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SEC East team by team breakdown

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Special Contributor – Sam Husting

There are 46 days until the start of the college football season for the Missouri Tigers and below we have a quick preview of each team in the SEC East.  We take a look at the key returning players and expectations for each team.  This snapshot will provide a guide for the SEC this year.

Missouri

Last season:  4-8, 2-6 SEC

Best win:  28-24 over Arkansas

Worst loss: 51-45 vs Middle Tennessee

Returning starters:  10 (O), 5 (D) 0 (SP)

QB Drew Lock 3399 yards 23 TDs 10 INTs, RB Damarea Crockett 1062 yards 10 TDs, WR J’Mon Moore 62 catches 1012 yards 8 TDs

Opener:  September 2nd vs Missouri State

SEC Opener: September 9th vs USC

 

Missouri is looking to bounce back after a disappointing season finishing 4-8 overall and missing out on a bowl game.  Missouri Head Coach Barry Odom said that the offense has a high upside with rising junior Drew Lock back at the helm and 10 total starters returning.  He said they were very young on that side of the ball last year and with experience he hopes to see improvement.  He said that they have recruited very well on the defensive side of the ball and he trusts that the coordinators can do the rest.  After struggling in SEC play last year the Tigers hope to get off to a hot start with two conference home games to start, which Drew Lock and J’mon Moore both said was a huge advantage for them.

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#Mizzou unable to put away cold-shooting Alabama

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Kevin Puryear goes up strong against Alabama (photo/Mizzou Athletics)

Mizzou played great defense in the first half, got the benefit of a very cold shooting Alabama team that started the second half missing their first shots. At that point, the Crimson Tide were 5-of-29 shooting, but the Tigers held just a seven-point lead with just under 17 minutes to play.

Alabama grabbed an offensive rebound and then hit a three pointer to cut the lead to four.  From that point on, it was a battle and it turned into a second half where the Tigers failed to execute late.

Missouri’s modest two-game home winning streak came to an end with a 57-54 loss on Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena.

“You can’t really hide behind the youth movement,” said Missouri coach Kim Anderson.  “25 games in, we practiced it and guys knew what to do…we just didn’t do it.”

It took Alabama 23 minutes and 31 seconds to make their first seven field goals of the game.  Down the stretch, the Tide made seven of their final nine shots while Mizzou went cold. After a Frankie Hughes three-pointer put the Tigers up 42-37 with 8:37 to play, the Tigers went 2-for-10 the rest of the game.

The Tigers were led by sophomore guard K.J. Walton with a team-best 12 points and season-high three assists. He also had two steals. Sophomore forward Kevin Puryear had 11 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Jordan Barnett was shut down being held to just five points on 2-for-10 shooting, but he did have a team high 12 rebounds.

Missouri had a 23-18 edge in rebounding after the first half, and ended up trailing 39-36 for the game.

Odom “really excited about this group,” as Mizzou signs 2017 class (VIDEO)

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University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom and his staff have unveiled their second recruiting class today as part of National Signing Day.  The newest group of Tigers comprise an outstanding haul of talented student-athletes from all over the country who will look to help the program reach its championship goals.  As of Noon central time Wednesday, 23 standouts representing 15 different states signed their names to National Letters of Intent to attend and play football at Mizzou.  If more student-athletes join later in the day, their information will be released when available.

The coaching staff found a lot of success in the footprint of the Southeastern Conference, as 15 of the 25 members of the 2017 class hail from SEC states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.

“We are really excited about this group,” said Head Coach Barry Odom.  “We’ve nationally identified some very talented guys, and our staff has done a tremendous job in finding young men who are great fits for our program.  They fit what we want culturally and schematically and help us with our needs at each position.  We’ve found a group of guys who are very like-minded and determined, who want to be Mizzou Tigers.  They will have the opportunity to be a special class moving forward,” he said.

2017 Mizzou Football Recruiting Class Full Packet

Three from the group are already enrolled in classes at Mizzou this semester, and are gearing up to take part in spring drills, beginning in March.  Joining Mizzou for the spring semester are OL Pompey Coleman (Indianapolis, Ind.), OL Yasir Durant (native of Philadelphia, Pa., transferring from Arizona Western Community College) and RB Isaiah Miller (Baldwin, Fla).  They will be on hand for spring drills as the Tigers prepare for the annual Black & Gold Game set for April 15th (1 p.m. central time) at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.

National Signing Day–List of 2017 recruits for Mizzou

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Some of the suspense of National Signing Day has been lost as the frenzy to be the first to report new commits covers the college football landscape in Missouri.  Between national recruiting sites, local papers and bloggers, we already have the list of recruits who will be coming to play for the Missouri Tigers.  There could always be a last minute surprise, but at this point all head coach Barry Odom and his staff is waiting for are the official letters that will begin streaming in this morning.

After a late addition with 5’7 wide receiver O’Shae Clark of Cypress, Texas, the Tigers expect to have 23 new players.

Follow Missourinet.com for breaking or changing news and be sure to follow me on Twitter @Missourisports today at 1:30.  I’ll have live video of Barry Odom and assistants talking about the class of 2017.

2017 Missouri commits

— WR O’Shae Clark, Cypress Springs High School (Cypress, Texas)
— DT Walter Palmore, Eastern Arizona College (Thatcher, Ariz.)
— DT Kobie Whiteside, Alief Taylor High School (Houston)
— QB Taylor Powell, Fayetteville High School (Fayetteville, Ark.)
— S Tyree Gillespie, Vanguard High School (Ocala, Fla.)
— S Jordan Ulmer, Belleville High School (Belleville, Mich.)
— CB Adam Sparks, Dutchtown High School (Geismar, La.)
— OL Yasir Durant, Arizona Western College (Yuma, Ariz.)
— RB Isaiah Miller, Baldwin High School (Jacksonville, Fla.)
— RB Larry Rountree III, Millbrook High School (Raleigh, N.C.)
— DE Nathaniel Anderson, New Mexico Military Institute (Roswell, N.M.)
— DT Rashad Brandon, ASA College (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
— CB Terry Petry, Ridge Point (Missouri City, Texas)
— DE/OLB Chris Turner, Hammond High School (Hammond, La.)
— S Joshuah Bledsoe, Dekaney High School, (Spring, Texas)
— ILB Aubrey Miller, Whitehaven High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
— C Case Cook, Carrollton High School (Carrollton, Georgia)
— ILB Jamal Brooks, Bessemer City High School (Bessemer City, Alabama)
— OL Larry Borom, Brother Rice High School (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
— TE Logan Christopherson, Lemont High School (Lemont, Ill.)
— OL Pompey Coleman, Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis)
— OL Hyrin White, DeSota High School (DeSoto, Texas)
— Ath Da’Ron Davis, Lee’s Summit North High School (Lee’s Summit, Mo.)

Willie Jackson leaving the #Mizzou basketball program

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Statement from Mizzou Men’s Basketball

“Willie Jackson has made the Mizzou Men’s Basketball program aware of his intentions to continue his academic and athletic pursuits closer to home. We understand Willie has a desire to be closer to his family due to a family medical situation, so his decision has our support. We appreciate what Willie has contributed during his time with the program and wish him the best in the future.”

Statement from Willie Jackson

“I really appreciate the opportunity that Mizzou gave me, and I enjoyed my time in Columbia, but my family needs me closer to home, at this point. We have an illness in the family, and I’m hoping to spend more time around my family to be a positive influence. I am thankful for everything that Mizzou’s coaching staff has done for me, and I will always be cheering for my teammates in the future.”

Jackson was averaging 16.9 points in his first 11 games with Mizzou, averaging 5.9 ppg while shooting 55%.

Jackson chose Mizzou over offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, Penn State, Boston College, Temple, Wichita State, and Akron. He played his high school ball alongside fellow Mizzou freshman Frankie Hughes.

Just this week, Kim Anderson said there would be changes to the starting lineup and he would be playing with a shorter bench.  Ten different players had averaged more than 13 minutes in the first 11 games of the season.

Frazier named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week

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Pictures from Mizzou's rivalry game against Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.

Marcell Frazier hits Austin Allen from Mizzou’s rivalry game against Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.

Mizzou junior defensive end Marcell Frazier was named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play in last Friday’s 28-24 victory over Arkansas.

Frazier ended the day with four tackles (42 yards in losses) – with all of them coming behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks (35 yards).  His last sack was the game clincher, as he wrapped up Arkansas QB Austin Allen for a 17-yard loss on 4th-and-goal from the Mizzou 20-yardline with the Razorbacks in striking distance in the final minute of play.  That sack turned the ball over to Mizzou, and the Tiger offense killed the clock to claim the come-from-behind win.

Frazier and his defensive teammates pitched a second-half shutout against the potent Arkansas offense, and that allowed the Tiger offense to put together a rally that saw Mizzou overcome a 24-7 halftime deficit.  The 17-point halftime deficit was the largest overcome for a victory in program history.

Frazier is the second Tiger defensive lineman to win the league’s weekly award in 2016, as he joins fellow junior Charles Harris, who won the honor after Mizzou defeated Vanderbilt on Nov. 12.  He’s the third Tiger overall to receive weekly league honors this year, as freshman WR Johnathan Johnson won SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 10.

#Mizzou running back Crockett busted for marijuana. Odom suspends him for Arkansas game (AUDIO)

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Demarea Crocket

Demarea Crockett

According to Missourinet affiliate KTGR, Mizzou’s star running back freshman Damarea Crockett was caught with less than 35 grams of marijuana early Sunday morning in a campus parking lot, then released on summons.

Crockett ran for 226 yards in the loss at Tennessee on Saturday. He is already Mizzou’s all-time record holder for freshman rushing yards and touchdowns. The Tigers host Arkansas on Friday.

MUPD officers arrested Crockett at 4:43 a.m. after they found him in a car with other people. Major Brian Weimer said Crockett was the only one accused of having marijuana, so he was the only person arrested.

Barry Odom held an already scheduled media Q & A and discussed the Crockett suspension.

 

 

Former #Mizzou pitcher becomes sixth pitcher to win Cy Young Award in both leagues

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Max Scherzer delivers a pitch. (photo/Bill Greenblatt, UPI)

Max Scherzer delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals. (photo/Bill Greenblatt, UPI)

Former Missouri Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer was with family and friends on an annual trip sitting on a boat in the middle of the British Virgin Islands where he received the call that he was named the 2016 National League Cy Young Award winner by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Wednesday.

It was the second career Cy Young Award for Scherzer, who also won the American League version of the award in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers. He is just the sixth pitcher in history to win the award in both leagues. Scherzer received 25 of the 30 first-place votes and 192 points overall to beat Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs.

Scherzer joins Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay as the only pitchers in Major League history to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues.

Pitcher, Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Pts.
Max Scherzer, Nationals 25 3 1 1 192
Jon Lester, Cubs 1 16 9 2 102
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs 2 7 8 7 5 85
Madison Bumgarner, Giants 2 6 7 6 46
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers 2 1 5 3 30

Rick Porcello of Boston edged out Justin Verlander of Detroit.  Porcello was teammates of Verlander and Scherzer in Detroit.  Verlander’s woman, Kate Upton defended Verlander on Twitter…that’s never a good thing. I’ll tell you more about that on my next podcast, The Bill Pollock Show

AL Cy Young Award voting results
Pitcher, Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Pts.
Rick Porcello, Red Sox 8 18 2 1 1 137
Justin Verlander, Tigers 14 2 5 4 3 132
Corey Kluber, Indians 3 6 12 8 1 98
Zach Britton, Orioles 5 3 2 5 9 72
Chris Sale, White Sox 1 4 9 6 40

#Mizzou basketball to play Iowa State in home-and-home series starting next year.

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Mizzou Men’s Basketball will open the 2017-18 season with Iowa State. The Tigers return to Ames, Iowa, in on Nov. 9, 2018.  Former league rivals dating back to the days of the Big Eight Conference, the Mizzou-Iowa State series (233 meetings all-time) dates back to 1909, when the Tigers claimed a rousing 53-14 victory in Columbia. Mizzou has posted a 149-84 all-time record against the Cyclones, the most wins over a single opponent ever for the Tigers.

“This is certainly an exciting series for Mizzou fans and alumni, considering the tradition and history between our two schools,” Mizzou Athletics Director Jim Sterk said. “It is unique to host a program like Iowa State’s to start a new season. All of us here with Mizzou Athletics look forward to seeing everyone at this big-time matchup in Mizzou Arena next year.”

Mizzou has only faced two programs more often than Iowa State (Kansas, 267; Kansas State, 235). The legendary Norm Stewart presided over 79 of those matchups, posting a stout 55-24 all-time record against the Cyclones, oftentimes getting the better of his Iowa State counterpart, Johnny Orr.

“This is really a special deal for Mizzou fans; this series coming up with Iowa State,” head coach Kim Anderson said. “A lot of memories probably immediately come to mind for fans of both programs. Our Mizzou program is excited to rekindle this series, but most of all, we’re excited for the challenge.”

More from Coach Anderson after Thursday’s press conference

Anderson battled well against the Cyclones during his playing days for Stewart, averaging 16.7 points per game while leading Mizzou to a 6-1 record against Iowa State from 1975-77. Anderson followed that by helping the Tigers to a 16-11 record vs. ISU during his days as a Mizzou assistant coach (1982-85, 1991-99).

If #Mizzou can slow down Kentucky’s running game, Tigers have a chance to get Odom his first SEC win

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Missouri Tigers Damarea Crockett is lifted by teammate Paul Adams after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri on October 22, 2016. Middle Tennessee defeated Missouri 51-45. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Missouri Tigers Damarea Crockett is lifted by teammate Paul Adams after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri on October 22, 2016. Middle Tennessee defeated Missouri 51-45. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The Mizzou Tigers (2-5 overall, 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play), hope to break a three-game losing streak this when they host the Kentucky Wildcats (4-3, 3-2) at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (CT).

Mizzou is looking for its first SEC win for first-year Head Coach Barry Odom, after starting 0-3 against Georgia, LSU and Florida.

Coming off a tough 51-45 home loss to Middle Tennessee, there was no doubt the offense gained some confidence moving the ball.  Mizzou racked up 629 yards of total offense, but had two costly turnovers and multiple penalties.

The Tigers are facing a Kentucky running attack that is averaging close to 200 yards per game on the ground.  With the loss of Terry Beckner Jr on the defensive line, look for the Wildcats to challenge Mizzou up the middle.  In addition to Beckner’s injury, Odom will have to rely on less-experienced players to take over the weakside linebacker position vacated by Michael Scherer’s season ending injury.

After gaining less than 100 yards on the ground in two losses to open the season, Kentucky has averaged more than 200 rushing yards in its four wins. They do it with three backs…Boom Williams, Jojo Kemp and Benny Snell, Jr., along with quarterback Stephen Johnson III.  The Wildcats will have to rely on their run game and can give their defense a breather if they can extend drives.

Perhaps Mizzou can take advantage of an early start time to catch Kentucky.  Missouri leads the SEC with 505 yards of total offense per game, averaging 34.9 points. The Tigers are running an average of more than 80 plays per game.

Kentucky comes in a motivated team.  The Wildcats are looking their first three-game Southeastern Conference winning streak since 1999 and first season of at least four wins in SEC play since 2006. UK can also pull within one game of bowl eligibility with a win.

Interesting note:  Mizzou redshirt sophomore Kendall Blanton is the son of former Wildcat great Jerry Blanton. Jerry was a defensive lineman at Kentucky from 1974-77 and was the first freshman to become a varsity starter at UK. He started all four seasons in his collegiate career and led the Wildcats to a SEC Championship title and Peach Bowl win in 1976. He still ranks as the eighth all-time leading tackler with 389. He went on to play seven seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.