Missouri football holds first scrimmage of fall camp
The 2010 Missouri Tigers football team held its first major scrimmage of fall camp Saturday. The contest featured plenty of big plays that gave way to a 56-48 win for the offense in the special offense vs. defense scrimmage scoring system.
The “#1 offense” saw strong performances from the returning starters of their backfield. Senior tailback and co-captain Derrick Washington racked up 133 yards on the ground in just seven carries as well as 59 receiving yards on three catches. The senior leader notched three 40-plus-yard plays and two touchdowns on the day.
Junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert also had a promising day, completing 18-of-23 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. The returning starter’s backups also threw well, as the group of five quarterbacks had just one interception between them. Third-string slinger and junior Jimmy Costello may have even outdone Gabbert, completing 14-of-17 attempts for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense posted some big plays of their own in the scrimmage. The one interception in the game was made by senior defensive lineman Bart Coslet, who ran it back 40 yards for the score.
Also stepping up on the defensive side was redshirt freshman defensive end Michael Sam. The Texas native recorded five sacks, on one of which he forced a fumble at midfield, picked it up and traveled 50 yards toward the goal line before being brought down.
On the receiving end, sophomore tailback Kendial Lawrence and junior wideout Brandon Gerau each had 84 receiving yards to lead the team. Sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moe and junior tight end Beau Brinkley were the most targeted with seven catches each. Even true freshman wide receiver Bud Sasser got in on the action, making six catches for 80 yards in his first college scrimmage.
As for special teams, Missouri’s three punters had six boots each and both place kickers saw a lot of work. Sophomore kicker Trey Barrow went 5-for-8 with a crowd-pleasing 57-yard field goal to end the day.
On the sidelines, junior linebacker Will Ebner remains on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. A pair of ankle injuries came up during the scrimmage for senior offensive lineman Kirk Lakebrink and true freshman wide receiver Jimmie Hunt, but neither were deemed serious.
The Tigers are nearly two weeks into their fall camp that began on Aug. 5. The program prepares for their regular season kickoff against Illinois on Sept. 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.