The search for Mizzou’s next backup QB could end with ... last season’s backup QB
Missouri’s search for a No. 2 quarterback continues as the fall semester begins next week, and the men competing for the job don’t know what will win their coaches’ approval. They said Derek Dooley, MU’s new offensive coordinator, has not told them any specific traits they must display. And according to Lindsey Scott, one of the Tigers’ reserve quarterbacks, coaches are using “some type of algorithm” when it comes to dividing reps.
Scott, who seemed to be joking, said he wasn’t sure of the exact formula, but the latest computation has been more favorable toward one man: 6-foot-3 sophomore Micah Wilson, the only person on Mizzou’s roster other than Drew Lock to throw a pass in a Division I football game.
Though the Tigers have not named Wilson the winner just yet, coach Barry Odom said Monday that Wilson and Scott were splitting “most of” the snaps with the No. 2 offense as the coaching staff continues to “rotate it.”
Why is this potentially significant? Wilson was not on the two-deep depth chart at the start of camp, but it seems he is not out of the running for the backup job.
At the beginning of training camp, Wilson was behind Scott and Jack Lowary, who were listed as “or” options as the No. 2 quarterback — which means the two men were essentially tied.
Until MU coaches actually pick Lock’s backup, any depth chart movement is just training camp jockeying. But the man who ends up as Mizzou’s No. 2 quarterback could have an inside track to replace Lock next season, as the backup would likely have some opportunities to guide Dooley’s offense in real game situations.
When asked about the chance to be Lock’s successor, Wilson, of course, said what his coaches would want him to say: He is just focused on improving himself, and he is not allowing the competition for the No. 2 spot to cause him to be overly aggressive in practices or closed scrimmages.
A season ago, as a redshirt freshman, Wilson appeared in five games, and he completed half of his 10 pass attempts, good enough for 50 total yards. He threw one interception, and he rushed for one touchdown. None of his snaps last season came during a meaningful moment, but he said he found value in them. He “got a taste for the speed of the game.”
“Anytime you have experience that helps you out, in some capacity,” Odom said. “You learn from good and bad. He’s done that and is able to put it in action. We just need consistency out of that spot.”
Wilson profiles as the Tigers’ best running quarterback. Lowary, a 6-4, 230-pound junior, is more of a pocket passer. And the 5-11 Scott is a dual-threat player who said he prefers to throw because “you get tired of running.”
Dooley’s new pro-style offensive attack should offer a more diverse set of plays and formations than the Tigers’ old system. So Mizzou does not need to find a player with the same skillset as Lock.
On Thursday, MU’s quarterbacks practiced pitching the ball to the running back in an option play, which seems to better fit Wilson than Lock.
“You want to put them in the best position to help them succeed,” Dooley said. “Sometimes that requires doing different stuff for them that maybe you’re not doing for another quarterback, but you’ve got to be cautious about not adding all these plays.”
So Dooley said this competition for the backup spot has been “a little bit tricky” and “not ideal.” It is also not over yet.