Hey guys,
Probably won't tell you too much you don't already know or can't find out on your own, but what the hell let's do it any way.
Here's my view of Mizzou's roster from the inside. Take it FWIW.
OFFENSE
QB #11 Blaine Gabbert, Soph, 6'5" 235
You've all heard about Gabbert at this point in some fashion. He had his first start last week against Illinois in St. Louis and was as good as anyone could have hoped he would be. 319 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT, 39 yards rushing, 1 TD. He was brilliant. Gabbert is a 5-star recruit out of the St. Louis area that was the #1 rated "pro-style" QB in his class and #2 overall QB (behind Pryor at Ohio State). Replacing Chase Daniel will not be easy, but we heard the same thing about Brad Smith. Gabbert is everything Daniel wasn't. He's big, he's fast, he has a cannon arm, he didn't have great high school stats, he's been hurt, and he's not as vocal. You have to figure pressure is the way to really get him into trouble. If you give him time, our short routes and tall receivers will probably give you trouble.
RB #24 Derrick Washington, Junior, 5'11" 225
Derrick is back as a 2nd-year starter. As a soph, he ran for over 1000 yards (the 3rd straight season Mizzou has had a 1000-yard RB) and led the team in TDs with 19. Derrick is neither a bruiser nor a speed back. He's one of those "fast enough" and "strong enough" guys. He does move the pile REALLY well and he did have a few very long TD runs last year, but for the most part he gets his yards in chunks. He catches the ball well, sometimes lining up split out at WR. Washington had a minor knee injury he picked up in our 2nd game last year and it bothered him all season, though it didn't seem to slow him down a lot. He looked very tentative in our game against Illinois and only had 2 really good runs. He's going to be leaned on more in this game because our backup De'Vion Moore picked up a high ankle sprain against the Illini so our #2 back is now true frosh Kendial Lawrence, who is very talented but obviously very green.
WR #81 Danario Alexander, Senior, 6'5" 210
We still don't know what Danario can really do. He's tall, prior to his knee surgeries he was timed at 4.31 in the 40, and he still boasts a 47" vertical so the athleticism is obvious. The problem is after being the best WR in camp in 2007 (a camp that included Jeremy Maclin) he proceeded to shatter his wrist in the opener against Illinois on his 9th catch. He came back to have a productive season, then destroyed his ACL in the B12 Champ Game that December. After missing 2008 spring ball, he had to have his knee re-repaired because he was still having problems. He missed the first few weeks of 2008, then went on to have a quiet but decent year. He missed most of the 2009 spring, mainly precautionary, but excelled in the 2009 fall camp. And against Illinois he had 10 catches for around 130 yards. He's our big play receiver, no question, but obviously his durability is a major question mark. If you're going to look out for anyone, it's Danario Alexander.
WR #4 Jared Perry, Senior, 6'1" 180
Jared is a pretty decent player that probably won't be remembered for being as good as he is. He's been in William Franklin's, Jeremy Maclin's, Chase Coffman's, Martin Rucker's, and Danario Alexander's shadows for his entire career but he's a pretty decent receiver. He makes some great catches, misses some others. He's got very good speed, but is not an all-out burner. He is very tough and plays his heart out, he just doesn't have the physical gifts the other guys have had. Still, he played as a true frosh in 2006 and has contributed every year. A very reliable "other guy" at WR.
WR #8 Wes Kemp, Sophomore, 6'4" 225
Wes got his first start last week as well, and caught his first TD pass of his career on a 48-yard catch-and run from Gabbert. Kemp is still a bit of an unknown, having only 1 catch in his true frosh season but playing in many games. He reminds me a lot of Justin Gage if you can remember him from the previous teams you faced at Mizzou. I'm not saying he's going to be as *good* as Justin Gage, but he plays like that. Great size, very tough, and had a great debut. He and Gabbert forged a great relationship in the spring and fall camps so Kemp seems to be one of Gabbert's favorites. This is a guy capable of making big plays, but we just have no idea what to expect until we see more games out of him.
TE #87 Andrew Jones, Sophomore, 6'5" 245
Following All-American Martin Rucker was All-American Chase Coffman. Following All-American Chase Coffman is 4-star TE out of Smithville, MO, Andrew Jones. For the record, Jones has more stars coming out of HS than either Rucker or Coffman, but NOBODY expects him to live up to what those other 2 did. Jones is a sure-handed big man that blocks very well and does what needs to be done. He filled in nicely for Coffman late last season when Coffman was hurt, and had (I believe) 7 catches against Iowa State. He will be a great safety valve for Gabbert, as he is very comfortable in the 5-10 yard range on routes where he'll just find space and sit there. Definitely not a burner, nor the athletic hurdler that Coffman was, but certainly a capable pass-catcher and another big target.
LT #72 Elvis Fisher, Sophomore, 6'5" 300
Elvis started at LT as a RSFR last season and did a fantastic job. He was All Big-12 Freshman LT and I believe Honorable Mention All Big-12. In any event, he as now 15 starts in his young career and has been exceptional. Very active blocker downfield on run/screen plays and a good protector of the blind side.
LG #66 Austin Wuebbels, Sophomore, 6'4" 300
Austin is a first year starter on the line but played in almost every game a season ago as a backup. I can't really say a lot about Wuebbels other than the coaches really like him, and if he's starting as a Soph on a line that Coach Pinkel says is the best he's ever had at Mizzou then that's good enough for me.
C #62 Tim Barnes, Junior, 6'4" 305
Tim is an All Big-12 Center returning for his 3rd year starting. EXCELLENT anchor on the line, one of the best in the conference for sure. His snaps are perfect, which says a lot since all of our plays are out of the shotgun, and he's a great leader. Barnes is responsible on the field for calling all of the line's protection adjustments and really being a 2nd QB out there. Excellent Center.
RG #78 Kurtis Gregory, Senior, 6'5" 305
The lone Senior on the line, Gregory is a 4-year starter and has played multiple positions on the line in his career. Very, very smart and has already received his undergrad degree and is working on his graduate degree. Gregory is another All Big-12 performer that is a building block of (once again) what Coach Pinkel says is his best line ever. Gregory played about half of the Illinois game at RT.
RT #77 Dan Hoch, Sophomore, 6'7" 315
Hoch became the first ever true frosh to play on the offensive line for Coach Pinkel at Mizzou. He is an absolute load (6'7" 315) and a monstrous blocker. He backed up both tackle positions last year and now starts for the departed Colin Brown who was drafted by KC in April. Hoch sprained his knee shortly before the end of fall camp and missed 2 weeks, but did start against Illnois and played very well. He was replaced by Gregory at RT during the game for what the coaches are saying was purely precautionary, so Hoch appears to be healthy and conditioned and should be out there full-time on Saturday. Hoch came to Mizzou as a big-time recruit out of Iowa who had originally committed to Nebraska, but switched to Mizzou when Blaine Gabbert did the same.
DEFENSE
DE #2 Brian Coulter, Senior, 6'4" 250
Coulter came to Mizzou last year as a JUCO transfer that had originally played at Florida State but lost his spot on the team there due to some questionable clearinghouse issues. FSU didn't hold his spot so he sat out a year waiting for them, then went to JUCO, was about to commit to LSU when Mizzou came calling and he took our offer. He entered to much hype, so much so that he has become the Chuck Norris of Mizzou message boards. An injury during fall camp of 2008 really cost him and he didn't get healthy until the middle of the conference season so he played sparingly. He had a good spring and fall this year and is part of a 3-headed monster at DE. Really known as more of a pass-rusher, he is strong enough to defend the run. He played well against Illinois in his first start, but we are still looking to see if he can live up to any of the hype he came in with.
DE #3 Jacquies Smith, Sophomore, 6'4" 240
Jacquies backed up 2 now-departed seniors at DE last season as a true frosh and was superb. Very strong, very athletic, and shows the ability to get after the QB as well as stop the run. Jacquies had problems last season with his composure, drawing multiple personal fouls and roughing penalties, but I believe the coaches have broken him of that. Jacquies figures as a focal point of our current and future defense.
DE #85 Aldon Smith, RS Freshman, 6'5" 245
I have to put our 3rd DE on here because even though he doesn't start, he plays as much as the other 2. Aldon has been called "unblockable" but the media covering Mizzou since the spring. He would have played as a true frosh, but his paperwork wasn't ready in time for the season so he was unable to participate in the fall 2008 camp. This kid has the potential to be very special. His arms are enormous, he had 6 tackles last week including 3 for loss, and lines up at DT on obvious passing downs. The Rivals.com writer for Mizzou's site said during the spring that he thinks Aldon Smith is the best defensive player on our team, including Sean Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon is a pre-season AA, but I'll get to him in a bit. Keep your eyes on Aldon Smith above anyone else on our defensie line. I think he'll replace Coulter by the end of the season.
DT #96 Jaron Baston, Senior, 6'1" 305
Baston seems like he's been on this team forever, and I think I mean that in a good way. He didn't do much as a frosh or soph but really came on last year playing alongside Ziggy Hood. Now he's the man, so we'll see. He's definitely a good DT, but Lorenzo Williams in 2007 was a 2008 NFL draft pick and then Ziggy Hood in 2008 was a 2009 1st round draft pick so Baston is filling some big shoes. He models his game (as he says) after Glenn Dorsey of LSU fame. He's not Glenn Dorsey. Few are.
DT #93 Terrell Resonno, Sophomore, 6'6" 295
Can't tell you a lot about Resonno. He's another guy we have a lot of hope for, but he played sparingly as a frosh and has one start to his name. Another guy noted for very strong arms, we hope he can be what Baston was last year while Baston plays the "Ziggy Hood" role.
WLB #12 Sean Weatherspoon, Senior, 6'2" 245
I've really, really tried to avoid hyperbole in describing our players but I don't think I can resist on Spoon. This guy is an All-American talent and should be a first round pick in April. He does it all, and is the unquestioned leader of our defense. Great size, still has high 4.5 speed, good in coverage (2 pick-sixes last season), and great at pressure (8 or 9 career sacks). He's probably the best linebacker Mizzou has ever had. He's simply awesome. Not bad for a 2-star kid out of Houston.
MLB #33 Luke Lambert, Junior, 6'3" 235
Luke is kind of the prototypical college linebacker. Good player, certainly knows what he's doing and plays his position well, but he's certainly nothing "special". I'm a big Luke Lambert fan because he's from the same small town as my dad, and he's certainly earned his spot. Just don't expect to be wowed by Lambert. He'll quietly get his 6-10 tackles during the game and be on his way.
SLB #6 Andrew Gachkar, Junior, 6'3" 220
Gachkar was a special teams standout for 2 years, as well as a capable backup LB last season, that has stepped in to start this year. Big motor guy, always moving around. He was a safety coming out of HS so he's a better pass-coverage LB than he is pass-rushing LB. Good hitter, loves to get in there and knock people around on running plays. And definitely one of the smarter kids on the team, not only because he's a Civil Engineering major but because he got out of the state of kansas to play for Mizzou!
CB #19 Carl Gettis, Junior, 5'11" 200
Gettis is now a 3-year starter and the only returning starter from a much-maligned secondary a year ago. Gettis is a strong cover corner that breaks well on the ball. He's got good instincts in pass coverage, plays the run well enough, and had a forced fumble last week against Illinois. Good corner. Not a true "shut down" guy but close.
CB #20 Kevin Rutland, Junior, 6'0" 195
Rutland is one of the fastest players on the team and is stepping into the starting role for the first time after being a major special teams contributor as well as a solid backup CB. Not much else to say about him other than he is extremely fast.
FS #4 Hardy Ricks, Senior, 6'0" 200
Ricks is the lone Senior in the secondary and has played a ton of snaps in his career. He has been behind William Moore for most of his career so this is his first opportunity to start. Ricks is known as one of the hardest hitters on the team and he did have an interception of Juice Williams last week against Illinois.
SS #13 Kenji Jackson, Sophomore, 5'10" 195
Kenji started a couple of games a year ago as a true frosh and played in almost every game so he is fairly experienced for being such a youngster. Jackson is a pure athlete and understands his position well in never letting anything get behind him. He loves to put his helmet on people and is always flying to the ball. Great athleticism from him, would like to see him get some more sure hands as he matures at this position.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK #95 Grant Ressel, Sophomore, 6'1" 190
Ressel is replacing the most accurate kicker in the history of college football, Jeff Wolfert, so needless to say the pressure is on. Our kicking game was a GIANT question mark all through spring and fall with nobody really emerging as the best option. In the final scrimmage of the fall, Ressel won the job. What did he do in his first game ever? He hit all 3 of his field goal attempts, including two from beyond 40 yards that would have been good from 50+, and his PATs were straight and true. Beginner's luck? Very possible. But it was a huge sigh of relief. Tanner Mills handles kickoffs because he's got the strength to get the ball to or beyond the goalline, we just have no idea what side of the endzone it's going to. No accuracy, a lot of leg.
P #36 Jake Harry, Senior, 6'1" 195
Harry is a good punter with no NFL future whatsoever. He's a rugby style kicker that rolls to one side before he punts, and he's ambidextrous so he can kick with either leg. He gets good hang time and good roll on the ball. Reliable punter, just again nothing special here. He's a punter...what else is there?
KR/PR
You've got nothing to worry about here. We're still trying to replace Jeremy Maclin. Basically, we've got a JUCO backup safety returning kicks that did well in JUCO, and he's pretty fast, but if he gets a KR TD it will be a small miracle. Carl Gettis is our PR, and it looks like his job basically is catch the ball and fall down. We might get better as the season goes along, but we were very forgettable in this department against Illinois.
Alright, that's it! There's Mizzou for you. Would love to see a breakdown like this from one of you.
Mizzou Self-Scouting Report
Golf Clap...
Seriously good stuff, Dave.
