The Mizzou Tigers football team might as well have changed its name to the Mizzou Mackerel last season, its inaugural run in the big, bad SEC. The Tigers flopped and floundered its way through a subpar 5-7 season, which seemed much more horrific than the final record indicated due to a measly 2-6 conference record. While every terrible team has more excuses than a barber with a bad haircut, the Tigers had a few that held weight.
For starters, quarterback James Franklin missed all or parts of eight different games in 2012 due to a host of injuries. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t very effective when trying to play through those injuries. His then-backup, Corbin Berkstresser, wasn’t quite ready for primetime and struggled as well.
Starting tailback Henry Josey also missed the entire 2011 and 2012 campaigns due to a catastrophic knee injury that ruptured his ACL, MCL and patella tendon. With Franklin and Josey seemingly back to full strength, the team’s outlook is much brighter this season.
The Tigers looked impressive in its 58-14 victory over the Murray State Racers in the season opener. The Racers are essentially a JV team, so the drubbing is nothing to get excited about, but a healthy Franklin looked poised, accurate and confident en route to accumulating 318 yards through the air and 44 yards on the ground in less than three quarters of play.
Josey’s return was just as impressive and certainly more emotional. The junior tailback rumbled for 113 yards on just 13 carries in his long-awaited return, including a 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. While one could certainly dismiss Josey’s ginormous 8.7 yards per carry average to an overmatched defense, don’t forget that he averaged 8.1 yards per carry for an entire season back in 2011.
Up next for the Tigers is the Toledo Rockets, former home of current Tigers coach Gary Pinkel. While the MAC doesn’t get much respect as a conference, last season the Rockets finished 9-4, including a trip to the esteemed Idaho Potato Bowl. So while Toledo doesn’t necessarily represent a big name in college football, they will represent a test for the Tigers.
The Rockets are returning nine starters from an offense that eclipsed 3,200 yards passing and 2,500 yards rushing a season ago. Mizzou’s defense lost five starters from last season, including standout defensive tackle and first-round NFL draft selection Sheldon Richardson.
On paper, Franklin, Josey and sophomore sensation Dorial Green-Beckham should have a field day against Toledo’s weak defense. Still, this game has potential to turn into a bit of a shootout, though the Tigers should be favored to win at home.
How the Tigers fare against Toledo could tell us plenty about what to expect the rest of the season from Pinkel’s club. None of the three teams after Toledo are very frightening. Indiana, Arkansas State and Vanderbilt are all winnable games, and the Tigers have a reasonable shot a starting the season 5-0 or (more likely) 4-1 before they head to Georgia on Oct. 12.
The confidence built up from a fast start would certainly give the Tigers an excellent chance of becoming bowl-eligible again after last season’s subpar finish broke a streak of seven straight bowl appearances by the black and gold.
While the Tigers have virtually no chance of competing for a conference championship in the uber-stacked SEC, a rebound year of seven or eight wins is not out of the question. Ultimately, how far the Tigers go will be determined by how sturdy Franklin and Josey remain throughout the season. If both can find a way to stay healthy for a full season, expect the team to land a fruit or vegetable bowl of its own.
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