COLUMBIA, Mo. • Of the 30 men since 1890 who preceded Gary Pinkel as football coach at the University of Missouri, just two lasted longer in the job:
Don Faurot, whose 19 years were in two stints broken up by World War II, and Dan Devine, who presided over MU's most glorious span, from 1958 to 1970.
The most humbling of times during the 30 years between Devine and Pinkel was the nine-year period under Woody Widenhofer (1985-88) and Bob Stull (1989-93), in which MU won a total of 27 games.
By contrast, Pinkel's teams have won 30 games the past three years and been to a school-record five straight bowl games.
While there are many more bowl games now and MU's prosperity has been helped by gobbling down nonconference cupcakes, it's also significant that only two Big 12 teams, Texas and Oklahoma, have won more conference games the past three years.
All of which has MU fans simply wanting more and soothes Pinkel … not much.
"What I always tell everybody is don't ever think the posse's not still back there behind you," he said, smiling but not really joking one day during camp.
That's not so much paranoia as Pinkel's way of fending off complacency in a program that he wants to see "win at a higher level, more consistently," as he put it during Big 12 media days in Dallas.
If MU can put aside a slew of off-field issues in August and can beat rebuilding Illinois for a seventh straight time Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome, its road to a 5-0 start seems covered in rose petals with four straight home games that follow: McNeese State of the Football Championship Subdivision, San Diego State (4-8 last season), Miami of Ohio (1-11 in 2009) and Colorado, which MU has outscored 177-40 over the past four meetings.
But that won't reveal much about Pinkel's capacity to win more consistently at a higher level, which will be illuminated during a harsh four-game stretch — at Texas A&M, home against Oklahoma, at Nebraska and at Texas Tech.
MU's ability to at least break even in that span could determine whether the Tigers can claim their third Big 12 North title in four years and whether they have narrowed the gap against "a higher level" such as an OU program that, injury-marred 2009 notwithstanding, is a perennial powerhouse under Bob Stoops.
Mizzou enters the season with fewer unknowns than it did last year, when it lost sophomore sensation Jeremy Maclin and 23 seniors including record-setters such as Chase Daniel, Jeff Wolfert and Chase Coffman, while also replacing coordinators on both sides of the ball.
Still, it faces a number of variables, largely involving the passing game on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert of Parkway West returns after finishing ninth in the nation in passing yards and second in the Big 12 in pass efficiency despite being hobbled by a bad ankle nearly half the season, but who will emerge on the receiving end to fill the void left by Danario Alexander's 113 receptions and 137 yards a game is uncertain.
That's particularly so this week with Jerrell Jackson (37 catches last year) playing with a cast on his wrist and tailback Derrick Washington (65 career receptions) out after being charged Monday with deviate sexual assault, a felony.
Even with Jackson's return, MU's only other receiver with starting experience will be junior Wes Kemp (DeSmet), with 24 career receptions.
If camp was any indication, expect sticky-fingered sophomore T.J. Moe (Fort Zumwalt West) to be a frequent target, and a combination of L'Damian Washington, Michael Egnew and freshmen Bud Sasser and Marcus Lucas to help make up Alexander's yards.
The passing game remains a concern on the other side of the ball, too, as the Tigers again were among the nation's most porous pass defenses (104th, 251.5 yards a game) despite moving up a few notches from 117th, 286.6. Mizzou also gave up fewer TD passes last year, down to 20 from 29.
Hoping to make more noticeable improvements, Mizzou has tinkered with schemes and is advertising a more physical and aggressive secondary style. The Tigers not only need to squelch the big plays that have plagued them but also produce more turnovers: Last season, they picked off only one in every 59 pass attempts.
MU could take some pressure off the defense with an enhanced running game that could help the Tigers hold the ball longer and make good on more third-down attempts. Last year, Mizzou was last in the Big 12, in conference games, in third-down conversions (32.8 percent) — a sharp contrast to the 55.8 percent it converted in 2008 conference games.
During camp, it appeared MU was on its way to reviving the ground game that sagged last season to a 15-year low. Washington, second-team All-Big 12 in 2008, had lost weight and put behind any traces of a knee injury that seemed to bog him down last season.
But Washington was suspended indefinitely last week and is expected to miss one or more games. That makes swift but inexperienced sophomore Kendial Lawrence the probable starter against Illinois, backed up by freshmen Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy if junior De'Vion Moore (Hazelwood Central) remains stymied by injuries.
In addition to Washington's troubles, MU faced three alcohol-related arrests in August, involving assistant coach Bruce Walker on Aug. 2, linebacker Will Ebner on Aug. 22 and long snapper and reserve tight end Beau Brinkley on Sunday.
It's not known whether those are blips or an indication of broader disarray, but a rash of problems unusual during Pinkel's tenure suggests a disconnect in his team's focus and preparation. He has earned plenty of slack from any would-be posses, of course, but reconciling whatever is happening there will go a long way toward determining if Mizzou is ready to climb higher.
