Charles Harris on football and life in general: "I’m going to be great no matter what"

What's On

HEY, DON. SEE YOU TOMORROW.

MUtigers.com: The Return of Don Faurot

The statue of legendary Mizzou Football coach Don Faurot has adorned the North entrance to Memorial Stadium since 1999. Over the summer, the statue honoring the man who gave so much of his life to Mizzou was taken down for some refurbishing. Mizzou Network recently caught up with Harry Weber, the statue's sculptor, and Mikhail Matveyev of VMD Sculpting to talk about the process of fixing the statue and Faurot's return to Memorial Stadium. Be sure to watch the feature above.

1 day to SEMO

PowerMizzou: Opposing View: SEMO

PM: Who are some new players (freshmen or transfers) that could make an impact for SEMO this season that Missouri fans should be aware of?

Unerstall: Bender obviously will make an impact this season, and I'm interested in seeing how he fares against the Tigers on Saturday. Running back Tremane McCullough, a junior transfer from Arizona Western Community College, is expected to be another weapon on offense. He's a quick guy who also is in the mix to handle kickoff returns.

Defensively, junior transfers Jamarl Holloway and Taron Divens, both cornerbacks from Pearl River Community College, will be expected to play a big role in the secondary.

Post-Dispatch: BenFred's Quick Read: Mizzou vs. SEMO
Post-Dispatch: Five Questions with SEMO's Coach Tuke

P-D: How different do you feel this year compared to a year ago when you were in your first season at SEMO?

Matukewicz: Last year we laid the foundation and for the first time in school history we beat two top 25 teams. There were a lot of good things that happened last year to help our team buy into what we’re doing. Year two, we’re really just trying focus on our roster and fill some holes ... and get a decent two-deep together so we can make a run at the OVC.

P-D: You use a base 3-4 defense, but how do you describe the systems you run?

Matukewicz: We’re pretty multiple but we’ll base out of a 3-4. We’ll maybe look like Mizzou if it’s third down and get four hands on the ground and rush the passer. It’s hard to find defensive linemen at our level. You can find a lot more linebackers. Recruiting is a reason we did some of those things. My history on defense and my background comes from (TCU coach) Gary Patterson, so it’s a 4-2-5 background, but it’s all the same kinds of concepts. Football is football.

All eyes on the receiving corps

Post-Dispatch: Mizzou's untested wideouts ready for debut
The Trib (David Morrison): Stat Spotlight: The Changing Complexion of MU Receiver Targets

At outside receiver, we'd expect four receivers to split the starter targets pretty evenly, with J'Mon Moore perhaps favored. At inside, Nate Brown's basically getting all of them. At tight end, Sean Culkin should have a slight edge over Jason Reese for the starter targets. At running back, Russell Hansbrough should have a more than slight edge over Ish Witter.

So here they are, your totally official estimates for how Missouri is splitting up its targets this year, which are almost sure to be wrong:

Nate Brown: 84
J'Mon Moore: 56
DeSean Blair: 45
Keyon Dilosa: 38
Wesley Leftwich: 37

And the freshmen

PowerMizzou: Fresh faces

Missouri's crop of eight true freshmen on the depth chart this season isn't a knee-jerk reaction, a band-aid trying to mask glaring deficiencies within the team. Only one freshman - punter Corey Fatony - is listed as a starter. Four more are on the two deep, and three others (Josh Moore, Terez Hall and Cam Hilton) are listed as third-string at their respective positions.

And Charles Harris

KC Star: Greatness drives Missouri defensive end Charles Harris

"It’s pressure, but it’s not pressure on me," Harris said. "People are going to say what they want to say, but I don’t really listen to it. I feel like I’m going to be great, whether that’s on the field, in a classroom with academics or giving back with my career. I’m going to be great no matter what. … I’ve worked too hard and I’ve come too far for me not to be great."

Harris’ work ethic since arriving at Missouri has been praised.

"He’s a monster …" former Tigers defensive tackle Matt Hoch said last summer. "He’s got one of the best motors I’ve ever seen. His work ethic is legit. It’s the best work ethic I’ve seen in a long time."

It would just be too good to be true if the guy who just showed up on Mizzou's signing day list two years ago, unknown to everybody until that moment, turned out to be a star.

Looks like Charles Harris didn't have a profile on ESPN, Rivals, Scout or 247. Does that make him a zero star?

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) February 6, 2013

A busy weekend in Mizzouland

Soccer
MUtigers.com: @MizzouSoccer Hosts Oregon State Friday, Travels to Northwestern Sunday
The Trib: MU goalkeeper Dossey shakes off collision

Volleyball
The Trib (Blake Toppmeyer): Volleyball scouting report: MU vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 3:30 p.m. Friday

Cross Country
MUtigers.com: Cross Country Set to Open 2015 Campaign

WHATNOT

Baseball
MUtigers.com: Five Tigers Rank Among Baseball America’s Top Summer League Prospects
MUtigers.com: #MizzouMade Scherzer Helps Nats Top His Hometown Cardinals