and Aarion Penton on punts Saturday.