Delving the Depth Chart - RB

Every True Son will take a position-by-position look at the Tigers headed into this season. Today, "Delving the Depth Chart" takes a look at the running backs.

The running back position at Mizzou has been juggled around for the past few years, since the departure of the late Damien Nash after 2004. In 2005, neither Marcus Woods nor Tony Temple seemed to lock up the job. Each one of them seemed as committed to protecting the football as Leon Lett in Super Bowl XXVII with Don Beebe on his tail. Brad Smith became options A through X running the football, with Temple representing option Y and Woods representing option Z.

So when 2006 rolled around and Temple was named the starter, I immediately had my doubts. And from a ball security standpoint, things could have gone much worse, but they could have also gone much better. The Tigers fumbled the ball a total of 22 times in 2006, losing 15 of those fumbles. The turnovers cost Mizzou several games, most notably the loss at Texas A&M, where fumbles by Temple and Woods allowed the Aggies to regain possession and wear down Mizzou's run defense. Such problems prompted this summer's practice slogan "It's all about the ball."

But otherwise, Temple solidified a very unstable position for the Tigers. He returns to Mizzou as the leading returning rusher in the Big 12, having rushed for 1,000-plus yards and seven touchdowns last season. Temple announced his prescence to a national TV audience in the Sun Bowl, finally living up to the hype that followed him from Rockhurst High to Missouri, finishing the game with 194 yards and 2 touchdowns. The emergence of Temple as a ground threat presents a serious issue for opposing defenses - let Temple carve up defenses five yards at a time or prevent the run and leave the seams open for Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman through the air? Either way, Temple stepping up adds a major dimension to the offense, which is why his knee injury early in camp sent shockwaves through the Mizzou community. Temple could be vital to helping Mizzou preserve leads it always seems to blow, giving Pinkel and co. a security blanket rather than relying on bubble screens to Will Franklin to run out clocks.

Behind Temple, Woods is fighting for playing time with junior Jimmy Jackson, the latter of whom averaged about 4.5 yards per carry in limited playing time over the past two years. Throw junior Earl Goldsmith in the mix, and the team has talented, yet unproven depth in the backfield. Additionally, freshmen Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore show promise for life after the Temple/Woods/Jackson/Goldsmith era, although it's a push to expect anything out of them until 2009.

While the Mizzou backs won't make any noise on a national scene exploding with big names (see McFadden, Darren), this set of backs - especially if Temple lives up to the precedent he set at the Sun Bowl - may be the first in awhile Mizzou fans can feel confident about entering the season.

Photos courtesy Sarah Becking photography. More photos available at Becking.com.