Senior duo still climbing record books for maligned Mizzou offense
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A down year offensively could have been much worse for Mizzou without the reliable production of two seniors eager for one final chance to raise their standing in the school's record books.
A lack of depth due to youth and injuries hurt the Tigers more than anything else following the departure of their top three receivers, top rusher and top passer from a year ago. Before the season began, all-purpose back Marcus Murphy and wide receiver Bud Sasser insisted they were ready for bigger roles, and now they have the numbers to prove it.
"Of course, you need to always have a good season, but (I) just needed to get it done," Sasser says. "I had to make sure not only was I going to be the top guy for this team, but I had to prepare that way, so I had to work extremely hard as if I was the top guy and it just paid off."
Early-season injuries to fellow seniors Jimmie Hunt and Darius White made his production even more imperative, and he responded with arguably the best season ever for a Mizzou wide receiver not named Jeremy Maclin. Meanwhile, sophomore tailback Morgan Steward's hip never allowed him to get on the field, so Murphy adjusted to life as one of two primary backs while leading the SEC in all-purpose yards.
Their contributions didn't go unnoticed for an offense that found a knack for doing just enough to win an SEC East title, despite averaging fewer than 24 points per game in conference play. Still, the seniors were overshadowed by a dominant defense, and Shane Ray's successful pursuit of the Tigers' sack record deservedly got a lot more attention than the numbers put up by Sasser and Murphy.
Heading into the Citrus Bowl against Minnesota, Sasser has already tied Chase Coffman for second place with 10 touchdowns, and he could join Maclin at the top by setting a new career high with three in his final game. A much more attainable 65 yards would make him the second receiver in Mizzou history to total 1,000 for the season, and six catches could move him into sixth place all alone on the Tigers' single-season list.
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"It's good to know and it's good to have in the back of your mind," says Sasser, who didn't know about his spot in the record books until recently. "A little bit more fuel to the fire, but that shouldn't be the ultimate goal. It should be to handle your business and not think about the outcome."
Murphy takes the same approach, emphasizing that chasing records should never be a top priority. But he's been following his progress a little closer and while he won't touch Maclin's yardage in his two years at Mizzou, Murphy has already ensured his spot in third place on the all-time single-season list.
A difficult but reachable goal of 286 yards against Minnesota could make him just the second Tiger ever to surpass 2,000 all-purpose yards, and he needs only 95 to surpass 5,000 for his career. Most of those came from his work as a return man in his first three seasons, which culminated in SEC Special Teams Player of the Year honors earlier this month.
"I really just take pride at getting the opportunity to line up all over the field, and just have the ball in my hands a lot of different ways," says Murphy, who led the SEC and ranked fourth in the nation with 29.9 yards per kickoff return. "It gets tiring sometimes, but I appreciate the opportunity just to be able to do everything."
He's made significant strides as a running back capable of picking up yards in any situation, carrying the ball a career-high 165 times for 767 yards, second on the team to only Russell Hansbrough in both categories. Murphy always had explosiveness in the open field, and he's developed more toughness to become just the type of back coach Gary Pinkel and offensive coordinator Josh Henson want in their spread offense.
Sasser also showed flashes of his potential as a junior, catching 26 passes for 361 yards and the opening touchdown in Mizzou's 36-17 win over Florida. But he had to settle for a secondary role in the shadow of the Tigers' three taller standouts, Dorial Green-Beckham, L'Damian Washington and Marcus Lucas.
Pinkel joked earlier this season maybe he should have played Sasser more, and perhaps the 6-foot-1 Denton, Tex. native simply needed his opportunity to shine. Either way, the inside track to becoming the Tigers' top receiver since the spring gave Sasser plenty of motivation to improve his game and develop chemistry with sophomore Maty Mauk, who has quietly thrown for 2,551 yards this season, more than any Mizzou quarterback other than Chase Daniel.
"I think (our chemistry) has grown throughout the year, and what we try to do is make sure we get out there and we try to compete throughout the entire game," Sasser says. "That's what we both do well."
He'll face one final challenge in Orlando on Jan. 1, when Missouri takes on Minnesota without Hunt, who underwent shoulder surgery for a torn labrum after the Tigers' 42-13 loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The absence of their second-most productive receiver will undoubtedly mean more reliance on Sasser in the passing game, and Murphy might also spend some extra time as a wideout in the slot.
A month to prepare could even give the two seniors some time to learn new ways to be effective within the offense. Then again, they've already done just about everything.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
