These are going to be pretty basic because (A.) we haven’t seen much to know entirely what to look for and (B.) the biggest storylines for Sat., August 15 are the same storylines that were there on Aug. 6 — the first day of camp.
Here we go:
1. Offensive and defensive lines will be the biggest areas to watch. Those will decide whether Missouri makes another run to Atlanta or slides back a bit in Year 4 in the SEC. Can Connor McGovern hold up at left tackle? We’ll see our first glimpse of McGovern vs. Charles Harris. If McGovern can hold his own, that will say a lot. Other than that, the two position battles to watch are right tackle (Crawford/Rhodes) and left guard (Chappell/McNulty/Cuellar?). I imagine there won’t be much shuffling of positions on Saturday — that will come Monday, when the depth chart is re-addressed. On the defensive line, the biggest things to watch are whether Josh Augusta can stay on the field as much as Barry Odom says he has so far, and the rotation at the end opposite Charles Harris.
2. We should know which freshmen will play by the end of the scrimmage. There may be some more guys that play well enough over the final two weeks of camp to avoid a redshirt, but the freshmen that see reps with the first and second teams on offense and defense on Saturday should be the guys that will play in some capacity this season. Gary Pinkel has said he already has an idea; that should be pretty obvious based on reps on Saturday.
3. The short-to-intermediate passing game. Is it there on Saturday? Is it consistent? That’s going to go a long way in determining whether Maty Mauk improves his consistency this season. We’ve heard about the athleticism among this unproven group of receivers, but there’s only one way to let that athleticism shine. Get the ball to those guys in space and let them do the work, instead of going for the long ball.
4. Morgan Steward and Chase Abbington. We know Ish Witter will play a lot, and his work load will increase dramatically from his freshmen year. But Steward and Abibngton are probably the biggest wild cards in determining whether it’s Russell Hansbrough and everyone else, or a true rotation in the backfield. If Steward stays healthy, and Abbington grasps the playbook fast, Missouri can trot out a four-man rotation in the backfield and keep everyone (most importantly, Hansbrough) healthy and fresh.
5. Who is the go-to-guy in the passing game? We should have a better idea of Mauk’s favorite targets after this first scrimmage. We haven’t seen him throw a meaningful pass yet, but after a summer of seven-on-seven, surely someone (or a few someones) has emerged.
Excited to see some real football action in the morning. We’ll have coverage all day right here.
Here we go:
1. Offensive and defensive lines will be the biggest areas to watch. Those will decide whether Missouri makes another run to Atlanta or slides back a bit in Year 4 in the SEC. Can Connor McGovern hold up at left tackle? We’ll see our first glimpse of McGovern vs. Charles Harris. If McGovern can hold his own, that will say a lot. Other than that, the two position battles to watch are right tackle (Crawford/Rhodes) and left guard (Chappell/McNulty/Cuellar?). I imagine there won’t be much shuffling of positions on Saturday — that will come Monday, when the depth chart is re-addressed. On the defensive line, the biggest things to watch are whether Josh Augusta can stay on the field as much as Barry Odom says he has so far, and the rotation at the end opposite Charles Harris.
2. We should know which freshmen will play by the end of the scrimmage. There may be some more guys that play well enough over the final two weeks of camp to avoid a redshirt, but the freshmen that see reps with the first and second teams on offense and defense on Saturday should be the guys that will play in some capacity this season. Gary Pinkel has said he already has an idea; that should be pretty obvious based on reps on Saturday.
3. The short-to-intermediate passing game. Is it there on Saturday? Is it consistent? That’s going to go a long way in determining whether Maty Mauk improves his consistency this season. We’ve heard about the athleticism among this unproven group of receivers, but there’s only one way to let that athleticism shine. Get the ball to those guys in space and let them do the work, instead of going for the long ball.
4. Morgan Steward and Chase Abbington. We know Ish Witter will play a lot, and his work load will increase dramatically from his freshmen year. But Steward and Abibngton are probably the biggest wild cards in determining whether it’s Russell Hansbrough and everyone else, or a true rotation in the backfield. If Steward stays healthy, and Abbington grasps the playbook fast, Missouri can trot out a four-man rotation in the backfield and keep everyone (most importantly, Hansbrough) healthy and fresh.
5. Who is the go-to-guy in the passing game? We should have a better idea of Mauk’s favorite targets after this first scrimmage. We haven’t seen him throw a meaningful pass yet, but after a summer of seven-on-seven, surely someone (or a few someones) has emerged.
Excited to see some real football action in the morning. We’ll have coverage all day right here.
