Injury To Right Tackle Headlines Missouri Practice Tuesday

The Missouri Tigers received their first real injury scare of preseason camp during practice Tuesday morning at Faurot Field.

Right tackle Dan Hoch suffered what head coach Gary Pinkel described as a sprain to his left knee halfway through practice.

After receiving care in the locker room, Hoch returned to the field donning a brace on his knee, as well as a red jersey, meaning he was to be held out of any drills.

Though Pinkel didn't expect the injury to significantly hold back Hoch—a true sophomore who last season became the first freshman ever to play along the offensive line under Pinkel—he did confirm that that the lineman would undergo an MRI some time before Wednesday's practice.

Jack Meiners filled in for Hoch with the No. 1 offense following the injury. And although Pinkel announced today that Meiners will forgo his redshirt season, he was nevertheless skeptical about having such a young player so abruptly thrust into starting duty.

"We’ll see how long Dan’s going to be out," Pinkel said. "That puts an awful lot on a young guy at a very difficult position to play."

At this point, the most likely scenario is that starting right guard Kurtis Gregory will slide over to tackle, with backup J.T. Beasely then stepping in for Gregory at guard. It's a move that seems the most sensible, especially given that Gregory has spent some time playing the tackle position; but one that co-offensive line coach Bruce Walker warned will be weighed with a number of options.

"Obviously, we’re disappointed he got hurt, but we’re going to get him back," Walker told the Columbia Daily Tribune on Tuesday afternoon. "It always allows you opportunities to develop your depth. The good news is we’ve got some good young prospects in there. ...We feel like we’ve got pretty good depth at guard, guys who have played before. You’ve got Beasley, you’ve got [Jayson] Palmgren, you’ve got [Austin] Wuebbels and you’ve got Kurtis who have all played guard. We’ve got some options there. And we’ll probably explore a lot of those options and try to come up with some combinations to get us through this deal."

• With the offensive line picture getting fuzzier and fuzzier, the Tigers sustained another potentially harmful injury, this time to wide receiver Brandon Gerau. A sophomore from Columbia's Rock Bridge High School, Gerau—a former walk-on who is currently receiving reps with the second-team offense and expected to be the holder this season after earning a scholarship in the spring—was carried off the field after injuring his left knee. He emerged later sporting a wrap on his leg and walking with the aid of crutches. He was also expected to undergo an MRI at some time Tuesday.
• Meiners is not the only true freshman who has wasted little time making an impression upon the coaching staff. Pinkel said Tuesday that Donovan Bonner would be assured of seeing playing time in 2009. Originally recruited as a free safety out of high school, the 6'2", 230-pound Bonner is listed as the No. 2 weakside linebacker, behind starter Sean Weatherspoon. Offensive lineman Justin Britt and defensive end/linebacker Michael Sam may also forgo a redshirt season, Pinkel said.
• Lastly, it looks more and more like the punt returner job will be entrusted to Jasper Simmons, a juco transfer safety who has been receiving a bulk of the reps in an effort to replace extraordinaire Jeremy Maclin. Others receiving reps are corner Kip Edwards and wide receiver L'Damian Washington, who is also being considered for kickoffs.
• Dave Matter breaks down the young receiving corp's recent struggles catching the ball, which is an issue that has led to a demotion for senior wideout Jared Perry and been an overriding concern for Pinkel during the first 10 days of camp.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune