2008 KANSAS JAYHAWKS FOOTBALL
Tigers find place among Big 12 elite
Missouri's quick-striking offense drives team near top of conference
BY TAYLOR BERN tbern@kansan.com
Though it seems like an overnight success story to some, Missouri's trip up the Big 12 ladder has been a long process.
Last season coach Gary Pinkel's squad went from unranked to one win shy of the BCS National Championship game. With 15 returning starters, including 2007 Heisman finalist Chase Daniel, the Tigers are expected to remain at that elite level and maybe even bring home the crown.
All of this was made possible by Pinkel's
decision to effectively combine the two hottest offensive philosophies in the country, bringing the no-huddle spread offense to Columbia.
"The way that whole thing came down originally, I felt we needed an edge," Pinkel said. "I looked at what Mike (Leach) has been doing in Texas Tech, and certainly a version of his spread offense, and
going to bowl after bowl after bowl."
"The way we're going and the way we're working, it could be a special season."
Before making his decision, Pinkel also spoke with defensive coordinators from across the country and asked them what offense drove them nuts. The most common response he heard was that defensive coaches hated trying to stop the spread.
From there he worked on perfecting his own version of the spread, talking to other coaches who run spread-oriented offenses like Florida's Urban Meyer and Bowling Green's Gregg Brandon.
Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen then came up with the idea of combining the spread with a no-huddle scheme. The result? Last year the Tigers offense averaged 39.9 points per game (ninth in the nation) and 490.3 yards per game (fifth in the nation).
"We want to be an offensive football team that gives, dictates a little bit what the defense does as the Cotton Bowl did," Pinkel said.
In the 2008 Cotton Bowl, Missouri running back Tony Temple used the spread to cut up the Arkansas defense for 281 yards and four touchdowns.
at as many as four different backs to carry the load, and he also must replace a pair of starters from the offensive line. Like his defensive line last year, Pinkel said his inexperienced O-line would have to mature.
Temple will be the most difficult player for Missouri to replace as there's not one clear guy ready to step in. Pinkel said he's looking
"Our offensive line as we look at them are going to have to be a lot better in October and a lot better in November than they were at the beginning," he said.
CHASE DANIEL Missouri quarterback
Pinkel added that he's not too worried, because he has Daniel to help take any pressure off his voune line and tailbacks.
Daniel, who finished fourth in last year's Heisman vote and figures to be heading to
New York again this year, is the steady hand of the offense. He made clutch plays all year and guided the Tigers to their best season in school history.
However, Daniel said he understands that it will take an entire team effort find success again this year.
"What made us really good last year was that our guys who were returning
stepped up and got better," Daniel said. "Our veterans have to get better in order for us to get where we want to be."
Some of those veterans who figure to step up are senior tight end Chase Coffman, junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Though still young, Maclin has lots of experience.
Last year he led the Tigers with 1,055 receiving yards, and Maclin's also one of the top return specialists in the country.
The only team to beat Missouri in 2007 was Oklahoma, which did so in the regular season and in the Big 12 title game. This year the Sooners and Tigers won't meet unless each squad can duplicate last season and again make the conference title game.
In a stacked Big 12, that's not an easy thing to do, but with their super offense in place and a plethora of returning starters on defense, the Tigers are starting to feel the magic once again.
"Now we have to take the next step," Daniel said. "This year's already been a lot more intense, but we don't need to talk about it. We know our goals are out there for us. The way we're going and the way we're working, it could be a special season."
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel enters the 2008 season as a Heisman Trophy contender, and the Tigers could vie for the national championship. Daniel finished fourth in Heisman voting in 2007, while Missouri fell one victory short of the BCS National Championship game and then soundly defeated Arkansas, 38-7, in the Cotton Bowl.
Heisman Trophy contenders
TIM TEBOW
Florida, junior, quarterback The list starts with Tebow, last year's Heisman winner. Tebow, a junior, accounted for 55 touchdowns — 32 in the air and 23 on the ground — in 2007. If Florida stays in the national title hunt, Tebow will stay in Heisman conversations.
CHRIS "BEANIE" WELLS
Ohio State, junior, running back A workhorse in Ohio State's ground game. Wells ran for 1,609 yards last season and has the added advantage of playing in a glamour program.
CHASE DANIEL
Missouri, senior, quarterback A Heisman finalist a year ago, Daniel's hopes this season rest on Missouri staying relevant nationally.
PAT WHITE
West Virginia, senior, quarterback White's old head coach, Rich Rodriguez, left for Michigan. But White returns for his senior season as the best dual threat quarterback this side of Tim Tebow.
KNOWSHON MORENO
Georgia, sophomore, running back
If Moreno can avoid the sophomore jinx and carry Georgia to a national title, he may be the second sophomore in a row to win the Heisman.
MICHAEL CRABTREE
Texas Tech, sophomore, wide receiver
Wide receivers are at a natural disadvantage in the Heisman race, but Crabtree's numbers last season — 134 catches and 1,962 yards — are too gaudy to ignore.
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www.kansan.com Thursday, August 28, 2008