The Tigers’ depth for the 2024 season is beginning to get more and more clear.
Missouri football held its second behind-closed-doors scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday — a session that had “some good, some bad, some hard to tell until you really watch the tape”, MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz told local media shortly afterward.
Some of the good: The coach said wide receiver Joshua Manning had about six catches for 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Some of the bad: “We didn’t have any takeaways today,” Drinkwitz said, “which is good for the offense, bad for the defense.”
Just 19 days stand between the Tigers and their season-opener against Murray State on Thursday, Aug. 29 on Faurot Field in Columbia. Drinkwitz said he’s confident that the team is “two-deep at just about every position,” with most spots seemingly now more or less settled as far as contributing personnel is concerned.
One player with a guaranteed starting spot, Drinkwitz joked as he left the room: “Brady Cook will be our starting quarterback this season.”
Yep, had that one down in ink.
Here’s what else the Mizzou head coach said Saturday, including injury notes, the team’s progression at placekicker and updates on the position battles at running back and left tackle.
More: Missouri football’s Friday practice offers potential depth chart clues
Missouri football ‘very excited’ about running back Nate Noel
Drinkwitz didn’t definitively say how Missouri plans to dish out reps to its running backs this season, instead saying he thinks the team is “very close” to a decision. However it works out — shared backfield or not — Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel’s chance for significant volume appears good.
Mizzou held Noel out of Saturday’s scrimmage as a “precautionary measure,” Drinkwitz said, but also because he’s already “very confident what he can do.”
“I’ve seen that guy get tackled versus Texas, A&M, North Carolina,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s had plenty of carries in his career, so (I) don’t need to see him live. … Very excited about how he fits into this offense.”
Marcus Carroll, the Georgia State transfer and presumed other main challenger for backfield reps, took five carries in the scrimmage, per the head coach. He added that Carroll’s best asset is as a “physical, downhill runner,” and that the reps were to acclimatize him to that role and to pass-protection duties.
Also of note: True freshman Austyn Dendy, who the Tigers recruited as an athlete but had been working out at safety, took reps at running back Saturday, Drinkwitz said. The coach noted that he likely had 80 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Marcus Bryant nearing left tackle lock
The competition at left tackle between SMU transfer Marcus Bryant and Hutchinson Community College recruit Jayven Richardson isn’t quite done, Drinkwitz said, but Bryant appears to be the leader in the clubhouse.
“Since (Aug. 3), I think Marcus has taken all the reps with the (first team) at the left tackle position, and that position is really starting to gel,” Drinkwitz said. “You know, that doesn’t mean the competition is over by any means — we’d like to see some game reps with different guys — but that five right now is building some continuity and some chemistry.”
During the spring, Richardson had been working as a swing tackle or as a sixth man if the Tigers ever turned to a heavier set, but impressed enough to begin fall as a competitor for the spot with Bryant, a spring transfer and summer arrival.
Cayden Green, a blockbuster Oklahoma transfer this offseason, originally was recruited to play tackle but moved to left guard — “hats off to Green’s unselfishness,” Drinkwitz said of that player-made decision — which is the same spot he played for the Sooners.
If Bryant, who stands a stout 6 foot 8 and 318 pounds, does earn the role — left open after longtime mainstay Javon Foster departed for the NFL — Mizzou’s line shapes up to be Bryant at left tackle, Green at left guard, Connor Tollison at center, Cam’Ron Johnson at right guard and Armand Membou at right tackle.
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
TEs Norfleet, Harris expected to return soon
Tight ends Brett Norfleet and Jordon Harris appeared to miss the portions of the three practices made open to the media between Wednesday and Friday, but Drinkwitz said their spells on the sideline may soon end.
“Neither one of those guys should miss any significant time,” he said. “I think we’ll have both of them back … in the next week.”
Marquis Johnson, the Tigers’ speedy sophomore wide receiver, returned to practice Friday after a noted absence Thursday.
Drinkwitz said freshman running back Kewan Lacy has been dealing with a soft tissue injury and was held out of the scrimmage.
More: Why Josh Manning may be candidate to break into Missouri football’s loaded WR rotation
Missouri tight end Brett Norfleet runs after a catch during a college football game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023, in Columbia, Mo.
Kicker update
Blake Craig, the heir-apparent to Harrison Mevis as the team’s placekicker, went 6-of-7 during the scrimmage, with his lone miss coming from 51 yards, Drinkwitz said.
It’s been an up-and-down camp for the redshirt freshman out of Kansas City with some recorded misses during open practices, but Drinkwitz remained confident in his future, praising his ability to “battle back.”
“I think the biggest thing I’ve seen is his mental toughness,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s — you miss a couple of kicks, man, it’s tough. And he’s just been out there, kept working, keeps his head down. And (he) drilled the next opportunity that he had from 51 on the left hash and then made one right there at the end of the scrimmage, so I’m proud of him. He’s doing what we need him to do.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz updates key fall camp battles
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 10:34:00
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