The Missouri football team had fortuitous weather on Thursday for the first of what is scheduled to be four scrimmages this spring season, including the spring game. About 50 fans, former players, high school coaches and even a couple scouts left over from pro day, caught Thursday’s half scrimmage that included 60 plays and incorporated players from the first three strings and some from the fourth.

The top teams didn’t play against each other. Rather, the first-string offense faced the second-string defense and vice versa while the third strings played against each other.
The difference between the first and second string, especially on offense, was evident early.

Quarterback Chase Daniel, who played in just two series, had no trouble moving the ball up and down the field against the second-string defense. Daniel found receiver Tommy Saunders over the top for a 40-yard touchdown on the first drive. Saunders outraced safety Gilbert Moye for the catch. On the Tigers second drive, receiver Jeremy Maclin put Mizzou in scoring position with a 39-yard screen pass. Maclin picked up a key block from tight end Chase Coffman and got inside the 5-yard line before Moye tripped him up. A few plays later, Daniel found Coffman in the end zone for a 2-yard score.

Daniel finished his short day completing 5 of 6 for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Those were the only real highlights for the offense. Once Daniel was out of the game and quarterbacks Chase Patton and Dominic Grooms took over, the defense owned the offense. The first string defense blitzed on nearly every down of its first series often sending Patton scrambling for his life or throwing the ball into coverage. In Patton’s defense, the second string offense is overridden with walk-on receivers. Some are veterans, such as Blake May and Adam Casey, but others such as Forrest Shock and Brandon Gereau haven’t had much work against the first-string defense and didn’t seem used to the speed.

Dominic Grooms had similar struggles. At one point, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon yelled out that he knew what the offensive play was, sat back in coverage and picked off Grooms with ease.

Patton threw two interceptions on the day and Grooms threw one.

“I didn’t really know where the ball was going, I just kinda be kidding out there,” Weatherspoon said. “You can expect the defense to come back and play at a high level. I think we brought back 10 guys that started in the Cotton Bowl. That definitely helps with the defensive chemistry throughout the spring and carrying over into the fall.”

As you can guess, the defense won the scrimmage (with some unorthodox scoring system I can’t even begin to describe) and the offense did five up-downs at the end of the practice as punishment.

Here are some other news and notes from the day:

** Coffman was not wearing red for the scrimmage. Either was back-up tight end Jon Gissinger, who has been nursing a sore hamstring. All the other players who have been in red were still in red, and you can add Ryan Madison to that list, too. Pinkel said Madison strained his left patellar tendon and he was kept out of the scrimmage as a precaution. Pinkel felt confident Madison would be back for the team’s next practice after the players return from spring break on April 1.

** With Madison out, Jayson Palmgren worked with the first and second team at left guard. Right guard Austin Wuebbles also spent time with the first string to spell starter Kurtis Gregory, who was the Jack of all trades on the offensive line playing both right and left guard as well as handling snaps for the second string. The team might need Gregory to be the back-up center considering the struggles current No. 2 center Bryan Webb has faced this season. In Webb has been thrust into the No. 2 spot with J.T. Beasley out with a torn labrum.

** Remember how I said I really thought defensive tackle Terrell Resonno could make some noise this spring? Well, apparently he already has. Resonno was with the second-string defensive line while Jason Townson moved to the third string. Redshirt freshman Dominique Hamilton moved up to second-string nose tackle, which pushed Andy Maples to the third string.

I believe there have been few more disappointing players than Townson and Maples. I actually thought Townson had made some progress this spring, but obviously not. These guys are prime examples of why we shouldn’t believe the recruiting hype. What was Maples coming out of junior college? A four-star recruit? The No. 16 junior college player in the country? Yeah…

** Here’s my Titus Wonsey update for the day… Wonsey didn’t play much in the scrimmage, but when he did get in the game, Weatherspoon announced, “Lady’s and Gentlemen, Titus is coming into the game.” The offense and defense started cheering as he bowled over a couple players on a counter play.

“Coach Steck (Dave Steckel) calls him Spoon Jr.,” said Weatherspoon, who shares the No. 12 with Wonsey. “I kinda like that, and Stryker always calls me Titus out there on the field.”

** Missouri is still looking for a punter, and a long snapper for that matter. Nearly every long snap had to be picked up off the ground by the punters.

The Tigers will take the next week off for spring break and return to the field on April 1 for eight more practices before the spring game. Pinkel said there would be a few depth chart moves the Monday before the first practice. Below are some statistics from the scrimmage.

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Chase Daniel 5-for-6 119 yds 2 TDs
Chase Patton 5-for-11 51yds 2 INT
Dominic Grooms 6-for-16 34 yds 1 INT
Jimmy Costello 5-for-5 33 yds 1 TD

RUSHING

Derrick Washington 9-54
De’Vion Moore 6-16
Jimmy Jackson 2-18

RECEIVING

Jeremy Maclin 2-68
Tommy Saunders 2-47 TD
Chase Coffman 5-53 TD
La’Roderick Thomas 3-19
De’Vion Moore 3-15

INTERCEPTIONS

Kevin Rutland
Tremane Vaughns
Sean Weatherspoon

PUNTING (averages)

Jake Harry 4 36 yds
Tanner Mills 2 39 yds
Grant Ressel 1 43 yds
John Clark 1 35 yds (plus a 25 yard roll)