Spring football is winding down across the league, but questions still abound all 14 SEC football teams heading into the summer.
Spring classes, like spring practices, are over for every SEC team with the exception of Arkansas who holds their annual spring game on Saturday. We may have four full months before kickoff, but all 14 SEC football fan bases are eagerly awaiting the beginning of the 2017 season.
At this point in the preseason, we’ve learned a few things. We know which players graduated, and which left early for the NFL Draft. We know the names of the incoming freshmen and junior college transfers, and how highly each was rated when they signed. We know who participated in spring practices, who sat out with an injury, and – for the most part – who shined in the glorified scrimmages taking place across the country.
However, as much as we know at this point, there are far more unknowns.
As always there’s a ton of talent returning across the SEC. Nevertheless, there are personnel questions across the league, including concerns about who will play quarterback at Tennessee, Florida and Texas A&M. Elsewhere, defenses must be rebuilt, underachieving offenses have an opportunity to break out and newcomers have a chance to step up.
Also, though every head coach returns from last season (including Ed Orgeron at LSU, who took over when Les Miles was fired after four games last year) several staffs have new coordinators. Which teams are changing their base concepts, and how will that impact the coming season? And, unfortunately, we must always look at off-the-field issues and attempt to measure how they will come into play.
With these things in mind, we took a look at the biggest offseason question facing all 14 SEC football teams. We certainly don’t know every answer yet, but we’re learning more every day.
Missouri Tigers, 4-8 (2-6)
Can the Tigers build a run-stopping front seven?
After spending the last two winters at home, Missouri has a good chance of making it back to a bowl game in 2017. The Tigers have four winnable non-conference games against Missouri State, Idaho, Purdue and UConn, and they play South Carolina and Tennessee at home, plus other winnable league games against Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Arkansas on the road. Mizzou also has one of the league’s top quarterbacks in Drew Lock, as well as a veteran offensive line and several solid skill position players returning to what was (surprisingly) the league’s top offense last year (500.5 total yards per game).
However, after years boasting one of the top defenses in the SEC, Missouri took a huge step back in 2016. The Tigers ranked last in the league in total defense (479.7 total yards allowed per game), next to last in rush defense (232.8 rushing yards allowed per contest), No. 12 in scoring defense (31.5 points allowed per game) and pass defense (346.8 passing yards allowed per contest) and No. 10 in yards allowed per play (6.07).
Using Bill Connelly’s advanced stats, Mizzou ranked No. 89 nationally in defensive S&P+, 92nd in defensive IsoPPP (a measure of explosive plays allowed), and 89th in Success Rate (a measure of efficiency) last year. The biggest issue was Missouri’s lack of success against the run. The Tigers ranked among the worst teams in the country in defensive rushing S&P+ and rushing success rate, at No. 109 and No. 111, respectively.
With top tackler Donavin Newsom and Michael Scherer, another solid linebacker, out of eligibility, plus top pass rusher Charles Harris off to the NFL, there are some big holes to fill in the front seven. Defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. is one of the most talented players in the SEC, when healthy, but he suffered a torn ACL last season and is still rehabbing. Fellow projected starter Marcell Frazier suffered a broken arm during spring practice.
Newcomers will have an opportunity to show what they can do, and the defense was surprisingly stout in the spring game, but the defense as a whole, and the front seven, in particular, is one of the most concerning things about the Tigers at this point.