Optimism abound as Mizzou fall camp gets underway. Hey, better than the alternative...

Day 1 of Mizzou preseason camp is in the books. Let’s see what everybody thought, starting with a couple of coaches:

Odom is relaxed

KC Star:

“I’ve always for whatever reason had some trust issues,” he said. “So it’s been easier this year. There’s not any hidden agendas in the room, which I can’t always say was the case.”

Injuries

The Missourian:

Freshman offensive lineman Pompey Coleman (leg) and junior safety Ronnell Perkins (hamstring) did not practice. Perkins is day-to-day, but Odom said Coleman will miss significant time.

Seniors on a mission

Post-Dispatch:

With that clock ticking on their Mizzou career, the seniors have embraced [Eric] Beisel’s master plan. They welcomed his text, and some still haven’t even bothered to delete it from their phones.

“There were a lot of replies: ‘Let’s do it. We got a lot of work to do,’” Beisel said. “I’m not afraid to set high expectations, so it might have come as a shock to some. But with what we’re trying to do this year, it has to be clear. Expectations have to be set. They have to be loud and clear. Everyone needs to know what the expectation is, and I made sure that everyone knew.”

The Missourian:

[Tyler] Howell, who was one of three offensive linemen to start every game last fall, couldn’t wait for the question to end before bluntly giving his answer.

"High. Ten times higher than last year," Howell said. "Last year was nothing. We've got to get better, just keep building on it.

"Personally, I think I played like trash," he added. "We've just got to get better."

See also: KC Star. And speaking of Beisel ... the Post-Dispatch again:

“It’s almost like, where was this guy last year?” Cross said. “He’s committed to the program. He’s committed to his teammates. He’s really kind of changed the leadership and the direction of what this team has been.”

The motto

See also: Post-Dispatch.

#DLineZou

The Trib:

“You lose someone like Charles Harris, I mean, everyone is like, ‘Who’s up next?’” senior defensive end Jordan Harold said. ... “It puts a chip on everybody’s shoulder to want to be that guy, for one, and regardless of that, just work together and produce as much as anybody, as any D-line in the nation.”

Cross will turn to Marcell Frazier and Harold to replace Harris on the edge. Terry Beckner Jr. and Markell Utsey, who both suffered anterior cruciate ligament tears last season, and A.J. Logan look to shore up the interior.

“We’ve had a lot of success with” Beckner and Utsey “coming back,” coach Barry Odom said. “We’ve monitored them, and we’ve kept them on track with making sure that we’re ready to go Sept. 2.”

How are the DBs doing?

MUtigers.com:

"It was a great start to camp and I want to take advantage of getting better with a ton of reps," [Anthony] Sherrils said. "The coaches put us in a position during camp to stay in on downs when you're tired and when it gets difficult, that's the best time to focus on the details and fundamentals."

Sherrils shined in the secondary on Monday, highlighting the practice with an acrobatic interception near the end of the session. Sherrils teamed up with junior linebacker Kaleb Prewett to pull off the impressive pick. The pass glanced off Prewett, who was applying tight coverage, and Sherrils darted in at full speed and corralled the tipped ball for the interception.

Which freshmen are standing out?

PowerMizzou:

Other freshmen [beyond linebackers Jamal Brooks and Aubrey Miller] who drew a mention from the head coach on day one of camp were Larry Borom, Tyree Gillespie, Adam Sparks, Larry Rountree III and Taylor Powell. While Powell is likely headed for a redshirt as a quarterback, the others are early candidates to see the field as true freshmen.

Optimism! Senior leadership! Coaches more relaxed! No major injuries! Day 1 of fall camp hit FALL CAMP BINGO ... and that’s way, way better than the alternative.

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More Links:

• If, by chance, you missed it, here’s my SBN Mizzou preview. Preview season, indeed.
• MAAAAAAAXXXX! (He apparently also left the game with a neck injury, but we’ll ignore that for now.)

• VOLLEYBALL BLACK & GOLD GAME: August 16.
• Mizzou Swimming & Diving will have 21 representatives — 12 men, nine women — at this week’s U.S. Open Swimming Championships.
• Mizzou Track & Field recruiting coordinator Stephen Smith is now Mizzou assistant coach Stephen Smith.
• New PAPN! We talked about a few issues semi-relevant to Mizzou — SEC teams scheduling FCS games late in the season (I don’t understand how appalled people are by that ... and I don’t want to see Mizzou start doing it) and the fact that SEC QBs might actually be underrated heading into this year.