Mizzou’s Brad McNulty was always ready when Tigers needed him

It would have been easy for Missouri junior Brad McNulty to sulk last season.

The Tigers were in the midst of a magical ride that took the program to the SEC Championship game and the Cotton Bowl.

McNulty played in 11 games, including five starts at center, in 2012. He probably figured he was in line for a starting job as a sophomore.

Instead, Evan Boehm moved to center, Max Copeland won the starting job at left guard and McNulty was relegated to the sideline when Missouri didn’t encounter any major injuries up front in 2013.

McNulty didn’t pout, though. It’s not the way he’s wired.

“It was a little hard, but I realized that’s what my team needed,” he said. “They needed for me to just kind of sit down and be the positive coach on the bench. I was more than willing to do that for my team.”

Some players in McNulty’s situation would have given less than their best in practice, fueled by a feeling that it was futile without game action, or complained constantly and undermined team chemistry.

Not McNulty.

“He handled it great,” Tigers offensive coordinator Josh Henson said. “Brad’s a team guy. He wants Mizzou to do well. I know he has personal aspirations and desires of playing. Everybody wants to make a contribution, but I never saw one thing from Brad that was selfish or that you would say, ‘Wow, that guy’s heart is not in the team.’ Everything was, ‘Coach, whatever I need to do to help the team get the job done.’”

McNulty’s patience has been rewarded. He replaced senior Anthony Gatti, who suffered a torn ACL against Indiana and is done for the season, as Missouri’s starting left guard.

“I would never wish what happened to Anthony on anybody, but, right now, my team needs me to step up and deliver for them,” McNulty said.

He’s ready.

“I think Brad knew that those guys in front of him were playing pretty well last year,” Henson said. “But I saw a different spark when Brad got in the game Saturday. He played really hard and played really tough.”

McNulty played the final three quarters against the Hoosiers and drew praise from the Tigers’ staff — aside from his first play when he got beat by a bull rush, allowing quarterback Maty Mauk to get leveled as he chucked a 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jimmie Hunt.

“First play, I had those butterflies creep up and we scored a touchdown,” he said. “The first play, I was very timid, but then I realized that it’s time to go.”

Technically, McNulty had been Boehm’s backup on the depth chart, but he split his reps in practice between center and left guard before the Indiana game.

“It’s nice to have a guy like McNulty, who’s had some game experience, come in there and help us succeed at our goals this season,” said senior left tackle Mitch Morse, who vowed to be attached at the hip this week with McNulty to help him get up to speed.

Two years ago, McNulty played well, but he feels much more prepared for this new opportunity.

“It’s a mind-set, and I know that I have the tools,” he said. “I’ve done it before. I’m ready.”

McNulty has beefed up 10 pounds from his playing weight in 2012. He’s also improved his max in the bench press, squat and hang clean.

“Brad has improved a lot,” Henson said. “I think he’s stronger than when he played two years ago. I think he’s technically more sound, and I think, because of those things, he’s more confident.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2014 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Mizzou’s Brad McNulty was always ready when Tigers needed him."