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2014 Missouri fall camp: Day 1 practice reports

Marcus Murphy will spend some time at slot receiver, Nate Brown looks good, and Harold Brantley is back in good standing.

By Bill Connelly

Quarterbacks

Fox Sports MW: 3 In The Kee: Mizzou opens preseason camp with expectations -- and three very big questions

The sophomore gunslinger out of Ohio is a risk-taker in the Brett Favre mold, all trust and no fear; it's part of the package. That means some plays, some thread-the-needle throws, that his predecessor, Franklin, couldn't make happen. It probably also means some more interceptions, risky tosses and things that might make Tigers fans want to pull their hair out.

The bigger question -- if not outright concern -- is what might happen if Mauk would, heaven forbid, get hurt. As the last two seasons have shown, the SEC is brutal and unforgiving, and depth is a must -- especially at your most pivotal positions along the offensive two-deep. Will Eddie Printz or Corbin Berkstresser look as ready, as cool under fire, in emergency relief as Mauk looked when Franklin went down in Georgia last year? It's not a question Pinkel will want to answer. But it's one, history has shown, he just might have to.

Running Backs

Post-Dispatch: New role for Mizzou's Murphy?

The 5-foot-9 senior will work out exclusively at slot receiver over the next week as the coaches decide where his talents are best suited, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. [...]

"With our running-back depth, two-thirds of the time he’s on the sideline — or half or very close to," Pinkel said after Monday’s two-hour practice on Faurot Field. "We’d rather have him on the field. He can catch well. … There’s a lot of different ways to get your best players on the field. At times he’s one of our top players on the perimeter."

Receiving Corps

The Trib (Behind the Stripes): Missouri Fall Camp Notes: The "We Got Some Tricks, Man" edition

Hunt said he's down to about 205 pounds this season after playing at around 220 last year. He said he put on the weight after undergoing surgery last year, being off his feet for about two weeks. He rated his speed last year as a six. This year he says it's a nine or a 10: "This year, trust me, you're going to see the old Jimmie Hunt."

White said he's down to about 204 pounds now as well, with a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and a 42-inch vertical to boot.

Offensive Line

MUTIGERS.COM: 2014 Training Camp Gets Underway

On the injury front, only two Tigers wore protective red injury bibs, but neither was considered to be a serious injury, according to Coach Pinkel.  Braylon Webb (shoulder) and junior OL Connor McGovern (pectoral strain) went through most drills on Monday while being slightly limited, but both are expected to be back to full strength very soon.

The Missourian: Missouri football opens fall camp with 4 new captains

"Embrace 'the suck,' because when stuff gets sucky, that's when you get better," Morse said.

Morse said he was inspired by the way quirky guard Max Copeland led the offensive line last year. He said he looks to take what he learned from the quotable Copeland, but also be himself.

"We've got some pretty good vocal leaders in Bud and Markus," Morse said. "Braylon and I, we're not saying we're complete mutes, but these guys know what needs to be said, and if we need to step in, we'll step in."

Defensive Line

PowerMizzou: Camp Notebook: Day 1

There've been questions about the status of defensive tackle Harold Brantley this offseason, especially after his drop to fourth-string on the mid-summer depth chart. Pinkel wouldn't go into detail about Brantley on Monday, but said, "He's doing really well." Brantley stretched with the No. 2-defense.

The Trib: Tigers search for wide-receiver solutions as fall camp opens

Now that Ealy and Sam have moved on and Golden and Ray have moved into starting roles, the challenge becomes finding backups who can maintain the pressure without a hitch.

Redshirt freshmen Charles Harris and Marcus Loud will get the first shot. Harris (6-foot-3 and 235 pounds) is a quick, lithe rusher in the Ray mold, and the 6-4, 270-pound Loud is a larger end like Golden.

"I told them, ‘You don’t have to do the same thing me and Shane did,’ " Golden said. "I just ask for you to get out there, go hard, play your heart out and know what you’re doing. If they do that, I feel like they’ll be successful."

Linebackers

Secondary

Post-Dispatch: Mizzou wraps up first day of preseason camp

"The first thing I told them was, 'No. 1, keep your job,'" Pinkel said. "That’s what Coach (Don) James told me and Jack Lambert (at Kent State). 'Keep your job. The second thing I told them was, 'The greatest form of leadership is to play well.'"

Webb, who has started a team-high 30 games, is easily the least outspoken of the group. That doesn't mean he has to change his personality, Pinkel said.

"He’ll lead on the field his way," Pinkel said. "They all will. You don’t tell (former quarterback) Brad Smith, 'You have to say 57 words in the next 10 minutes.' You can’t do that. They have to be who they are. He’ll do a great job."

Multimedia

PowerMizzou: First Look: Mizzou Newcomers
PowerMizzou: Sights & Sounds: Day 1

Mizzou Network: FALL REPORT: Coach Pinkel's raw Interview about Practice #1 8.4.14

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