ICYMI, Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers have officially wrapped up spring football. Here are three big takeaways from Missouri's Black & Gold Spring Game, which took place just over a week ago.
1. Adding Drew Pyne all makes sense now
Many people including myself were questioning why Missouri would add a quarterback to the roster so late in the spring practice period.
The question was clearly answered for all during the scrimmage. The options behind Brady Cook are very young and still adjusting and repairing the damage taken by having three QBs transfer out.
A mixed group of veteran guys including a group of 5 QB in Harold Blood Jr and a power 5 QB in Drew Pyne is never a bad thing to have as backup options.
2. All the narratives surrounding the defense.
Now, I am not guaranteeing anything by any means, but the monsoon of narratives that came after Blake Baker & others were hired away to LSU look to be very false.
From the crumb of defense we saw during this two hand touch scrimmage I was impressed to say the least. Transfers Chris McClellan and Toriano Pride shined as they each made impact plays. The linebacker room has a bunch of room for flexibility with the depth of talent showcased during the game.
All of this proves the narrative that the offseason losses may cause the Tigers defense to fall off the face of the earth very false.
3. Will the Tigers be able to fill the shoes of a legend?
The legend of Cody Schrader will never be forgotten in Missouri. A historic season backed by an even better story.
With Cody off to the NFL after his short stint with the Tigers the Running Back position was the position of need this offseason. The addition of two great backs in Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll made their first impressions in front of the Tiger faithful.
The duo looked promising from the limited action we were able to see. As this spring game was already deemed as very early compared to others the duo showed signs they are still learning the offense. That is completely expected and more than ok with the start of the regular season still being months away.
The expectation to continue the level of play of a campus legend is absolutely realistic. There should be no signs of a drop off in talent at all. Now, the numbers Schrader put up are not expected to be matched by any means this season. That does not mean the level of play can’t be matched.
Tiger fans should be filled with excitement with these two transfers and the commitment of top ten back Kewan Lacy. Hailing from the state of Texas, Lacy is set to enroll this fall and is full of potential. Keep your glass half full for the upcoming season but the shoes of a legend will be completely filled.