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16
Missouri
That rumbling noise coming out of the Show Me State is from
a Tigers team hungry to prove that it's for
real
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Jones is a prime example
of the in-state talent leading the Missouri
revival.
(Allen
Kee/BRSP)
|
In December
1993,
Missouri football was about as inviting to high school
recruits as gout, but new coach Larry Smith still secured a
visit to the Webb
City, Mo., home of Grant Wistrom, then the most coveted
young athlete in the state and later a two-time All-America
defensive end at
Nebraska. "Grant was the type of player you could rebuild a
program around," Smith recalls. "Naturally,
I was excited about the prospect of meeting him. But the
morning I was supposed to go down to see him, he called to
cancel. But, hey,
that was Missouri football back then. You considered yourself
lucky just to get into a kid's living
room."
Smith chuckles at the memory, only because he can. His team
is fresh off its first winning season in 14 years, and,
more significantly, no longer does national signing day in
the Show Me State resemble a scene from
Independence
Day. This year's freshman class includes offensive lineman
Justin Bland, the state's top high school lineman last
year, and defensive end Justin Smith, another Missouri
native, whom upperclassmen raved about during summer
workouts. Both will play
extensively this season. "There's a lot of high school talent
here," Smith says. "To be a winning program, keeping players
in state has to be our first goal."
That's the same blueprint Smith followed at Tulane and
Arizona, where he forged his reputation as the game's Bob
Vila by building decrepit programs into bowl teams. Though
Missouri is still in need of a few finishing touches (a
fullback, a couple of
receivers, another defensive lineman or two), the foundation
has been laid. "Who can predict the future?" says
quarterback Corby Jones, who played his high school ball
less than five miles from Faurot Field. "I do know
we've put expectations back into the
program, which is a
start."
Jones, a tough and charismatic senior, carries the heaviest
expectations of any Tiger. Last season he accounted for
more than 55% of Missouri's offense and was selected
first-team All-Big 12, beating out Michael
Bishop of Kansas State and
Scott Frost of
Nebraska. This year he is on everyone's list of
Heisman Trophy candidates. "When you talk about quarterbacks,
you talk about their physical attributes," says
Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel, who helped develop Troy
Aikman and Kordell Stewart,
among others. "Jones is as powerful as a running back,
but his biggest attribute is that he's a great leader. The
Missouri kids rally around
him."
The Tigers will rally around him even more this season,
since Jones's father,
Curtis, a 10-year assistant with the Tigers, died of a heart
attack on July 26. "I know what he'd want me to
do," says Corby. "And I know what he'd want us to
do as a
team."
Jones will direct an offense that boasts depth on the line
but is thin at fullback and wide receiver, where three
walk-ons could see significant action. The Tigers don't
plan to shy away from passing, though. "The key to the
last five games last season
[of which Missouri won four] was that Corby was very
effective as a passer," Smith says. "We want to
see the continued development of our passing game, with us
throwing more to the tight ends and to guys out of the
backfield."
An undersized defense, which coughed up 30.2 points (84th
in the country) and 386.5 yards a game last season, is
cause for concern. So is the schedule. Four of
Missouri's five toughest games this season—Ohio State,
Nebraska, Texas A&M and Texas
Tech—will be on the road. As for the longer-term schedule for
joining the
Big 12's elite, the Tigers aren't in the living room yet, but they
are on the
doorstep.
—Christian Stone
Fast Facts
1997 record: 7-5 (5-3, 3rd in Big 12
North)
Final ranking: No. 23 AP, No. 23 coaches'
poll
| 1997 Averages | Offense | Defense |
| Scoring | 33.5 | 30.2 |
| Rushing Yards | 263.5 | 193.7 |
| Passing Yards | 156.6 | 192.8 |
| Total Yards | 420.2 | 386.5 |
|
Pivotal Players
Quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate
Corby
Jones has the potential to become only the 11th player in NCAA
history to both rush and throw for more than 1,000 yards in
a
season.... Wide receiver
Kent
Layman should improve on his 21-reception, 534-yard totals of
last
year.... The move of small but speedy
Marquis
Gibson from defensive end to outside linebacker should improve
the pass rush.
Key Games
Schedule strength: 52nd of
112
Oct. 24 at Nebraska
The Tigers have not forgotten last year's near upset.
Neither have the
Huskers.
Nov. 21 vs. Kansas State
Best bet for a statement-making upset.
The Wildcats will be coming off a game against
Nebraska.
Bottom Line
A quarterback with the smarts, charisma and talent of Jones
can be good for three or four extra wins; look for the
Tigers to finish
8-3.
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