Column: '08 promising for MU football
April 15, 2008
With the Black and Gold Game less than one week away, it’s time to forecast what the Missouri Tigers’ 2008 regular season should look like. Despite losing its top rusher Tony Temple, tight end Martin Rucker and defensive safety catalysts Pig Brown and defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams, Missouri still has enough remaining talent to take the Big 12 by storm.
With 16 returning starters, including three first- and second-team All-Americans, the Tigers appear primed to return to the Big 12 championship game in Kansas City. Following an unprecedented 2007 season, including 12 wins, a Cotton Bowl victory and a brief No. 1 national ranking, the Tigers could be even better in 2008. This spring, Missouri owns a No. 5 pre-season ranking, largely due to high expectations for the returning All-Americans and underclassmen ready to fill big shoes.
Entering the 2008 season, senior quarterback Chase Daniel should continue the Heisman Trophy campaign he started last year. Last season, Daniel ranked third in the nation in completions, fifth in passing yards and sixth in touchdowns. Only a handful of quarterbacks with comparable numbers will return this season, leaving the door open for Daniel to become Missouri’s first Heisman winner and the first winner from the Big 12 since Jason White of Oklahoma in 2003.
While the Tigers will miss the leadership captains Rucker and Brown provided, the team is fortunate to have an equally, if not more talented, tight end in senior Chase Coffman. In three seasons, he has amassed over 150 receptions and 20 touchdowns, the most for any non-quarterback in Missouri history. Coffman was also named to the all-Big 12 second team and became a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, recognizing the nation’s top tight end. As the new offensive leader, expect Coffman to have an even bigger and better senior season.
No player was more pleasantly surprising than redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin, who earned first team All-American honors as a return specialist. But special teams dominance only begins to describe the talented Maclin, who last year was second in receptions and led the team in yards and touchdowns. The resilient speedster proved he could beat opponents over the middle, out of the backfield and down the sidelines. If players only get better with time, expect Maclin to lead his team to Kansas City.
With all the weapons and arsenals on offense, the Tigers’ success will be largely up to the team’s defensive unit. Led by senior safety William Moore and junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, the defense looks sharper than years past. Elevated play in the second half of the 2007 season launched Missouri to the top of the Associated Press poll, but a poor performance in the Big 12 championship tainted an otherwise incredible season. The ability to play at a consistently high level will make a difference for the Tigers.
The 2008 football season offers a lot for Missouri fans to look forward to. The return of several All-Americans and all-Big 12 players hints that Missouri will pick up where it left off last year. And with an arguably easier schedule, the Tigers can plan on returning to the Big 12 championship and beyond.
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