After my quarterback preview for the upcoming season for the Missouri Tigers football team, I'm now moving on to running backs. This position has been a strong and consistent one for the Tigers in years past, led most recently by Tony Temple, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his last two seasons with the team.
RUNNING BACK
This is a platoon situation for now. Senior Jimmy Jackson is a small but tough runner, whose compact frame is perfect for short yardage situations. He had a couple nice games for the Tigers last year while Temple was injured, so he provides experience and consistency to a young unit.
Derrick Washington is coming off a year in which he played very well for a true freshman. He definitely got more comfortable and confident as the year went on, and he will probably get the most carries in the backfield.
D-Wash is a guy with a lot of speed and size who can catch the ball out of the backfield as well. However, fumbling was a problem last season, and he needs to prove that he can consistently play at a high level before Head Coach Gary Pinkel makes him the official starter.
The third guy on the depth chart at RB is Devion Moore. Moore is smaller then even Jackson, but should contribute to the team this season as a redshirt freshman by using his speed and impressive moves.
These top three will get the bulk of the carries this season, unless Chase Coffman or Jeremy Maclin line up behind Daniel occasionally for a change of pace.
Running back is a sort of unproven position on this squad, but anybody who watched the team last year knows that Jackson and D-Wash are the real deal. Moore should only aid the two by helping with the workload.
After seeing Temple destroy the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl, Pinkel has mentioned he wants to run a little more. Using a fairly big and experienced offensive line, the running back spot on this team should definitely do its part in the passing-oriented spread offense.
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3 months ago
I love the Jackson/Washington combo. Moore should contribute as well—the great thing about Mizzou is that if you want to stop the pass, you can't stop the run (see: Texas Tech, Arkansas). And, of course, if you focus on stopping the run, Chase Daniel will throw all over you.
This'll be a real fun offense to watch this year.
from 3 months ago
Hey JJ thanks for giving these a look. I honestly think that D-Wash is as good as any back in the North. Lucky is good and Scott should be a star, but Washington is versatile and plays with a mean streak. I love him.
3 months ago
JJ hit it on the head. Now these defensive coordinators are going to drop guys off in pass coverage because of that quarterback...Daniel I think it is. Now with a very reliable running game, they will be able to run it very aggressively with the 2 back combo. Alot of points...alot of points
3 months ago
Temple will be missed for sure.
I don't know much about the dudes you mentioned, but if they aren't productive, the Tigers will struggle.
I like this series of position breakdowns.
from 3 months ago
Thanks for reading, Tim. Jackson scored three touchdowns against Texas Tech last year with Temple injured, when the Red Raiders guarded against the past more. And Washington had a TD against KU. He didn't get many looks last year until the end of the season, but some think he might be the Tigers most complete back since Damien Nash.
from 3 months ago
Temple was a good running back, but he wasn't great and surely was replaceable. Everybody knows him because of his two massive bowl games—the '06 Sun Bowl and the '08 Cotton Bowl—but (obviously) he wasn't THAT good every time out. Again, I think he's very replaceable by the Jackson/Washington/Moore three-headed monster.
3 months ago
does anyone know why he declared...his draft grade from the committee couldnt have been high...if im not mistaken he had another year of eligibility left????
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