Josh Henson sees growth in the run game, and now he gets Russell Hansbrough back

What's On

More self-sharing! This week's episode of Podcast Ain't Played Nobody is up, and besides some funky sound toward the end (that counts as charm, right?), it might be worth a listen. I talk about Missouri a bit (though not in the "defense good" way), and Godfrey and I ramble about Georgia ... Ole Miss ... FPI ... the Pac-12 ... etc. Good times. And bad sound.

And in the non-self-share division ... how did Ehren Earleywine think his Tigers did in the first portion of their fall schedule last week?

So your offense stinks! What now?

Probably run the ball!

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Missouri’s best running formation featured three receivers split wide on the same side and a tight end attached to the line on the opposite side of the formation. The Tigers ran the ball eight times with that look for 35 yards, including back-to-back Ish Witter runs for 10 and 12 yards in the third quarter. With the coverage shifted to the trips formation on the right side, Witter found a clear running lane on the left edge with blocking from tight end Culkin and the left side of the line. Witter also had runs of 5 and 6 yards on plays with that formation.

The running game stats weren’t all that impressive — the tailbacks ran 24 times for 74 yards — but Henson saw more decisive running.

The Trib: Hansbrough 'probable' for Tigers' SEC opener

"It was hard because I’m always out there on the field, I feel like, since my freshman year," said Hansbrough, who hadn’t missed a game since the Tigers’ 14-7 loss to Florida on Nov. 3, 2012. "Me not playing was kind of weird in itself. But as the running backs came back to the sideline, I just wanted to make sure they were all having fun, doing the right things on the field and tell them what I had seen."

Offensive coordinator Josh Henson has had the services of a healthy Hansbrough at his disposal for only two plays this year. He’s looking forward to whenever he gets that guy back.

"You look all around the country, the guys that are playmakers that get hurt, there’s an effect," Henson said. "There’s that same effect when they return."

PowerMizzou: The magic cure-all?

A year ago, Hansbrough was tied with fourth in the SEC in 20-plus yard runs, joining a group of Arkansas' Alex Collins, LSU's Leonard Fournette, Georgia's Todd Gurley and Alabama's Derrick Henry. Hansbrough was second in the conference with five 40-plus yard runs, behind Georgia's Nick Chubb.

"In all fairness to Ish (Witter), he played a little bit last year," Pinkel said. "He didn't play very much, he got a few plays here and there. All of a sudden, it's all on his back. We never did that. Any of our running backs, we never did that to. Here in the program, we've never done that, it's always a committee of several players that play.

"I think when he gets back he can be a huge difference, like most starters at most schools."

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