Missouri 2010

Missouri (2009 Statistics)

• Gary Pinkel’s 10^th year as Head Coach.
• Last year they had to replace Jeremy Maclin at wide receiver (drafted in the 1^st round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles) and Danario Alexander stepped in and quietly amassed 1781 yards and 14 Touchdowns.  Missouri will need to replace Alexander this year (although he went undrafted thanks in part to a surgery that kept him out of the Combine, he signed with the St. Louis Rams), which could be tough.  But they have two experienced receivers in Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp who may be able to take over the way Alexander did for Maclin.
• The Offensive Line is pretty experienced this year and they return everyone but the Right Guard.  This unit may be criticized for their blocking last year due to the fact that Missouri finished with just 3.7 yards per carry on the ground (especially when they averaged 5.2 ypc in 2009).  However, that number was low due to the numerous rushing attempts by Quarterback Blaine Gabbert at just 2.0 yards per carry.  The top three Running Backs, who all return this year, combined for an average 4.4 yards per carry.  And considering that Missouri only gave up 20 Sacks last year (the same number that 2009 National Champ Alabama allowed), this OL looks even more impressive.
• This offense was very balanced in terms of rushing and passing attempts last year, but the rushing numbers were low thanks in part to Gabbert’s 103 rushing attempts at the aforementioned 2.0 yards per carry.  With just 20 Sacks the low yardage cannot be completely attributed to the negative rushing yards that go along with them.  Gabbert played quite well for a first year starter last year, completing almost 59% of his passes and having a 24-9 TD to INT ratio.  He should be even better this year, which means this offense can really improve.
• Defensively Missouri really struggled against the pass last year.  Their pass defense ranked 104^th in the country and they only had 8 Interceptions all year (95^th in the nation).  Luckily the defense was opportunistic in fumble recoveries and finished the season ranked 10^th with 15.  The Big 12 Defensive Player of the year, Defensive End Aldon Smith will be even more experienced this year and should add to his school record 11.5 Sacks from 2009.
• With the number of players returning on both Offense and Defense this Missouri team should improve upon last year’s 8-5 record.