Mizzou notebook: Tigers running wild — and a dream come true for Paul Adams

Only five players in Missouri history have ever rushed for more than the 225 yards freshman running back Damarea Crockett racked up Saturday against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.

“That’s awesome,” sophomore left guard Kevin Pendleton said. “He’s a baller. It’s exciting to play with a guy like that. To be a true freshman and to come in ball the way he has this season, I’m extremely proud of him.”

Crockett’s 225 rushing yards on 24 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown, broke the Tigers’ single-game freshman rushing record.

Brad Smith owned the previous mark with 213 yards against Oklahoma in 2002.

Crockett owns four of the top six single-game rushing marks by a freshman in Mizzou history. He also racked up the second-most rushing yards by any Tennessee opponents, trailing only Mississippi running back Dexter McCluster’s 282 yards in 2009.

Crockett also set single-season freshman rushing records with 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking Smith’s old marks of 1,029 yards and seven scores.

It was all part of a 420-yard rushing output, which is the most since the Tigers totaled 428 yards rushing against Western Illinois in 2011.

“That’s a pretty good night by those guys, but you can’t do that unless you have five guys blocking up front and a tight end,” first-year Tigers coach Barry Odom said. “I think up front, our offensive line did a tremendous job blocking at the point of attack. … I thought our offensive scheme going into the game was tremendous and they executed. Damarea ran well.”

There was, of course, a downside — Mizzou’s 63-37 loss.

“Our O-line played their (butt) off tonight and executed really well,” sophomore quarterback Drew Lock said. “It’s upsetting that we couldn’t get the win, considering how great they played tonight.”

Junior Ish Witter added 31 carries for 163 yards, marking the second time this season the Tigers have had two 100-yard rushers in the same game (Middle Tennessee).

MIZZOU SINGLE-GAME RUSHING RECORD

Player Yards Carries Opponent Season (Result)

1. Devin West 319 33 Kansas 1998 (W, 41-23)

2. Brad Smith 291 19 Texas Tech 2003 W, 62-31)

3. Tony Temple 281 24 vs. Arkansas 2007 (W, 38-7)

4. Henry Josey 263 14 Western Illinois 2011 (W, 69-0)

5. Devin West 252 40 at Iowa State 1998 (W, 35-19)

6. Brad Smith 246 28 Nebraska 2005 (W, 41-24)

7. Harry Ice 240 8 at Kansas 1941 (W, 45-6)

8. Damarea Crockett 225 24 at Tennessee 2016 (L, 63-37)

Strong showing

Crockett and Witter weren’t the only running backs to get involved.

Sophomore Nate Strong, who had seven carries for 46 yards entering the game, saw his most extensive action with eight carries for 39 yards.

“He’s played a little bit in previous weeks, not much, but he continues to get better,” Odom said. “ (Crockett) got banged up a little bit and was out. (Witter) was banged up a little bit, so he was the next guy. He’s going to have a bright future.”

Crockett left midway through the second quarter after getting his right ankle rolled up on, but he returned for the second half.

Strong was limited early in the season with his own ankle injury.

“It took him a little bit to get over it, but man I am excited about Nate,” Odom said. “He’s got quickness; he’s got power. He’s getting to be the guy that we saw through the recruiting process. It’s good to see him back healthy and, with a good offseason, he’s going to be a tremendous player.”

Strong got dropped for a 2-yard loss on a key fourth-and-2 speed option to the right.

Mizzou trailed 28-27 at that point and had driven inside the Tennessee 40-yard line, but Strong couldn’t keep the drive going.

“They defended it well … ,” Lock said. “We actually ran the play twice before that and it worked out just fine, but they came out and adjusted to it and played it differently.”

The Volunteers picked up a first down when the Tigers had 12 men on the field for a fourth-and-4 around the same field position going the opposite way.

Two plays later, Tennessee senior quarterback Josh Dobbs rumbled 30 yards for a touchdown, and Mizzou never again drew closer than five points.

Adams relishes Neyland debut

For sophomore right tackle Paul Adams, the chance to play inside Neyland Stadium was more special than for other Missouri players.

“It’s something I’ve always grown up, not really wishing, but just kind of dreaming about,” said Adams, a Nashville native. “I used to come to games here through middle school and high school visiting some friends that or some friends’ family that was here.”

So, how did it stack up to those dreams?

“It looks a lot bigger on the field than in the stands,” Adams said. “It’s a lot louder on the field than in the stands. It’s awesome, but I really wish we could have come away with a W. But we’ll be back here in two years.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Mizzou notebook: Tigers running wild — and a dream come true for Paul Adams."