After a 4-7 campaign in 2001, Mizzou head football coach Gary Pinkel is expecting much more from his 2002 squad. The Tigers’ second year coach is promising improvements in both offense and defense. There’s certainly a lot of work to do. Last year MU scored 240 points and gave up 330. They were 10th in the Big XII in both categories. Pinkel believes the spring practice session which culminated with the Black and Gold Game on April 20th, was very productive. It certainly produced some controversy as Freshman Brad Smith beat out Senior Kirk Farmer for the #1 spot at quarterback. Pinkel believes that kind of competition will make both players better in the long run. Mizzou opens up the 2002 season on August 31st in St. Louis against Illinois.
