SEC East Previews: Q&A with Arch Authority (Mizzou)

Patrick Karraker from our sister site on FanSided, Arch Authority, was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the Missouri football team…

1. Maty Mauk did an excellent job of filling in for James Franklin last year and helped the team to a SEC East championship. Do you feel he isn’t getting enough credit for how good he is as we head into the season?

"In my opinion, Mauk is getting all the credit he deserves right now. As clutch as he was in taking over for Franklin last year, it’s easy to forget that he finished with just a 51.1 completion percentage for the year. That 10-for-25 performance against South Carolina was a big reason for why they lost and therefore fell out of Championship Game consideration, and despite their 31-3 blowout of Tennessee, his 12-for-25 night wasn’t the best either. When you factor in that he was working with a receiving corps that included three NFL guys (Washington and Lucas, who are on rosters now, and DGB, who will likely be there next year), I think he still has a lot to prove before we start calling him an elite quarterback."

2. Mizzou had some really dynamic receivers last year, but the top three have left the team for various reasons. Do you expect the 2014 receiving corps to be able to make up for that lost production?

"I wouldn’t count on this receiving group to replace last year’s contingent with no drop off at all, but I think they can be solid. It’s simply a different set of personnel: Lucas, Washington, and DGB were all over 6’4, while the biggest guy in this year’s group is Darius White at 6’3. I think it’s going to be more of a group effort this year, as it had been for a long time in the past at Mizzou, and they’ll probably need decent contributions from six to seven guys, including the tight end Sean Culkin, as opposed to last year where they relied on just the top three for a huge bulk of the production. Bud Sasser has shown over the past few years that he can be reliable, if unspectacular, and Jimmie Hunt might be a guy to watch out for, as he’s got impressive breakaway speed. Another guy you might want to watch for too is Levi Copelin, who’s had some troubles with the law at Mizzou but is close friends with Mauk and might form a really powerful connection with him on the field this year. Overall, I’d say that this team needs more production from the running game (quite frankly, I think that was part of the plan after they made Josh Henson the offensive coordinator with his LSU background) and more contributions from all the guys who can catch passes, but I think their offense should be fine."

3. The 2013 defense was a surprise for many in the SEC, but this year only 4 starters return. What are your expectations for that side of the ball?

"I would not be too worried about the defense. If anything, I’d be concerned about the defensive backfield, where you’re replacing three of the four starters, including E.J. Gaines, but the Tigers have never been a team that have counted too heavily on their DBs to put the defense over the edge anyway. Things should be fine on the D-Line, where you’re replacing an NFL pair of ends in Ealy and Sam with one that is arguably even better in Markus Golden and Shane Ray. The guys who fill the rotational roles that Golden and Ray filled last year haven’t proven themselves yet, but I’ve heard really good things about the potential of Charles Harris and Marcus Loud. And then you’ve got arguably the best two-deep group of defensive tackles in the nation with Matt Hoch, Lucas Vincent, Harold Brantley and Josh Augusta all returning. It should be interesting to see how the linebacker group does this year too. Michael Scherer has done a lot of work to improve his game since coming to Mizzou, and he’s going to get a shot to start on the outside. The MLB, Brothers, and the other projected outside ‘backer, Donavin Newsom, both probably have the athleticism to play in the NFL, and if they can both stay on the field after offseason injuries, they should be impact players, especially against the athletic offenses you see in the SEC from week to week."

4. The Tigers were a long shot to win the East last year but they did. Once again, most prognosticators have them finishing in the middle of the division – how do you see their chances this year?

"I am not as down on the Tigers’ chances as most national people are. I know South Carolina is going to be tough as long as Steve Spurrier is running the show there, but I just don’t see them being as difficult without their impact guys like Clowney and Connor Shaw being around. Mizzou was in total control of the Gamecocks last year until they brought Shaw into the game, and I would be surprised if this year’s SC group was able to overpower SEC teams every single week. And lots of experts are high on Florida again, but after watching them last year against Mizzou and in their other games, namely Georgia Southern and Florida State, I just don’t see how this group is going to rise to the top again. I respect Jeff Driskel’s ability, but they just looked so torn apart last year, I would really be surprised if they became great again without a coaching shakeup. I think the most intimidating team in the East is Georgia, but they still have a lot to prove too. Gurley needs to prove that he can stay on the field, and Hutson Mason needs to show that he can hold up for a whole season like he did over the last few games in 2013. I definitely wouldn’t count the Tigers out when the Bulldogs come to Faurot Field on October 11, though. I know that Mizzou has plenty to prove themselves, but I have a feeling that they’ll finish better than fourth or fifth in the division."

5. One of Missouri’s bigger rivals from the Big XII was Kansas. Are there any plans to get that series going again?

"At this point, I would be surprised if the Border War got going again anytime soon. KU still holds a grudge, because the Mizzou game was basically their biggest revenue-driver of the year on a yearly basis, and now they’re being left at the basement of the Big 12 every year and don’t even have that game on the schedule to get people excited. While it would be easy to put it on the schedule for a sport like basketball if the two schools made up, I think it would be really hard to build it into the schedule yearly for football with the way the SEC does things for scheduling. You’ve got the eight conference games locked in, and then they want a “power conference” game, which technically includes Kansas, but when they’re one of the worst football programs in the country year after year, it doesn’t look good to the rest of the SEC if that’s the team Mizzou is using to fulfill the requirement. Couple that with the fact that Mizzou is trying to build that cross-divisional rivalry with Arkansas, and I don’t think that scheduling Kansas is going to be anywhere near the top of their list of priorities in the near future."