Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going team-by-team through the SEC, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, the 2019 Missouri preview!
2019 Missouri Preview
I’m going to go ahead and put this out into the world – I think the Missouri Tigers are the most interesting team in the SEC heading into 2019.
Back in January, the program was hit with a postseason ban for academic fraud. Miraculously, the Tigers didn’t lose any seniors who would’ve been allowed to transfer freely. That speaks volumes, to me, about Barry Odom and the program he’s building in Columbia. Missouri will be appealing the bowl ban to the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee this week in an effort to have the sanctions lifted.
But, bowl ban aside, the Tigers also made waves in January when they announced that former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant would transfer to Missouri. He was pretty much immediately named the starter, and for good reason. Bryant was 16-2 at Clemson as a starter before being unseated by prodigy Trevor Lawrence. Bryant brings a dynamic to the offense it didn’t have with Drew Lock – and listen, folks…Lock was a damn good quarterback. It’s hard to upgrade from him, but I’d say the Tigers did just that.
Bryant is a dual-threat quarterback that inherits a receiving corps that is three-deep with weapons. The offensive line is returning three starters, and you might not have known that unit allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC a season ago. All of this, and I haven’t even mentioned Larry Rountree III, who’s coming off a 1,216-yard season in 2018.
To say this offense is loaded would be an understatement. It’s going to be one of the best in the entire SEC, probably fair to say all of college football as well.
But, on defense and special teams, it’s a different story. The Tigers were a middle-of-the-road defense in 2018. They gave up 30+ points four times in 2018, and were 2-2 in those games. They were 6-3 in games during which they allowed fewer than 30 points and those three losses came against Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky. The defense wasn’t too terribly far away, but a tighter unit might have made this team a legit contender a season ago.
The Tigers are returning six starters on defense in 2019. One of those starters is senior linebacker Cale Garrett, who should be a legitimate All-SEC contender (at least, he’s already been named first-team All-SEC by Pro Football Focus).
While the secondary should be a strength of the team, one can’t help but wonder where pressure is going to come from. The Tigers had one of the worst sack rates in all of college football a season ago. If the Tigers can sort that out, they will be a serious contender for the SEC East title (assuming they win their appeal, of course…).
And if they don’t, hell, this is still going to be a damn fun offense to watch.
2019 Tigers Schedule
8/31 @ Wyoming – No one should be sleeping on the ever-consistent Wyoming Cowboys…especially IN Wyoming. But, this should serve as little more than a preseason tune-up for the Tigers.
9/7 vs. West Virginia – A season ago and this is a much different game. All of the change and turmoil in Morgantown means a transitional year for the Mountaineers. Now, it looks like they’ll be fortunate to even be in bowl contention. Mizzou takes this one.
9/14 vs. SE Missouri State – You know the drill in games like this. Tigers roll.
9/21 vs. South Carolina – I’m a little higher on the ‘Cocks than Mose is. But, this is a revenge game for the Tigers. South Carolina narrowly beat ’em last year and these seniors are going to want this one.
10/5 vs. Troy – Look at what I said about Wyoming and you can basically apply that here. The Tigers start the season 5-0.
10/12 vs. Ole Miss – This sure could be interesting. I consider Ole Miss to be a program on the rise, and this could be one of the games they steal on that rise. But, given it’s in Columbia, I’m saying the Tigers start 2019 at 6-0.
10/19 @ Vanderbilt – Even with the talent the ‘Dores are bringing back on offense, I think they’ll be hamstrung trying to keep up with the Tigers given their current quarterback situation.
10/26 @ Kentucky – 10 wins was magical for the Wildcats a season ago. They’re taking a huge step back this year, and like Vanderbilt, won’t be able to put up the points to compete against Mizzou.
11/9 @ Georgia – Mose called this Bulldogs team a “team on a mission,” and it’s hard for me to disagree. If the Tigers do enter this game at 8-0, and they do win their appeal with the NCAA, this game could decide the SEC East. And, with Bryant’s experience in big games (for better or for worse), who knows what could happen? In July, though, I’m taking the Bulldogs.
11/16 vs. Florida – The Gators should be riled up for this one given how the Tigers thumped ’em IN THE SWAMP. Dan Mullen has this Florida program in the national spotlight, and could be a dark horse contender for the National Championship. I like them to hand Mizzou their second loss of the season.
11/23 vs. Tennessee – In another year or two, the Vols could be back. But, I’m not counting on it in 2019. The Tigers should win this one relatively easy at home.
11/30 vs. Arkansas (in Little Rock) – Poor Arkansas. Poor Chad Morris – trying to rebuild during this current state of the SEC. Barring a miracle, the Tigers finish their season with a win.
Prediction
Call me crazy, but in my eyes, this team has a ceiling as high as SEC East Champions (should they win their appeal with the NCAA) with a floor as low as 5-7. That’s to say I only see five guaranteed wins on this schedule (the non-conference -AND- Arkansas).
Slow starts have really put a strain on the Tigers teams of the past couple of years. This team should start 6-0 before a stretch of three straight SEC East road games really tests this unit. Odom has created a solid team culture in which the players obviously care about each other and want to play for each other. That’s the sort of spirit that champions are made of. If they get off to a faster start than in years past, and they figure out how to get to the quarterback, this team could be a special one in Columbia.
Ultimately, it’s going to come down to what happens with the NCAA. I could see this being a 10-win team regardless, but they haven’t shown us anything to indicate that Mizzou is NOT going to Mizzou this season. They probably slip up against an Ole Miss or Tennessee and end up 8-4 or 9-3.
OTHER 2019 SEC SEASON PREVIEWS
Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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