Mysterious Mizzou: Why would Tigers' SEC East dominance stop now? – CBSSports.com

COLUMBIA, Mo. — From Andy Hill’s office, one can see the northwestern-most outpost of Southeastern Conference football. Faurot Field is just across the street, but the program that houses it has come light years in three years.

“Going into the SEC everybody had some apprehension and nervousness,” said Hill, Missouri’s quarterbacks coach. “You wonder if you fit in or not.”

Hill is the go-to guy for long-term perspective on how remarkable Mizzou has been in the SEC short term. The former Tigers’ receiver has been with the program as a player or coach for more than two decades.

He has watched as Mizzou not only fit in a league where its nearest rival is more than six hours away by car, but has been pouring a foundation for success.

There are those consecutive SEC East titles. Since 2001, only two other SEC programs have won back-to-back division crowns (Alabama and Georgia). In 2013, the Tigers were within a quarter of playing in the last BCS National Championship game. While Alabama’s win last December in Atlanta was by 29 points, Missouri had to win six straight games just to get there.

That followed a brutal home loss to Georgia, 34-0, two months earlier.

“I remember talking to the team the Sunday afterwards,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “To say there is concern for the season is an understatement. ‘We gotta make a move here.’

“If you told me that we would win out and play for the championship again, I would have thrown you out of my office.”

That’s kind of the backdrop for the how and why of Missouri football at this point. It defies explanation. Yet, it always seems to remake itself — evolve — in some sort of way.

Pinkel was in danger of losing his job in 2005 following a 5-6 season. He had the idea to switch to the spread offense; future NFLer Brad Smith emerged to run it. Two years later, the Tigers were on the front of Sports Illustrated, ranked No. 1 and playing for a spot in the BCS title game.

From 2007-10, they won at least 10 games three times. In that span, five Tigers were drafted in the first round, including All-Pro Aldon Smith. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was the 10th player taken overall by Jacksonville in 2011.

The SEC move came along and the Tigers promptly crashed to 5-7 in 2012. Injuries could be blamed, but Pinkel hearkened back to a discussion he’d had with Jim Harbaugh: embrace the change.

At the time of the SEC discussions, Harbaugh was transitioning from Stanford to the 49ers.

“I said, ‘What are you doing that for?’ Pinkel recalled. “He said, ‘Because it’s the best football in the world.’ His attitude was, ‘Let’s get going.’

“I think we kind of got into this underdog. I don’t know if that was putting too much on our players … [Now] it doesn’t matter who we play or where we play, it’s how we play.”

They do play how they play — varied. Since 2008, Mizzou has finished both in the top 10 in total offense and in top 10 in sacks. They have a couple of quarterbacks in the NFL but also have become known as Defensive End U; four D-ends alone have been drafted since 2013.

To begin to measure how remarkable Missouri’s SEC start has been, we need to go back to 1953, the year that essentially marks the start of modern realignment. Michigan State was admitted to the Big Ten. That same year, the ACC was born.

Since then, a handful of schools have been more successful in realignment. Only six other programs have had better records in the first three years of their new conferences — Penn State (Big Ten), Houston (Southwest), Florida State (ACC), Miami (Big East), Syracuse (Big East) and Michigan State (Big Ten).

Of those six, only Syracuse didn’t win a national or conference title within its first three seasons.

And if that’s your SEC comeback for Mizzou — “They’ve never won the conference” — you’re right. The last outright title win for the Tigers came in 1960. (Mizzou tied with Nebraska for the Big Eight in 1969 but went to the Orange Bowl.)

However, you’d also have to admit there is a conga line of schools that would sell their left … tackle to be these Tigers: knocking on the door after three seasons in the world’s toughest conference.

• They are tied with Alabama in the SEC with most overall wins the last two years, 23.

• They have the third-longest road winning streak in the country (10). Only Ohio State and Florida State are better. The next-longest SEC streak is Alabama with three.

• There have been more players drafted in the last three seasons (12) from Mizzou than there have from six other SEC teams, including Auburn. The Tigers also have more first-rounders in that time frame (two) than seven SEC schools.

It is a program that is hard to wrap your mind around.

Strength coach Pat Ivey has his doctorate in sports psychology. Players engage in yoga, pilates, vision training. They talk glowingly about breathing techniques — between plays.

Four seconds inhaling, five seconds holding it, six seconds exhaling. Wait, while Nick Saban’s defense is growling across the line?

“We want it to be automatic, so they can cue themselves,” Ivey said.

“That sets us apart from other schools in the nation,” center Evan Boehm added. “When it’s 4th and 1 on the goal line, it’s either you score now or you don’t score.

“At Mizzou, we think it’s a sign of weakness if we put our hands on our knees.”

Ivey said the program as a whole tried to replicate the level of SEC physicality before 2012. What he and the Tigers found was that they were already there physically.

Pinkel is one of the nation’s best program builders. He mines Missouri first, Texas extensively. Since 2010, he has landed just two five-stars (as rated by 247Sports) and never finished higher than 25th nationally in the recruiting rankings.

Today, Pinkel — starting his 15th season at age 63 — is fourth in seniority among coaches at their current school.

Given that backdrop, how do you pick against the Tigers in the SEC East this season? Sure, they lost to Indiana in 2014. Sure, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee have been down. But Missouri has played football in the league for less than 36 months. It seems as if the SEC has to figure out Mizzou instead of the other way around.

“I felt we deserved it,” Hill said, the stadium looming out his window. “Wherever we were as a program, we put ourselves in position to be in a good conference.”

Gary Pinkel has led Mizzou to back-to-back SEC Championship Games. (USATSI)

Offense: Maty Mauk took the needle — several times — last season. Toward the end of 2014, his separated right shoulder ached so much, “Ibuprofen and Aleve became my best friend,” Mauk said.

The junior quarterback has plenty of excuses for last season, but he won’t use them. It looked like he wasn’t reading defenses properly or bolted from the pocket too quickly. He completed less than half his passes in SEC play.

But let’s be historically accurate. There was that shoulder dinged late against Georgia.

“Sitting in class and just having it dangling,” Mauk said, “It was just something that bothered you … It would be hard to get up for workouts on Sunday morning.”

Literally, the shoulder is better. Figuratively, there is more for Mauk to shoulder. A 52 percent career passer, the Ohio native is losing all three starting receivers. No returning player caught more than five passes last year.

That might suggest more will be put on 1,000-yard tailback Russell Hansbrough. Missouri’s offense has that kin sod flexibility. Pinkel long ago favored the wide splits by offensive linemen used by Mike Leach.

That makes it adaptable no matter what the shortage. Three different players have rushed for 1,000 yards since 2012. There have been four 1,000-yard receivers since 2008.

Mizzou seemingly has never lacked of O-linemen. For a time, small towns in Missouri were pumping out Tiger lineman who dominated both the Big 12 and SEC. Three of the five starters return this season including Boehm.

Since offensive coordinator Josh Henson took over a couple of years ago, the Tigers have gotten away from throwing as much to the tight end. That may change given the lack of depth at receiver.

It begins and ends with Mauk, who concentrated on lowering his body fat, hoping becoming more elusive — and stay healthy.

“Yeah, there were some sloppy games last year but not a lot of people had a separated shoulder and were taking a shot before the game and at halftime,” he said. “To me, it’s going to be a night and day difference.”

Defense: The core of Missouri’s defense is spending most days in the football facility — rehabilitation.

On June 21, defensive tackle Harold Brantley Barry was lost for the season after a devastating car accident left him with multiple injuries. Brantley is expected back as a fifth-year senior. But as a fourth-year junior, Pinkel had projected him as one of the best SEC defenders.

“Emotionally, it’s a little bit of a roller coaster for him …,” Pinkel said. “The good news is he can be 100 percent. He didn’t have spine or neck [damage]. I told him you could be sitting here in a wheelchair the rest of his life — or dead.”

The Tigers’ D has produced the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons (Michael Sam, Shane Ray). Mizzou’s best defensive player may once again be an end. Pinkel raves about sophomore Charles Harris, who led the team in sacks and tackles for loss in the spring. The defense will have to move on, though, without opposite defensive end Marcus Loud, who was recently dismissed for a violation of program policy.

The linebacker trio of Kentrell Brothers, Michael Scherer and Donavin Newsom accounted for a quarter of the team’s tackles last year. Brothers’ 122 tackles lead all returning SEC players.

The most scrutinized addition may be a 38-year old balding father of two. Barry Odom is about as Tiger as they get. Mizzou’s new defensive coordinator committed to then-Larry Smith’s program 20 years ago as he was about to go in for ACL surgery.

Since 1996, the former Missouri linebacker has been away from the program for four years — one as a high school coach, the last three as Memphis’ defensive coordinator.

He returns to his alma mater coaching a unit that had to carry the Tigers last season. With the offense struggling, it was the defense that helped put together that six-game winning streak. With the SEC East title on the line, the Tigers allowed more than 14 points twice in that streak.

Odom will toggle between a 4-3 and 3-4 alignment. He prefers a one-gap approach from his linemen. His Memphis crew finished second in the American in yards per play (4.74).

Odom should carry on the standard set by Dave Steckel, who took a pay cut to become head coach at Missouri State.

“I know the structure of Monday morning,” Odom said. “I guarantee you I know how we’re going to start our staff meeting.”

Recruiting: In addition to the dearth of five-star recruits, Pinkel has landed only 24 four-stars since 2010. That’s not a criticism, it’s an accurate snapshot of one of the best program builders in the country. Pinkel is busting down the doors of the SEC with a roster that is composed of almost 40 percent native Missourians.

That’s nothing new. Ten of the 11 starters on offense introduced before the epic Kansas game were from Missouri.

How does Pinkel do it? In the SEC transition, he didn’t lose recruiting ties to Texas that were established in the Big 12. At the same time, the program established recruiting relationships in the Southeast — especially Georgia.

The program does an excellent job at development. Ray’s troubled past has been chronicled, but at Missouri he became an All-American.

It cherry picks in the junior colleges. Former Tigers defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, from St. Louis, committed to USC, went two years to a California juco then matriculated to Missouri. Despite being suspended in November 2012, Richardson still led all SEC defensive tackles in tackles.

In 2013, he was the AP NFL Rookie of the Year.

Markus Golden didn’t quality out of high school, went to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, then came to Mizzou to be a star.

Recruiting is an inside-out approach at Mizzou, which signed the No. 1 players in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri this year. Three others are from Georgia. The class is heavy on receivers and defensive ends.

Lee’s Summit, Mo. quarterback, Drew Lock, is expected to be a star of the future. What did we say about five-stars? Five-star, 300-pound lineman Terry Beckner Jr. came from East St. Louis, Ill. Offensive lineman from Kansas (suburban Kansas City), A.J. Harris, is expected to carry on the O-line tradition.

Impact players: Boehm can play multiple positions and is expected to compete for national honors. At 315 pounds, he is one of the heaviest centers in the country. It doesn’t hurt that he runs a 5.19-second 40.

If Mauk completes 60 percent of his passes, the Tigers may be a legitimate threat again in the East. The problem is, he is a bit too skittish in the pocket and his mechanics could use an overhaul. For now, he is what he is.

Mizzou lost seven offensive starters in 2014. Mauk alone couldn’t make up for it. The Tigers went from 14th nationally in yards per play to 81st.

Harris backed up both Golden and Ray, chipping with two sacks and four quarterback hurries. With the Loud situation, it’s up to him to carry on Missouri’s D-end tradition.

2015 Outlook: Some want to believe Missouri is the random product of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina failing to step up in the SEC East.

The truth is, the Tigers didn’t blink when entering the league. They are 14-2 in the SEC combined the last two seasons. Their defensive ends have to be accounted for. You can count on a 1,000-yard rusher.

If you’re going to make excuses for Missouri in the SEC, you’re going to have to include most of the country. Only four teams have more wins that Mizzou’s 23 the last two seasons — Florida State (27), Ohio State (26), Michigan State (24) and Oregon (24).

“We just ran our program,” Pinkel said. “I don’t think there’s a magical answer for that.”

Pinkel is the winningest coach (113) in Mizzou history. He has been to four conference championship games since 2007, winning none.

Perhaps that’s why Pinkel reiterated his stance that Notre Dame needs to get into a conference.

“People just choose not to be in a league and they want to be in a national champ[ionship] game and they can schedule any way they want,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“The Pinkel side of my family is all Catholic. That has nothing to do with it, especially when we’re going to this system of championship games. It would be good that everybody who is going for this in a league where championship games are.” …

The consensus seems to be Missouri finishing no higher than third in the East. The potential is there, though, for a 10-2 season with Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee all coming to Columbia.

The Tigers should be favored in their first six games. (Southeast Missouri State, Arkansas State, UConn, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida).

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