How Mizzou football’s offensive line grew, gained chemistry despite COVID, injuries
The Missouri Tigers’ biggest question mark heading into the season opener revolves around their quarterback. It’s the most important position in the game and showcases MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s specialty, the offense.
Whoever gets the nod as the starter for Saturday’s first game against Alabama — Connor Bazelak or Shawn Robinson — will be relying heavily on the MU offensive line. And the Tigers’ O-line has been decimated by injuries and COVID-19 during preseason camp, leading to concerns about chemistry and efficacy.
Drinkwitz shared midway through camp that he had five left guards during a five-practice stretch, showcasing Mizzou’s struggles. The Tigers needed to adjust how they operated just so they weren’t tiring out their linemen into the ground.
Despite the challenges, an unexpected plus could come from all those reps with mishmashed offensive line groupings.
“The fact that we kinda had to shift around things, I think it’s ended up making us better and have a little more depth for us,” offensive guard Case Cook said. “I’m glad that we had that opportunity. It was tough at times with a Rolodex of guys, but in the long run, I think it made us better.”
The Tigers emerged from training camp having solidified four of the five offensive line spots: left guard is Xavier Delgado, center is Rutgers grad transfer Michael Maietti, right guard is Cook, a captain, and right tackle is Larry Borom, according to Mizzou’s depth chart.
The only spot still up for grabs is left tackle, a battle between junior college transfer Zeke Powell and Bobby Lawrence. Drinkwitz said “availability is more important than ability sometimes” when it came to Powell just because of the issues Mizzou has been dealing with.
The Tigers had two players, Thalen Robinson and Jack Buford, opt out of the season. They weren’t projected to start but would’ve appeared on the two-deep. Hyrin White, who Drinkwitz said was in the mix at left tackle earlier in camp, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. True freshman Mitchell Walters is also out for the season because of a lower extremity injury.
That means the Tigers are down to 11 scholarship players on the line. That’s a precarious number during a pandemic — a few positive tests and contact tracing would be rough. The SEC’s game cancellation thresholds also specifically mention the offensive line, where if a team falls under the seven-person minimum, a postponement or no-contest could result.
“As with anything, we’re at the mercy of each time we take a test whenever those things come out,” Drinkwitz said. “As of right now, we feel pretty good about where the offensive line is and what we’re trying to do moving forward.”
The Tigers’ offensive line will need to protect the quarterback and open running lanes for Mizzou to have any chance of upsetting No. 2 Alabama Saturday. The Crimson Tide feature a rotation of high-end talent, including All-SEC performer LaBryan Ray.
It’s a harsh assignment for an inexperienced line. Borom and Cook are the only MU linemen who played significant time last year. Maietti saw the most snaps, but it’s his first year in the program. Delgado, Lawrence and Powell are in similar positions on the left side of the line and haven’t established themselves yet.
Their performance will largely dictate how the offense performs Saturday. The best quarterback in the world can’t operate under constant pressure. Mizzou features two high-level SEC running backs, in Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie, but if there are no running lanes, they’ll be stuffed at the line of scrimmage before they really make a move.
“A guy on scout team is one test from playing,” Rountree said. “So everybody has to be ready. No matter scout, first, second, third (strings) because what happens if your whole offensive line catches COVID? Well, there’s no excuse, it’s next man up. Even for the injuries. It’s the same way.”
Cook said he feels confident in the line, especially with the amount of preparation they’ve put in during the Tigers’ 25 preseason practices.
The winner of the QB battle will dictate how the line plays and blocks. A dual-threat type like Robinson can scramble out of the pocket, or Drinkwitz can call designed roll-outs to get him away from the line. Borom said it doesn’t make too much of a difference who the quarterback is — they’ll need to block for him either way.
Drinkwitz said he hopes his five O-line starters can generate more chemistry as the season unfolds.
“We really all bought in into the next-man-up mentality,” Borom said. “We don’t want to see any drop-off because anything can happen at the blink of an eye this year. It’s a crazy year; anything can happen. One week they can be here, the next week they can’t. We’re all just trying to get that same mindset that you have to be ready.”