Spring Opponent Review: Missouri
After playing five of its first eight games at home, and seven contests in the first two months of the 2017 season at either home or neutral sites, Florida will open its November slate with two consecutive weekends on the road.
The first will be a matchup at Missouri on Nov. 4 at Faurot Field. Since dropping contests to the Tigers in 2013 and 2014, the Gators have bounced back by winning both teams' last two meetings by a combined 61-17. Last year's contest saw Florida handle Missouri in The Swamp en route to a 40-14 victory.
Under first-year head coach Barry Odom in 2016, Mizzou went 4-8 (2-6 SEC) and finished at the bottom of the SEC East.
Inside the Gators interviewed PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond to get his take on Missouri coming out of spring practices, which concluded April 15. (You can follow DeArmond on Twitter @GabeDeArmond.)
------
* Ask the Expert: Notre Dame beat writer goes in-depth on Zaire
* Watnick: Zaire should bolster Florida’s depth at quarterback
* Florida picks up massive out-of-state offensive tackle
* Florida makes positive impression on four-star Nester
* GET TWO MONTHS OF INSIDETHEGATORS.COM FOR FREE
------
After the spring, which positions do you think Missouri feels best about on the roster heading into the 2017 season and why? On the flip side, which positions do you see as the Tigers' biggest concerns?
DeArmond: They're pretty set at the skill positions. Mizzou brings back 10 of 11 starters on offense. The only place they have a new starter is tight end and Kendall Blanton should step in there. At quarterback Drew Lock is entering his second full season as a starter and a big jump is needed and expected. Damarea Crockett ran for 1,000 yards last year and Ish Witter is a solid backup. J'Mon Moore, Dimetrios Mason and Johnathon Johnson are the starting receivers and the return of Nate Brown, who missed last year with an injury, will provide depth as well.
As far as concerns, quarterback becomes one if something happens to Lock because nobody else has ever taken a college snap. On defense, Missouri has to replace a lot. The biggest question mark might be defensive tackle because Missouri had only two healthy scholarship players there in the spring, but Terry Beckner and Markell Utsey will return from injury and the Tigers have a six-man DT recruiting class coming in.
With spring practices in the books, who do you see as Missouri's top players on each side of the ball and why?
DeArmond: On offense, it's obviously Crockett. Moore and Lock need to be there as well and Johnson is a versatile weapon with a full year under his belt. Defensively, Beckner is a potential star and Marcell Frazier should take over the mantle as the top defensive end at what has become the position Mizzou is most known for.
Which players who entered the spring maybe under-the-radar really turned heads during practices and in the spring game?
DeArmond: Backup QB Jack Lowary looked really good and turned some heads. He's got to be the favorite to win the job behind Lock. Defensive tackle Rashad Brandon, an early junior college enrollee, had a lot of people talking as well.
Although there’s only so much one can learn from spring practices, based on how the team looked in the spring game, what can you draw as far as how an opponent like Florida should scout Missouri and then game-plan for the Tigers on each side of the ball?
DeArmond: Not much honestly. The spring game was the only scrimmage we saw and it was so basic that one player told us he almost laughed at the play sheet. In other words, they didn't show anything. The key based on last year would be to slow down the run game, pressure Lock and force him into mistakes. On defense, you think Missouri has to be better because it almost can't be worse, but the secondary is completely unproven and pass defense will be a question mark.
What’s your current overall outlook on Missouri for this upcoming season, just based off of what you saw and heard this spring?
DeArmond: Looking at the schedule, Missouri has to win seven games and get back to a bowl. The SEC doesn't feature easy schedules, but Missouri's is about as simple as it can get. Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina are all home games. The West games are Arkansas (away) and Auburn (home). The non-con's toughest game is probably Purdue at home or UConn on the road so that has to be 4-0.
If Mizzou can go unbeaten in the non-conference season and find a way to win even three SEC games, things will be headed back in the right direction just in time for an historically good in-state 2018 recruiting class. To call this year critical for Odom's future doesn't even scratch the surface. Six is the minimum that's acceptable, seven should be the baseline and eight shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
------
FLORIDA GATORS 2017 SCHEDULE (opponent previews linked):
-- Sept. 2 - Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
-- Sept. 9 - Northern Colorado
-- Sept. 16 - Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
-- Oct. 7 - LSU
-- Oct. 28 - Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
-- Nov. 11 - at South Carolina
-- Nov. 18 - UAB
-- Nov. 25 - Florida State
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.