Whoever is Mizzou football’s quarterback, Tigers will feature stout running backs
The Missouri Tigers and MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz don’t have a starting quarterback yet.
It’s what keeps Drinkwitz up at night, he said, as quarterbacks Shawn Robinson, Taylor Powell and Connor Bazelak are likely to battle it out during fall camp. And with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down sports, it puts Drinkwitz in a difficult position as he enters his first year as Mizzou’s top guy after being hired from Appalachian State.
Fortunately, whoever lines up under center for Mizzou will have at least two capable weapons sharing the backfield. Senior Larry Rountree III and junior Tyler Badie are proven offensive threats, ones who will be dangerous in Drinkwitz’s offense in the running and passing game.
“I’m just trying to play as hard as I can for my class, for my team,” Rountree said. “Just leave it all on the field. It’s my senior year. We ain’t got nothing to lose. At the end of the day, if I can leave here second or first on the all-time yards for rushing, that’ll take care of itself with us winning ball games.”
Drinkwitz is no stranger to having an established running back he showcases in his offense. The Mountaineers featured Darryton Evans in their offense last year, the running back amassing 1,480 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns. Evans was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Titans this year.
In the 2020 edition of Mizzou football, the Tigers will feature Rountree and Badie, each bringing different strengths to what will be a revamped offense. Mizzou running backs coach Curtis Luper has noted both backs will be used “creatively” in the backfield, whether that be through motions or the passing game.
“It helps immensely,” Luper said of the duo. “It helps guys that played football in this league that understand concepts. We’ve been having a lot of Zoom meetings. We only had three days of practice in the spring, so carry-over, if you will, will be limited.”
Rountree took a step back last season with 829 yards rushing, but he’s posted a history of being an effective player. During the 2018 season, he ran for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Raleigh, N.C. native ranks sixth in Mizzou history with 2,748 yards rushing, needing only 450 yards to make it to second place and 1,541 yard to eclipse first-place Brad Smith’s total.
Badie led Mizzou with 928 all-purpose yards last season. While he can run the ball, his elusiveness as a receiver is where he shined last season, often a target out of the backfield. Badie collected 457 yards rushing and 356 yards receiving last season.
“When you have guys that are really smart, they expedite the process of installing the offense,” Luper said. “We’ll install it once, we’ll install it again. Obviously, we gotta get out on the field and do it again. It helps having smart football players because you can tell them once and they’ll have it.”
Rountree said they’re still in the working process of fine-tuning the offense. The Tigers are allowed eight hours of remote training per week, where Mizzou sifts through the playbook. Rountree said the hope is to learn everything now so once they hit the practice field, they can start seamlessly working through any kinks.
While Rountree enters his senior year, he said he wasn’t shooting for a bounce-back year or anything. He said he aims to go out and win as many games as possible.
“I’m playing for my teammates,” Rountree said. “This is my last year. I’m playing for my class. At the end of the day, I don’t really care about my individual accolades. I only care about the team and what we’re doing. That individual stuff will come.”