MU’s Crockett hopes to play in Texas Bowl but is still getting running instincts back

Missouri senior running back Ish Witter, sore from a season’s worth of tackles, has been limited for the Tigers’ bowl practices, but he plans to play in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27. He would love if Mizzou’s other limited back — sophomore Damarea Crockett — is able to play against the Texas Longhorns in Houston, too.

“When you happen to have more backs, it’s better on your offense,” Witter said. “It’s better on your running backs. It means you have fresh legs.”

Crockett ran for more than 1,000 yards as a true freshman, and through the first five games of this season, he rushed for 449 yards in 71 carries. But he injured his right shoulder against Georgia on Oct. 14, and it required surgery, which caused him to miss the entirety of Missouri’s six-game winning streak.

Missouri coach Barry Odom said Dec. 10 that he plans for Crockett to have an “active role” in the bowl game, but last weekend, running backs coach Cornell Ford said the team is “still evaluating” Crockett’s status.

If Crockett does play, Ford doesn’t anticipate the sophomore to be completely back as a runner to where he was when he was fully healthy. Running back is an instinctual position, and Ford said some of those instincts can only come back when a player gets back into an actual game.

“You’ve got to trust it and have your sense that you feel the game the way you felt it before,” Ford said. “ … You can try as best you can in practice, but practice is a controlled environment. When you get on the field it’s not. You’ve got to be ready to react. Your senses have to be there.”

If he does play, it seems doubtful Crockett would be Missouri’s primary running back for the bowl game. Crockett’s presence would be more of a bonus than a necessity.

Witter, stepping up in Crockett’s absence this season, is just 8 yards away from 1,000 for the season. True freshman Larry Rountree III is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and leads the team with six rushing touchdowns.

Ford said Rountree’s success has pushed Crockett, who might fear losing out on some touches that used to belong to him. But the Crockett has also been a help to Rountree. He has given Rountree advice on pass protection and footwork.

“His footwork is still nasty as usual and 100 percent,” Rountree said.

How close to 100 percent the rest of Crockett’s game is won’t be clear until he steps on the field against Texas — if he does at all.

Coach Lock?

After Josh Heupel left his job as Missouri’s offensive coordinator to become Central Florida’s head coach, Odom essentially made Mizzou’s starting quarterback, Drew Lock, the Tigers’ quarterbacks’ coach. Tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley — an internal candidate to become the Tigers’ next offensive coordinator — sits in on quarterback meetings, too.

Lock said Tuesday that he hasn’t asked for a title change. Teammates don’t call him Coach Lock. Just Drew.

“I get a lot more questions in practice now, directed toward me being the quarterback, the leader, rather than some guy walking up to Heup or a position coach, which is awesome,” Lock said. “I’m having a lot of fun. We’re a bunch of position coaches and GAs out here trying to make things work.”

“I prepare more on a coach’s mind-set now, definitely knowing what’s going on with other positions,” he added. “I did that throughout the season. There’s a little more emphasis on it now.”

Lock joked that he’s not calling his own offensive plays but will “have a few checks here and there.”

“If you see me walk up to the line and give a few calls, I’m seeing something different than what’s going on,” he said.

Needs tickets

Receiver J’Mon Moore, who is from the Houston suburb of Missouri City, said he hasn’t been home since June, so he has a lot of people to see — and a lot of people to get tickets for.

He said he expects 60-70 people to be at NRG Stadium cheering for him in the Texas Bowl … but each MU player only gets six tickets to give to friends and family, and he hasn’t gotten his hands on any extras.

“Right now, it’s looking pretty bad,” he said. “ … I’m going to have to maneuver. I’ll have to make something shake.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "MU’s Crockett hopes to play in Texas Bowl but is still getting running instincts back."