COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The hole left in the Missouri backfield after last season was a mere 5 feet, 9 inches tall, yet it seemed so much bigger than that, given the way Cody Schrader performed during his final season with the Tigers.
First-team All-American. Doak Walker Award finalist. The SEC's leading rusher.
So it made some sense that Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz chose to use not one but two transfers — Appalachian State's Nate Noel and Georgia State's Marcus Carroll — to fill that enormous hole during college football's offseason roster merry-go-round.
Their performance last week in their first game in black-and-gold was an encouraging sign that the Tigers will be just fine with the graduated Schrader off to the NFL. Noel carried 11 times for 48 yards and a touchdown, and Carroll carried six times for 35 yards and another score, leading the ninth-ranked Tigers to a 51-0 win over Murray State.
“It’s always been very smooth,” Noel said of the move to Missouri. “The whole coaching staff, everybody in the building really, from the players to the training coach — I mean, the coaches just took us transfers in and treated us like we’ve been here.”
Noel and Carroll figure to get a bigger test Saturday night against Buffalo. The Bulls held Lafayette to 43 yards rushing in a 30-13 win last week, and FCS preseason All-American Jamar Curtis managed just 12 yards on 14 carries against them.
“To be honest, you don't even know who is in there at times," Tigers offensive tackle Connor Tollison said of the two new running backs. "It's really not until they get past you that you see it in a game.
“I think they bring their own specialties,” Tollison added, "but together they're pretty good.”
It's not just Noel, the speedster, and Carroll, the bruiser, who deserve the credit for their performance against Murray State, though. The Tigers' rebuilt offensive line, which added transfers Marcus Bryant from SMU and Cayden Green from Oklahoma, helped them run for 179 yards and pass for 310 in the opener.
“I don’t think we gave up any sacks and maybe a few tackles for a loss,” Tollison said, “and I’d say those are two stats that have more say on how an offensive line did throughout a game.”
First-year Buffalo coach Pete Lembo has some experience against Missouri. He spent the previous three years at SEC-rival South Carolina, while his defensive coordinator, Joe Bowen, was a graduate assistant for the Gamecocks during the 2021 season.
“Familiarity with the opponent helps,” Lembo said, “but at the end of the day, you have to tackle, you have to throw and catch, and you have to take care of the ball. Yes, there is some background knowledge of Missouri, and Joe was with me the first year at South Carolina; he had to play these guys as well. But really, it comes down to playing great fundamental football.”
Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac is back after missing all but four games to an injury last year. Dolac had 11 tackles, two for a loss, along with a sack and an interception against Lafayette. He was voted the MAC defensive player of the week.
Missouri limited the Racers to 85 yards in last week's shutout. Not only that, the Tigers' defense put up points of its own when Clemson transfer Toriano Pride Jr. returned an interception 25 yards for a first-quarter touchdown.
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook was 19 of 30 for 218 yards and a TD against Murray State, playing just over two quarters before giving way to backup Drew Pyne. Those numbers could have been better, though, had Cook not overthrown a couple of targets who had had gotten wide open beyond the coverage.
“It starts with fundamentals: route depth, timing, the quarterback setting his feet when he makes a throw. Not drifting after he throws the ball to get ready to go do a celebration,” Drinkwitz said. "Wide receivers have to run their routes at the correct depth. They’ve got to explode out of them. The quarterback has got to make the throws.”
The Tigers insist they are focused only on Buffalo, but everyone inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday night — players included — know what awaits them the following week. Boston College, a once-downtrodden program many viewed as just another team on a season-opening four-game homestand, impressed in a win over Florida State last weekend.
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