Mizzou Tigers on Badie’s historic feat: ‘When you put him in, he automatically pops’
Mike Kelly was a bit taken aback when he heard about the historic mark running back Tyler Badie was approaching. It wasn’t that Kelly was necessarily shocked, but the Voice of the Missouri Tigers says this simply wasn’t a milestone he would normally be on the lookout for.
“But when I found out that it was him, then it certainly started to make sense,” he says.
A thousand. A grand. A chiliad. Times two.
In the fifth game of his senior season, Badie became the first Missouri football player to eclipse 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
Kelly has witnessed a lot of great players and standout running backs throughout his time covering the Tigers; Badie has now cemented his legacy. Yes, it’s an unusual record, Kelly notes, but it speaks volumes to the type of player Badie is.
One of those backs, Henry Josey, who played for Mizzou from 2010-13, agrees.
“I think it’s awesome. I mean, those records are up there to be broken. History is there for a reason. You always want to write your story,” Josey says. “He’ll be one of those guys [whose] name carries on forever, they’ll mention throughout these years as they continue going back.”
The Kansas City Star spoke with Kelly, Josey and several others associated with Tiger teams of years past to gain some perspective on the accomplishment. Explore Badie’s career and the traits that have led him to this moment through the eyes of these Mizzou greats:
Corby Jones
QB from 1995-98
Led the Tigers to their first two bowl appearances in well over a decade
Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2016
Mike Jones
RB from 1987-90; switched to LB in the NFL
One of five MU players to rush and receive for over 500 career yards
Inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame in 2012
Henry Josey
RB from 2010-13
Top five in Missouri football history in career rushing yards
Larry Rountree III
RB from 2017-20
Holds Missouri football record for most rushing yards by a running back
Mike Kelly
Voice of the Tigers, has called every Mizzou football game since 1994
Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017
Playing bigger than his size
Badie joined the Missouri football program in 2018 after flipping from his original commitment to Memphis.
He wasn’t highly recruited, which he says he still keeps as a chip on his shoulder. He played his freshman and sophomore years in Baltimore before moving to Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee as a junior. He spent his first year there splitting time between running back and cornerback though, having to wait until his senior year of high school to get his shot as a lead back.
When he came to Columbia, Badie faced a similar waiting game — minus the minutes on defense. He entered a position room featuring two future NFL running backs in Damarea Crockett and Larry Rountree III, so significant playing time wasn’t going to come right away.
Here is what the group recalled of their first impressions of Badie:
Corby Jones: “I actually don’t [remember when I first saw him play]. I mean, I noticed him two years ago, and didn’t really think that — I mean, I thought that he was a talented player. But I think last year and this year, he’s really, really stood out. And I mean, just a huge bright spot. Even when nothing else was going right he’s always played well.”
Mike Jones: “Well you know what, I saw Badie when he was I want to say a freshman. Once a year I would go up there and see him, watch them practice, and I saw how he moved. He had real good quickness and played well laterally and he had a real good burst. So I thought he’d be a great running back to do both things, both run the ball and catch it out of the backfield.”
Henry Josey: “I knew he was going to be special, just watching him the way he moved in the backfield, catching the ball out of the backfield. Even when he was in that role behind Rountree, like when he came in he did make those sudden pops that gave you that big energy on offense if you needed to change the pace back.”
Larry Rountree III: “He came in when he was a freshman and was a very smart, goofy kid, and always loved the game of football. And just always was working on getting better on the field, because he always saw himself as, you know, him being small, he always wanted to play bigger than what his size is, so that’s why he runs so hard.”
Mike Kelly: “I remember he came in and he played, you know, this whole time he’s a young player and the thing you notice about him, at least for me at that point in time, is that he was smaller than the other backs but he had the ability to distinguish himself because of his quickness and because of his speed, his ability to catch the football. That’s the thing that I remember most early on in his career.”
‘Growth and maturity’
Despite entering a crowded room, Badie made the most of his limited chances through his first three seasons in Columbia.
He finished third on the team with 809 all-purpose yards as a freshman in 2018, including 437 rushing yards and two touchdowns, earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.
Badie didn’t see his usage in the run game increase by much as a sophomore, only getting 19 more carries as Rountree continued to lead the way with stellar production. But Badie established himself as more of a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, finishing that 2019 season with 356 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Last season, he had fewer carries per game than any year prior as Rountree put up monster numbers, but Badie still played a key factor in Mizzou’s passing game.
Throughout those three seasons, Badie recorded 1,136 rushing yards and 819 receiving yards. He knew he was capable of much more, but he continued to work and wait for his chance to prove himself — a rarity in the modern world of college football where the transfer portal reigns supreme.
Here’s what the group witnessed of his development and patience across those seasons:
M. Jones: “Understanding that a lot of times just sometimes you have to wait your time. You know, he’s playing behind a great running back that ended up being the all-time leading rusher as a running back. So when you got a guy like that in front of you, it can be one of two things: you can either take it and pout about it or you can do what he’s done — learn from him and then when your time is called, excel like he has.”
Josey: “Growth and maturity. Most people don’t do good when you got to sit behind somebody, a lot of them don’t show up to play as good as they should when you’re not that number one guy getting the game started. As a running back you got to have a lot of rhythm and you want to get your flow going. He’s one of those guys, when you put him in, he automatically pops. So it’s just good to see now that he’s the big guy and you can just see the development and growth that he has shown throughout those years while being at Mizzou. It’s made him a very special player.”
Rountree: “We fed energy off each other, you know what I’m saying. We had different parts and different roles as the years went on. So it was just us finding our roles and then basically just playing from there.”
Kelly: “I just always remembered him as a guy that was just kind of patiently waiting his turn. ... He always just kind of reminded me of a guy that was going to be a program guy. And what I mean by that is a guy that was going to get an opportunity at some point in time during his eligibility and would have an opportunity to just show what he could do at that point in time.”
.jpg "AP21255721648751 (1).jpg")
‘Bell-horse back’ emerges
The long-awaited opportunity to be the top back finally came for Badie this year.
He gained around 10 pounds over the offseason to handle the wear and tear of being the team’s primary option. Still, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding how Badie would perform. He spent the weeks leading up to the first game answering question after question about whether he was ready to fill the shoes of Rountree.
In one instance, Badie responded by coining himself a “Bell-horse back” — a combination of a bell cow and workhorse. He then backed it up by producing 203 rushing yards on 25 carries in the first game against Central Michigan, doing so after missing nearly a week of practice due to a leg injury.
Here’s what has stood out to the group about Badie’s play so far this season:
C. Jones: “He seems like he’s always everywhere...He’s doing it on the ground and he’s doing it through the air, or receiving that is. I mean, so he’s doing a ton. So like when the ball goes up, I always think it’s going to him or when it gets touched I think it’s being given to him.”
M. Jones: “Tremendous. I mean, I could see it the first game — rushed for nearly 200 years, catching the ball out of the backfield, playing every down. And that’s not usual in this game. When you’re able to...get 16 to 20 runs and then catch the ball out of the backfield four to six times a game and then also be in the protections to protect, I mean I think he does a lot of different things that a lot of backs you’ll see two guys do that he does, it just takes himself to do.”
Josey: “Just the day in, day out grind. You can see that he’s put into work to be great. And then showing up on game day to play every single weekend, like that’s not easy to do, especially when you know you’re the one that’s going to get hit the most throughout the game. So he keeps showing up. He’s being a lot more consistent. And I think that’s one of the things that stands out so well, he’s a consistent player, you can count on him each Saturday to show up and give you his a-game.”
Kelly: “A year ago, he told everyone that would listen to him that he was going to be — that he was the most versatile back in the Southeastern Conference. And he’s proving that to people right now early on through this season. And so, I think what it is, it’s a testimony to first of all his inner belief and his inner strength, but also it’s a testimony to the work that he did in the offseason, realizing that this was his opportunity to be the featured back in Missouri’s offense, and he’s taken full advantage of that. And so that’s been really neat to see. He’s a guy that made a pretty bold statement and now he’s following it up with productivity.”
‘He’s so versatile’
Badie has been the do it all man for Mizzou this year, leading the team in rushing yards, carries, receptions, rushing touchdowns and receiving touchdowns.
Even after struggles from the entire offense in a blowout defeat on Saturday, Badie is tied for first in the Southeastern Conference in rushing touchdowns (six) and is second in the SEC in rushing yards (458) through five games. Even more impressive, his nine total touchdowns — three have come by way of receiving — are tied for fourth in the country. And he’s also averaging 133.2 all-purpose yards per game.
The senior clearly put extra work in over the offseason and is getting more touches on the field than he ever has as a Tiger, but those two things don’t equal that success on their own.
Here’s what the group thinks is most special about Badie’s game, offering insight into what has allowed him to excel, from his unique skill set to his mentality:
C. Jones: “His toughness. You know, he’s not a huge kid. I mean, he’s only like, 5’[8], I think he’s under 200 still — he’s gonna have to put on a little bit of weight, most likely, to be an every down back at next level — but I think he’s tough. And he’s mentally tough. I mean, he never gets down on anything, or he doesn’t appear to at least. And he’ll take a hit, he’ll deliver a blow. He’s not just trying to shake and bake every time or step out of bounds, he’s gonna deliver a blow.”
M. Jones: “It’s hard to compare guys, but his game is similar to what Marshall was when he played — Marshall Faulk — where Marshall could play every down. And everyone can’t do that. … When you can run the football, then after you run the football get out in routes and play, not just playing out of the backfield but line him up in in a wide receiver position type, and then put him back in the backfield when you need protection to have him back there to protect, those skill traits aren’t usual for kids now and he is one of those special kids that can do all three.”
Josey: “Just like the balance he has. You will see him take some hits and he doesn’t immediately go down either, doesn’t take too many big shots. That’s one of the main things as a running back, when you’re in that size of how his size is, just not taking those big shots and still able to make plays. So still able to get out there and make the big plays and then also make people miss is just a good factor to have when you’re his size, when you’re that low to the ground. And then those shots can wear on you throughout the game, so you never really see him take an open big shot, and I like to see that.”
Rountree: “His mentality when he gets the ball, you know, nobody’s passing him. So he runs with the mindset of nobody’s catching me. So I would say that, very nobody’s catching me, nobody’s catching me, so he runs with that mentality.”
Kelly: “He’s so versatile because he’s got the ability to absorb a blow, he’s got the ability to handle whatever workload the coaches give him. But he’s also got the ability because of his speed and quickness to get second level before really defenses have a chance to respond. And then his ability to get out in space and catch the football. I mean, the catch he made out of the backfield late in the game at Boston College where it basically was a shoestring catch, I had to pause during the call just because I wanted to make sure that he had the football. And it was one of the most remarkable individual efforts that I’ve seen. I mean, it was amazing.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 5:54 AM.
