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Sabtu, 16 Maret 2024

Mizzou spring game observations: Trick plays, cornerback impressions, wind challenges punters - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — A couple touchdowns, a couple field goals and a whole lot of autographs.

Such was Missouri’s spring football game, a low-scoring, low-contact affair that drew a sizable crowd on a seasonal Saturday afternoon.

One half of the Tigers’ roster scored 10 points. The other bunch scored nine, picking up the highlight of the day when wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. caught a backward pass and looked downfield.

Wease’s throw — yes, throw — found fellow wideout Mookie Cooper, who picked up enough separation to take off for a long touchdown.

Cooper finished with five catches for an estimated 132 yards and that touchdown.

Otherwise, the game didn’t show much. “Thud tempo” meant players weren’t tackling each other to the ground. Plenty of backups and depth players had playing time. And some stars, such as wideout Luther Burden III, who has been limited throughout the spring, didn’t touch the ball.

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It doesn’t seem like any open competitions were settled during the spring game — and nothing particularly shocking happened either. Nonetheless, here are some observations from the event:

Cornerbacks look in control

There’s an offseason changing of the guard taking place at cornerback, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for the defenses.

Cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., a recent arrival from Clemson, picked off Brady Cook for the game’s first turnover, showing strong body control and timing to get the jump on a deep shot.

Though he wasn’t going up against MU’s best receivers, Pride consistently was sticking with his marks in man coverage. And Pride’s frame — he’s listed at 5 feet 11, 190 pounds but looks more muscular than a cornerback would be expected to — stands out and could shape his eventual use.

Marcus Clarke, who had a depth role last year and is competing for more of a presence in the cornerback rotation, stuck with the likes of Wease well. That particular matchup saw Clarke break up a fourth-and-goal pass to Wease in the end zone — an area of the field where Wease tends to often make catches.

Difficult to separate running backs

Mizzou’s most open competition seems to be at running back, but there wasn’t much to glean from the rushers’ performances. Offensive and defensive lines not going full speed meant holes weren’t exactly the likes of what would be there in real games. And without full tackling, there was no way to evaluate how the different running backs could break through contact.

Nate Noel, a transfer from Appalachian State, looked able to get downhill quickly thanks to a twitchy first few steps. The game’s setup didn’t favor Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll, whose bigger frame is more conducive to a bruising style.

Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones, returning and trying for expanded opportunities, didn’t have many touches.

Noel was taken down short of the goal line on a bold 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.

Backup quarterbacks look inconsistent

Who was the second-best quarterback behind Brady Cook is a fairly moot point, given that Missouri has former Arizona State and Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne enrolling in June to serve as an experienced backup. But Brett Brown, a redshirt sophomore walk-on, led the gold team’s offense.

Playing with the arsenal of Mookie Cooper, Wease and tight end Brett Norfleet, Brown took his chances on some deep throws. Not all those throws landed in the hands of receivers, but he was able to find some windows and keep timing crisp on some sideline routes.

Cook played the first half for the black team, yielding to walk-on Harold Blood in the second.

Freshman Aidan Glover appeared in the fourth quarter. His first pass was picked off by Caleb Flagg.

But given some of the inconsistency in the depth quarterbacks’ play, it seems like a prudent move for MU to have done the expected by bringing in Pyne.

Wind messes with specialists

Wind swirling around Memorial Stadium looked to have something of an impact on Mizzou’s specialists, but there still were some highlights.

Kicker Blake Craig opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal and later converted an extra point. Nick Quadrini, who’s likely to back up Craig, missed a 35-yard try off the right upright. He later squeaked a 43-yard field goal just above the crossbar.

The two main competitors for the punter role, Luke Bauer and Orion Phillips, were inconsistent, even while punting without facing live pressure or defenders.

Bauer’s had punts go 63, 49 and 31 yards for an average of 48 yards. Phillips’ punts went 47, 46, 44, 37, 35 and 30 yards for an average of 40.

Spotted on the sidelines

UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi wandered the sidelines before and during the game.

“The search has begun,” he told the Post-Dispatch with a smile, referring to the university’s now-kicked off hunt for an athletics director.

Other administrators taking in the action included Board of Curators chair Robin Wenneker and interim AD Marcy Girton.

Several former Missouri players were in attendance, with some honored on the field during the game, including Cody Schrader, Darius Robinson, Harrison Mevis, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Javon Foster and Xavier Delgado. Most of those players will participate in MU’s pro day next week, taking advantage of another opportunity to run through drills in front of NFL scouts.

A handful of incoming freshmen — those who will arrive on campus in the summer — also stopped by the game, including Williams Nwaneri, James Madison, Kewan Lacy, Jaren Sensabaugh, Jackson Hancock and Whit Hafer.

Attendance for the game, which was free, looked to be somewhere around 7,000 fans.

5 things to watch for in Mizzou's 2024 spring game
Read the full transcript of Mizzou beat writer Eli Hoff's live chat
Why Mizzou needs Dreyden Norwood and Toriano Pride Jr. to emerge as starting CBs

Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz addresses the media on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (Video by Mizzou Network, used with permission of Mizzou Athletics)

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