Scouting the enemy: Missouri Tigers

by:Stuart Hammer11/09/13

StuartHammerKSR

mizzou-scouting There is a lot at stake this weekend in Commonwealth Stadium, but it comes on opposite ends of the spectrum. Missouri enters the game with a single loss and currently sit in the top-10 in the BCS rankings. The Tigers are still hunting for potential berth to the title game — and that is realistic if they win out and claim the SEC Championship. Kentucky is the easiest game left on Mizzou’s schedule, so maybe the Cats can sneak up and catch the enemy off guard. For Kentucky it’s all about pride. There is still time for Mark Stoops to earn a signature win to start his career, and have one of those landmark games that Big Blue Nation can point to years from now and say that was the turning point. Missouri, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Tennessee remain on the slate, and outside of Vandy, the others can all be that game. Let’s shock the world. Wednesday: Flashback Thursday: Breakdown KEY PLAYERS L’Damian Washington (WR) — The entire receiving corps is top notch for Missouri, but Washington leads the way with elite playmaking ability. His lanky 6’4 frame combined with blazing speed is built to burn defensive backs over the top. His talents allow him to be the teams’ deep threat and the primary source for big plays. Marcus Lucas and Dorial Green-Beckham are equally gifted, but Washington is the guy to really be worried about. He is 42nd in the country in total receiving yards with 680 and his longest reception on the season is a 96-yarder that went for a touchdown against South Carolina. What’s more, he has nine touchdowns in Missouri’s nine games, so if that doesn’t tell you how often he is used and how dynamic he is in their offense, nothing will. Kentucky cornerback Nate Willis is going to have his hands full with this one. Henry Josey (RB) — Despite James Franklin being the real figurehead to the Missouri running game, simply due to the fact he’s in there on every snap, Henry Josey brings an element of elusiveness to the running game. He’s not a big bruising back like many the Cats have faced this season, but his moves allow him to gain a lot of yards after contact and help to keep the chains moving. Josey suffered a serious knee injury in 2011 that sidelined him all of last season and allowed Kendial Lawrence to clean up from the tailback spot with more than 1,000 rushing yards on the year. Now the junior Josey is back atop the depth chart and he is on pace to finish just shy of the millennium mark. Plus, he ran a 4.4 40-yard dash over the summer, so he’s got that going for him too. Kony Ealy/Michael Sam (DE) — The defense for the Tigers has been borderline unreal. One look at the turnover margin of 15 — which is second in the nation — and you can see these guys are making teams pay. When your D is averaging nearly two takeaways per game, you can bet that has a huge impact on your offense and scoring output. A big reason for all of those turnovers starts at the defensive line with Ealy and Sam on the ends. Their rushing ability causes all sorts of havoc in the running and passing games. The two of them combine for 21 tackles for loss and 13 sacks and lord knows how many hurry-ups and panic decisions. Ealy and Sam both have futures in the NFL and for the Cats to have any success at all moving the ball down field, they will have to find a way to stop these guys… Darrian Miller and Jordan Swindle, we’re looking at you. WHO GETS BEAT Jalen Whitlow has quite a tall order to deal with trying to fend off Mizzou. His receivers are injured, his offensive line, as per usual, is questionable at best, and the Tigers’ defense is as good a unit, if not better, than a Florida or Alabama team that absolutely rocked the Cats earlier this season. Things certainly aren’t looking up for Whitlow, a quarterback trying to keep the momentum churning from the Alabama State drubbing. Turnovers will be the tale of the tape when it’s all over. If Whitlow can protect the ball — something he and the entire Kentucky offense has been able to do very well recently — Missouri’s game plan might just bite them in the behind by playing too aggressive. He has the potential to lead the Cats to a monumental upset if he can simply take care of the ball and manage the clock well enough into the second half. And maybe complete some of those short passes he keeps missing on. Part of being able to be in the ballgame late will come from the Cats rush defense being able to stop Josey, and his compadres Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy. They will be running behind a veteran offensive line that returned four starters from last season and all signs point to those hog mollies pushing the banged-up Kentucky D line around. If that is the case, it’s panic time for UK because ain’t nobody stopping those guys, plus quarterback James Franklin. Similar to the dynamic duo of Ealy and Sam for Mizzou, Kentucky will be counting on, as they always do, Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith to create chaos in the backfield. If they fail to pressure the backs or force Franklin to make some ill-timed throws especially on key downs, this game could get ugly. Missouri’s defense alone could be enough to win this game if they get in Whitlow’s head early. The Tigers have three seniors in the secondary and that is a big reason why so many turnovers are created by this unit. Their experience is shining, and while they might not have the big names like a Florida or Alabama, Mizzou has the talent — and the numbers — to walk the walk. E.J. Gaines and Randy Ponder will line up across from Demarco Robinson and Javess Blue while Matt White and Braylon Webb are back at safety. That is 10 years of actual playing experience between the four of them, which is remarkable for any team to bring back, much less all part of one unit. @StuartHammerKSR

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