COLUMBIA, MO.

The term is "embarrassment of riches." The college football definition is the University of Missouri receiving corps.

The college football community knows of quarterback Chase Daniel, a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. They know of receiver Jeremy Maclin, often mentioned in the same Heisman Trophy discussions. They even know of running back Derrick Washington, who leads the nation in scoring.

But college football defenders throughout the country, or at least those with Missouri on the schedule, also know the beauty of Mizzou's offense is that it runs more than three players deep.

"I would say that we definitely have some things that we need to work on," Oklahoma State linebacker Patrick Lavine said earlier this week, as the 17th-ranked Cowboys (AP poll) prepared for a 7 p.m. (CST) clash on Saturday in Columbia with the No. 3 Tigers.

The Cowboys might have answers for Missouri's Big Three. They have a Big Three of their own in quarterback Zac Robinson, receiver Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter.

But what makes Mizzou's sudden-strike ability especially perplexing is quantity as much as quality. It is remarkable to consider that a college program that advanced two receivers from last year's roster — Will Franklin and Martin Rucker — to NFL teams has not skipped a beat.

"We have a lot of good athletes, and we try to utilize their abilities," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "We do a lot of different things ... and honestly I think our players have a lot of fun doing it, too.

"I think in recruiting and in your evaluation that you bring kids in your program that fit what we like on offense, not only can you catch the football but can you do something with the football after you catch it, that's real important."

To be sure, sensational sophomore Maclin is a fuse. Daniel has thrown 40 passes to Maclin, who has 31 catches. That said, senior tight end Chase Coffman leads Big 12 tight ends with 6.6 catches per game. Senior receiver Tommy Saunders has been a target 25 times. In three games, junior Danario Alexander has seen nine passes and has two touchdown catches, including a 26-yarder last Saturday at Nebraska.

Junior Jared Perry has 17 receptions and two TDs. Freshman tight end Andrew Jones has six catches, as does freshman wideout Jerrell Jackson. Four others on the roster have at least one reception. And why not? Each has playmaking credentials.

Coffman, the son of former Pro Bowl tight end Paul Coffman, set state receiving records and was named the top player in the Kansas City metro area during his career at Raymore-Peculiar High. Saunders led Kearney (Mo.) High to a Class 4 state championship as a senior, scoring three consecutive touchdowns in the championship game.

Alexander had 49 catches and nine TDs his senior year at Marlin (Texas) High. Perry caught 83 passes for 1,540 yards and 21 TDs over his last two high school seasons in La Marque, Texas. Jackson had 42 catches and 18 TDs last year at Jefferson Davis High in Houston. Jones had 154 receptions for 1,858 yards during his All-State career at Smithville (Mo.) High.

Each was recruited as an individual standout in high school. But at Missouri, each has learned to embrace an offense-by-committee system.

"I think it all starts when you're coming out of high school," Saunders said. "All of these guys were big-time players, and when you get to college you have to adjust and humble yourself. You've got to start all over. A lot of guys don't come out and have a season like 'J-Mac' did in his first year.

"Danario, Jared Perry, myself ... your first year, you're not getting as many balls as you did in high school, and that's a new experience in itself. So ... you try to get better and learn from that. Not everybody's going to have a big game. Not everybody can catch six or 10 balls a game. Chase is going to spread the ball around."

The crust that comes with that humble pie is that Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen rewards the unselfishness with a no-receiver-left-behind approach. Each Missouri receiver has plays in the offense with his name on it. Each game plan has space available.

"Spreading the ball around is probably the most important thing; it's what really helps this offense get going because you never know who the ball is going to go to," Coffman said. "We have so many weapons, it's just really hard to key on one guy."

Daniel has chemistry with all of his receivers, a coagulation developed during the summer months when passing game principals played unofficial seven-on-seven games with their defensive counterparts, when tendencies and personalties were recognized and registered.

"It really helps getting those guys over the summer and throwing individually with them," Daniel said. "You look at Tommy Saunders, Alexander, Chase .... it's everyone involved that makes the team go."

With the familiarity, with the depth of talent, comes a mandate. "It's one of our quarterback goals ... to distribute the football," said Daniel, whose distribution log includes 119 completions of 156 passes for 1,665 yards and 15 touchdowns. "If we've got one guy with 15 catches and two or three more with just two or three, that would be a problem.

"I think that's a problem on the football field with matchups, because they can say, 'Oh, they're going to J-Mac all the time.' And it causes a problem in the meeting rooms, because there are guys who want to get the football.

"So I think 'Coach C' has said before that the biggest challenge we face is keeping everyone happy, which is a good problem to have because we have so many high-level players that can make plays. So I personally don't lean on anyone, I just go by my reads and I trust every one of our receivers."

The result is an offense averaging 53 points per game and 49 possessions without a three-and-out. The result is an embarrassment of riches.

doneill@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8186