HOOVER, Ala. - Missouri’s debut season in the SEC resulted in the end of the Tigers’ seven-year streak of bowl appearances.
Injuries hit Missouri hard as quarterback James Franklin missed all or parts of six games and just one offensive lineman started every game.
The Tigers finished 5-7 overall - their first losing season since going 5-6 in 2004 -and 2-6 in the SEC. Their two SEC victories came against Kentucky and Tennessee, which were a combined 1-15 in conference games.
Tigers At a Glance
LAST SEASON 5-7, 2-6 (fifth) in SEC East
COACH Gary Pinkel (90-61 in 12 seasons at Missouri, 163-98-3 in 22 seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 6 defense
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS QB James Franklin, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, LB Andrew Wilson, CB E.J. Gaines.
SEC TITLE SCENARIO It’s hard to picture Missouri contending for the SEC championship, but the Tigers have the firepower on offense to have a winning season and go to a bowl game if they get solid play from their offensive line and defense.
“Last year obviously was a difficult year for us,” Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel, who is 90-61 going into his 13th season with the Tigers, said at this week at SEC media days. “We’re used to winning.
“We had some adversities we didn’t overcome.”
So can Missouri show this season it can win in the SEC?
“I think like anything else, you have to prove yourself,” Pinkel said. “We’re very, very hungry. We’re excited to get back in and compete.”
Franklin, a senior, is back to lead the offense after being sidelined or slowed by shoulder and knee injuries. He had a combined 1,684 yards passing and rushing and accounted for 10 touchdowns last season after combining for 3,846yards and 36 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012.
“I’m not saying we’d have won a championship, but we were definitely better than 5-7,” Franklin said of last season’s struggles. “Hopefully, this year we won’t get too many injuries.”
Pinkel said he’d never experienced a season in which his starting quarterback missed so much playing time.
“I think James is driven, like we all are, to get back to winning, because that’s what we do at Missouri,” Pinkel said. “He’s got a little edge to him.
“He’s more mature. He’s mentally tougher and there’s a lot of things you can learn about yourself when you’re going through adversity.”
Franklin said he’s completely healthy and anxious to come back strong this season.
“James is looking really good,” Missouri senior receiver L’Damian Washington said. “He has that power back in his throw. He’s making that tight-window throw right now.
“He’s able to drive the ball with a tight spiral. He looks confident, and confidence is key. I think if he’s healthy all year, the sky is the limit for him.”
Pinkel said he’s expecting a big season from sophomore receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, considered by many analysts to be the nation’s top high school recruit when he chose Missouri over Arkansas two years ago.
Green-Beckham had 28 catches for 395 yards and 5touchdowns last season.
“We’ve got a lot of other players than can make plays, too, but he’s got to touch the football,” Pinkel said. “The more he touches the football, the better team we’re going to be.”
Junior tailback Henry Josey, an all-Big 12 first-teamer in 2011 when he rushed for 1,168 yards and 9 touchdowns in 10 games, is back after missing last season because of a knee injury. He went through contact in spring practice.
“He’s very motivated from his injury and a lot of doubt he could come back,” Franklin said.
While Missouri has several play makers on offense, as Pinkel noted, most SEC games are won by the offensive and defensive lines.
“It’s a line-of-scrimmage league,” Pinkel said. “I don’t care what skill positions you have, you’ve got to be good up front. I knew that going in.”
Pinkel said he believes if the Tigers stay healthy, they’ll be able to “stack up” well on the offensive and defensive lines against SEC teams.
An upside to the offensive line being hit so hard by injuries last season is that the Tigers were able to develop some depth. They have four linemen back who started a combined 48 games last season.
There are six starters back on defense, led by senior linebacker Andrew Wilson and senior cornerback E.J. Gaines.
Missouri’s nonconference schedule is built for a fast start against Murray State, Toledo, Indiana and Arkansas State before the Tigers open SEC play with road games against Vanderbilt and Georgia.
“We’re just eager to get back on the field,” Washington said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played, because we didn’t go to a bowl game last year.”
Pinkel has gone through five losing seasons in 22 years as a coach at Toldeo and Missouri.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened,” he said.“You don’t like it, but certainly you learn to deal with it.”
Pinkel played for Don James at Kent State and then was an assistant coach for him at Washington. When Pinkel left Washington for his first head coaching job at Toledo, he sought James’ advice.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Gary, when things get tough - and they’re going to get tough - you focus on doing your job. You wake up every morning and hour by hour you focus on doing your job. You go to bed at night and you do the same thing,’ ” Pinkel said. “I walked out of there thinking, ‘Where the heck did that come from?’
“Well, guess what? That’s probably the best advice I’ve ever been given. I focus on doing my job … I’m driven, obviously, to be successful.”
Pinkel said he’s glad Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.
“I love being in the league,” he said. “I like to compete against the best.
“We did the right thing.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 07/20/2013