Missouri football seniors find new motivation after 2013, 2014 success in SEC

Two years ago, Missouri’s battle at the dawn of spring football was respect.

The Tigers had limped to a 5-7 finish in their first season in the Southeastern Conference and wanted to prove that year was the outlier, that the program could compete.

Missouri did that in 2013, finishing 12-2 with an appearance in the SEC Championship Game and a Cotton Bowl victory.

That meant last spring was about showing the world it was no fluke.

Mission accomplished again as the Tigers went 11-3, repeating as SEC Eastern Division champions and capping the season with a Citrus Bowl win.

For the 2015 senior group, the motivation has changed again with the arrival of spring football Tuesday inside sun-drenched Memorial Stadium.

“The biggest thing for us is accepting the challenge,” senior free safety Ian Simon said. “This senior group had greatness handed down to us. This team has the responsibility on its shoulder now to keep that tradition going.”

Missouri’s 23 wins the last two seasons is a program record in back-to-back years. It’s also a pretty tough act to follow.

Of course, the Tigers — especially those seniors like Simon and offensive linemen Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern — intend to try and build off the recent success.

“We’re hungry,” Boehm said. “Yeah, we won back-to-back (SEC) East champions and back-to-back bowl champions. But at the same time, we haven’t accomplished the goals that we want to accomplish as a team — that’s winning the SEC outright, that’s winning a playoff game, that’s going to a national championship. As a senior class, we’re really pushing that hard.”

Missouri has gotten close to the pinnacle the last two season. Getting over the hump provides renewed motivation.

“We’re trying to get back there and get the job done this year,” senior cornerback Kenya Dennis said. “We’ve knocked on the door a few times. We’re just trying to kick the door in this time and get the whole thing.”

Really, then, nothing much at all has changed.

“I don’t think it ever changes — we want to win a national championship and, to do that, you have to win a division championship and then you’ve got to win a league championship,” Tigers coach Gary Pinkel said. “That’s never changed since we got here. … I don’t think you have to look for hidden motivation every year.”

Injury report

Four players — junior running back Morgan Steward, senior safety Cortland Browning, senior left guard Brad McNulty and freshman safety Tavon Ross — were listed on Missouri’s initial spring injury report.

Junior cornerback John Gibson also missed the first spring practice for personal reasons.

Steward, a Staley graduate, missed last season and eventually had surgery in November for a hip injury. He will not practice this spring, but Pinkel said he hopes he is 100 percent by June 1.

Browning suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot before the SEC Championship Game and also remains sidelined.

McNulty is rehabbing from postseason surgery to repair a torn labrum, while Ross tore his ACL in conditioning two weeks ago and will have surgery next Thursday.

Missouri is hopeful Ross might be able to return by the fall.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Missouri football seniors find new motivation after 2013, 2014 success in SEC."