Aug. 10, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Tiger football team returned to the practice field today after enjoying Sunday off -- their first day of practice-free existence since training camp started on Aug. 6th. The Tigers worked out inside the Dan Devine Indoor Pavilion Monday morning, as storms rolled through the mid-Missouri area, forcing things indoors.
Following Saturday's big scrimmage, there were naturally some changes made to the depth chart, and those changes were evident in Monday's practice. Some of the changes on offense included a pair of true freshmen -- TB Kendial Lawrence and RT Jack Meiners -- moving up, with Lawrence going to #4 on the depth and Meiners sliding into the #2 spot. Additionally, true freshman QB Blaine Dalton began splitting snaps with #2 QB Jimmy Costello with the #2 offense, with both taking snaps with the twos and threes. Senior WR Jared Perry was bumped down to #2 at one receiver position, but the veteran also took snaps with the #1 offense during the day.
On defense, a pair of newcomers were big movers up after strong scrimmages on Saturday. True freshman LB Donovan Bonner was promoted to #2 behind senior Sean Weatherspoon, and junior college transfer safety Jasper Simmons was moved up to co-#2 with senior Del Howard at one of the safety spots. Additionally on defense, redshirt freshman DT Jimmy Burge moved up to #2, and Brendan Donaldson moved over to the defensive line (NT), from the offensive line.
On the injury front, WR Kerwin Stricker, TE Alex Sanders, DB Tavon Bolden and LB Josh Tatum were held out of practice due to injuries, while FS Kenji Jackson and WR T.J. Moe went through most of the drills on the day. Senior DT Jaron Baston returned to full practice after missing the last few days due to a groin injury. Redshirt freshman WR Rolandis Woodland left practice early after injuring an ankle, and he wasn't able to return. His status will be day-to-day.
Here were some highlights from the practice…
- The defense got the win overall on the day, as they regained the black jerseys for Tuesday's practice…
- Early on, in 6-on-6 passing drills, LB Donovan Bonner, fresh off his promotion up the depth, grabbed an interception over the middle of the field…
- During 11-on-11 periods, the #1 defense won 3-of-4 plays against the #2 offense, but TB Kendial Lawrence, freshly moved up the depth chart, had a really nice cutback run that produced a gain of some 20 yards before whistles blew…
- When the #1 offense went up against the #2 defense, QB Blaine Gabbert hooked up with WR Danario Alexander on a gain of around 20 yards on a laser that Gabbert threw into a small opening, with Alexander leaping to secure the ball in traffic…
- Next, the #1 offense and #1 defense squared off, with highlights coming from WR Wes Kemp on a nice catch on a low ball near the left sideline, and a good pass breakup on a crossing route over the middle by redshirt freshman CB Robert Steeples…
- The practice closed with some red zone work. With the #2 offense and #2 defense taking the field, QB Blaine Dalton lofted a fade route in the endzone to WR Brandon Gerau, who made a beautiful grab in the back left corner, despite tight coverage. Gerau got his feet down for the score. A couple of plays later, Dalton was denied another TD pass on a similar try to WR Jerrell Jackson, as S Jasper Simmons came over to break up the play…
- With the #1 offense and #1 defense going at it, highlights included a nice cutback run by TB Derrick Washington for a gain of 14 yards that took him just shy of the goalline. SS Hardy Ricks timed a short pass attempt perfectly, and nearly got an interception, but QB Blaine Gabbert came back with a short TD run of around 3 yards on a scramble. Sophomore TB Gilbert Moye also had a short TD plunge on the ground as practice came to a close…
The Tigers return to the practice field this afternoon for a light session, and they'll hold a single practice Tuesday, with another set of two-a-days scheduled for Wednesday, prior to the second of three scrimmages during training camp, set for Thursday morning. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for all of the details!
