Ahead of this weekend’s matchup against Buffalo, MU’s reserves could see extensive action like the week prior. The group not only proved their worth against Murray State, but it might’ve earned them more playing time down the line.
During the 2011 NFL preseason, Jon Gruden was curious.
Then an NFL analyst, the former head coach was watching the Indianapolis Colts practice, and he noticed that their backups seldom saw the field. More specifically, Peyton Manning never really subbed out.
It was understandable considering that the legendary QB had never missed a game in 11 years up to that point. But preseason practice is normally a time where the reserves on both sides of the ball participate more than they will during the season.
Gruden walked up to then-offensive coordinator Tom Moore looking for an answer. He got one…but it probably wasn’t what Gruden was expecting.
“Fellas, if 18 (Manning) goes down, we’re f****d,” Moore said. “And we don’t practice f****d.”
Mizzou football took a slightly different approach over this past offseason; plenty of reserves saw action throughout fall camp, which head coach Eli Drinkwitz mentioned as the most challenging since his arrival to Mizzou in 2020.
In a sense, the Tigers practiced, as Moore might’ve put it, f***ed. But there’s a sensible flip side to it: practicing the backups is necessary. The inevitable attrition that football season brings often calls upon those waiting in the wings. The nature of certain position groups, such as the interior defensive line and linebackers, requires more than just the starting pair to generate success over a full game.
Most of all, however, getting as many players meaningful time on the field creates competition. Peyton Manning was a unique case; in the prime of his career, he was lightyears ahead of his backups. Mizzou was far from that, which proved to be a major positive.
Especially at position groups where no one seemed to have an edge from the start, the battles were fierce throughout the offseason. That seemed to better those involved, so much so that linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. equated it to the everyday life of those writing these kinds of articles.
“Look at life in general. Every facet, even in your guys’ profession [reporting], it’s always good to compete. All you guys want the best questions, it makes you make a better writer,” Flagg Jr. said. “As a player, it’s the same thing. If Triston [Newson] has a good day, it’s going to make me want to come in and stack another day on that. Competition always brings out the best of a person, an individual, not only in the game of football, but in life.”
The competition seemed to permeate the defense more; Nic DeLoach and Marquis Gracial received reps with the first team. According to Drinkwitz, the competition even extended to special teams. Blake Craig took some reps with the first-team unit last offseason over Harrison Mevis when Mevis, the presumed starting kicker, wasn’t producing how Drinkwitz wanted him to. Craig got the same treatment during this past fall camp.
By the end of camp, the unprecedented amount of live reps created arguably an unprecedented amount of belief in Drinkwitz.
“I feel pretty confident that we’re two-deep in just about every position,” Drinkwitz said on Aug. 20.
The first opportunity for the well-trained backups to see game action came last Thursday against Murray State, and they saw a lot of it. The bench began to empty a little more than halfway through the third quarter with the Tigers leading 38-0.
Oftentimes, there isn’t much to take away from a top power conference school beating up on an FCS team that won two games the season prior. But when the backups entered the game, it was clear that the extensive practice reps had paid off.
Offensively, Mizzou capitalized off of a Murray State fumble at its own 10-yard line, scoring in just two plays. On their final two offensive possessions of the game, Drew Pyne methodically led the unit down the field; a 14-play, 76-yard drive was followed up by a 12-play, 84-yard drive. While both efforts stalled out in the red zone, Pyne was smart and efficient, going 10/11 for 82 yards.
“I thought he played an excellent half. Made some really good decisions, showed toughness,” Drinkwitz said. “I was really proud of Drew. The way the season ended for him last year, for him to come back…he’s been an awesome teammate…he was just making great reads, putting the ball exactly where it needs to be. Really impressed with him.”
Speaking of depth, Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll were both productive splitting the starting workload that was a little smaller with the limited playing time. Even so, that meant more work for the guys behind him. Kewan Lacy played 12 snaps, while Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones played 11 each.
Lacy tore up the turf on Mizzou’s final offensive drive, as all five of his carries went for at least five yards. Jones had three runs of at least five yards, and Roberts found the end zone to put the Tigers up 45-0.
Although Lacy will likely redshirt, Roberts and Jones figure to flank Noel and Carroll for the rest of the season.
“Whenever somebody new goes in, the speed doesn’t change,” Nate Noel said after the game. “We just gon’ keep coming at you with a new back.”
Over the air, the star of the show early on was Luther Burden III, but the stars of the second half of the second half were Josh Manning and Daniel Blood.
Manning was productive in the 27 snaps he played, reeling in a trio of passes while also showing out as a run blocker, finishing with an elite Pro Football Focus run blocking grade of 87.2.
Blood not only led Mizzou in receptions with five, he excelled in an area that’d been talked about regarding his development dating back to spring ball: yards after catch. MU’s total YAC was accrued through a collective effort; 194 of the 300 combined passing yards between Pyne and Brady Cook were picked up after the catch. Blood led the charge late, as 30 of his 42 yards were after the catch.
“That was good to see [Daniel] Blood get active. We knew he had it in him,” Mookie Cooper said. “He did it all camp whenever his name was called upon, so it was just good for him to be able to go out there on a [Thursday] in front of the Faurot fans and put it all on tape.”
In the trenches, Mizzou played well — the starting offensive line dominated, which included Connor Tollison finishing as the highest-graded center in the nation for Week 1 by PFF.
When the reserves entered the game, they gave Pyne ample time to throw and the backup running backs open running lanes to hit. But their efforts weren’t without struggles; the Tigers were stonewalled twice late at Murray State’s doorstep.
“We got down inside the 10 and weren’t able to score running inside zone,” Drinkwitz said. “We had two guards in there that are 343 pounds apiece, and we were getting knocked back in the A gap.”
However, there were still positive moments, like this pancake from Mitchell Walters.
Mitchell Walters for @MizzouFootball #BonusBig pic.twitter.com/34ZIn2PwCb
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) August 31, 2024
Defensively, the front seven consistently collapsed the pocket and closed lanes like construction on the highway. Mizzou played a whopping 15 players along the defensive line last Thursday; while that number has a solid chance of remaining the season-high, it showed something else that can (and has been) replicated over an entire season.
A big part of MU’s defensive success under Blake Baker was how many quality defensive lineman, specifically defensive tackles, were able to rotate frequently without a major drop-off in impact. The Tigers lost some of that depth over the offseason with Jayden Jernigan and Josh Landry graduating, but replacements were found in Sterling Webb and young guys stepping up like Gracial, Jalen Marshall and Sam Williams.
“We’ve got six 300-pounders in-between the tackles that we can rotate and play fresh,” Drinkwitz said at “Tiger Talk” on Tuesday.
The second level showed out, too — Flagg Jr., Triston Newson and Khalil Jacobs each recorded tackles for loss. But it was actually Brayshawn Littlejohn who finished with the highest PFF grade amongst the linebackers, 86.2, the third-highest on the defense behind Toriano Pride Jr. and Chris McClellan, both of whom forced turnovers.
The cohesion within the linebacker room was mentioned several times during fall camp, including a positive dynamic between the youngsters and the veterans.
“They want to be coached. They like extra work,” Flagg Jr. said of the younger linebackers. “They’re always asking us, what could they have done better on this play, could it have been done better on that play. That’s the biggest thing for those guys. They want to be developed. I’m excited for those guys’ future.” — Flagg, Aug. 9
It seemed like the only reserve unit without a major highlight were the defensive backs, but even so, it represented a bigger, more valuable picture.
“That last drive, I think other than Philip Roche, it was all freshmen on the field,” Drinkwitz said. “That is going to be one heck of a defense in the future. I’m really proud of those guys and thought they came in and played with the standards so, really appreciative them.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, Buffalo will likely present a greater challenge than Murray State. The Bulls are fresh off of a 17-point victory over FCS-level Lafayette, a preseason top-20 FCS team. UB’s quarterback is also a familiar face for MU; C.J. Ogbonna was the starting quarterback for Southeast Missouri when the Redhawks visited Columbia in 2021. Although he completed just 7/14 passes for 53 yards, he picked up 96 rushing yards on just 12 carries. For a defense that struggled to contain elite running quarterbacks last season, Buffalo will provide an early litmus test for the next couple of weeks, when the Tigers will face two high-level running quarterbacks in Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia.
However, there’s also a high probability of Mizzou being able to play its backups, too. Whenever they’re called upon, whether it’s against Buffalo or in the postseason, Drinkwitz feels that the quality of depth will prove beneficial for everyone involved.
“[The starters are] going to empty the tank,” Drinkwitz said on Aug. 20. “Because they know they’ve got guys behind that can come in and continue to play relentless for four quarters.”