Please say no...

It's clear that the Mizzou offense runs, or rather passes, through the arm of Chase Daniel. His precision passing propelled this offense to the No. 8 spot in the nation last season and is arguably the biggest reason why Mizzou is picked to win the Big 12 North.

But the improved running (and more importantly, improved ball security) of Tony Temple last season helped put the Mizzou offense on the brink of moving from "good" to "great."

At Tuesday morning's practice, Temple had to be carted off the practice field with an apparent knee injury following a collision with several linebackers. Early reports and rumors suggest the injury is just a sprain, but anything more serious could be a severe blow to the Mizzou offense. Marcus Woods, Earl Goldsmith and Jimmy Jackson are all fine backs, but Temple's impressive 2006 season and breakout performance in the Sun Bowl had Tiger fans primed for a big year with big expectations from No. 22.

Adding fuel to the "How can Mizzou blow this season" fire lit by Temple's injury, CB Hardy Ricks dislocated his left shoulder Tuesday morning and has an MRI pending. Ricks returns following a promising 2006 and outstanding few days of practice this summer, and losing Ricks could be a nasty blow to a secondary that can use all the experience it can get.

More practice analysis to come later as we await word on the severity of each injury...