McNeese State @ Missouri preview
The Dome at America's Center
If the Missouri Tigers require any motivation to avoid
looking past this week's home opener against McNeese State, they need only look
at what another Football Championship Subdivision team did to their archrival a
week earlier.
North Dakota State's 6-3 win at Kansas - and to a lesser degree Utah State's
24-17 loss to Oklahoma - served notice to the rest of the Big 12 to be on upset
alert when facing apparently inferior competition. And McNeese State, the No.
10 team in this week's FCS coaches poll, certainly is a dangerous team.
The Cowboys opened their season with a 30-27 home win against Lamar last week,
getting two passing touchdowns and a rushing score from Tulsa transfer Jacob
Bower, who completed 18-of-31 passes for 288 yards. Freshman tailback Marcus
Wiltz gave the Cowboys a strong threat in the running game, gaining 160 yards
on 26 carries.
McNeese State will face a tougher test this week in a Missouri team that
received 27 votes in the latest coaches poll.
The Tigers were sluggish on both sides of the ball in the first half of their
season-opening 23-13 victory against Illinois, but they outscored the Illini
20-0 in the second half for their sixth consecutive victory in the "Arch
Rivalry" series.
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert finished with 281 yards and two touchdowns on 34-of-48
passing, as converted quarterback T.J. Moe emerged as his favorite target with
13 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Gabbert and Moe should be able to put up big numbers again this week against a
Cowboys defense that gave up 426 yards and three touchdowns through the air
against Lamar. McNeese State was tough against the run, though, holding Lamar
to 10 yards on 20 carries.
Missouri's lineup has been dinged by suspensions stemming from legal troubles.
Starting running back Derrick Washington was placed on "permanent
suspension" after being charged with felony sexual assault, and linebacker
Will Ebner served a suspension last week after being arrested on suspicion of
driving while intoxicated. It appears Ebner's suspension will extend for
another week, as will that of long snapper and backup tight end Beau Brinkley,
who also was arrested for suspicion of drunken driving last month.
The Tigers' depth at the two positions most affected by those suspensions has
been further depleted by injuries. Kendial Lawrence, who started at running
back last week, bruised his shoulder in the second half against Illinois, so
De'Vion Moore could start in his place and freshman Henry Josey should see more
work. Moore led the Tigers with 78 yards on 16 carries last week; Lawrence
gained 20 yards on seven carries.
The already thin linebacker corps took a hit in losing starting middle
linebacker Luke Lambert to a pulled hamstring. Redshirt freshman Andrew Wilson
is expected to start in Lambert's spot.
The defense also will be without Jasper Simmons, who had surgery Tuesday to
repair a torn meniscus and could miss the next two games. Jarrell Harrison, who
started eight games last year, will start at Simmons' free safety spot, and
freshman running back Marcus Murphy will take over his kickoff return duties.
The Tigers will still have their biggest playmaker on defense in sophomore end
Aldon Smith, who won the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week award and was
named Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Week after leading Missouri with a
career-high 10 tackles - three for loss - and two sacks. Smith was spectacular
in the second half, helping the Tigers hold the Illini to 85 yards and four
first downs.
Missouri is 9-0 against FCS teams but has never faced McNeese State.