COLUMBIA, Mo. — The debut of a new-look Missouri backfield took on the form of two physics lessons.
Starting the 2024 season with two transfers leading the running back room after the departure of Cody Schrader, the No. 11 Tigers didn’t seem to be wanting for more from their tailbacks in Thursday night’s season-opening win over Murray State.
The thunder-and-lightning duo of Marcus Carroll and Nate Noel was solid while starters were in the game, displaying those rules of physics — like: Lightning comes before thunder.
Noel, generally considered more of a speed and receiving option, was the first running back into the game. That was the expectation after the conclusion of preseason camp, in which the App State transfer was consistently impressive.
He took 11 carries for 48 yards and one touchdown. That score came on Mizzou’s second offensive series of the game, which saw Noel close down the distance to the goal line himself before debuting with a touchdown.
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“Nate Noel had some really good cuts,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “He’s got some quickness.”
Following Noel with the force of a sonic boom was Carroll, a Georgia State transfer with a more physical style of running. MU held Carroll back during some preseason scrimmage action out of concern that his bowl-‘em-over approach could cause more harm than good in a practice setting, and the running back’s debut showed what the combination of velocity and mass can equal.
Carroll’s six rushes turned into 35 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 4.83 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Exactly what I expected with Marcus Carroll,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s going to be really tough to tackle when he gets his pads downhill — it’s going to be a tough out. You’re gonna have to bring a sack lunch to keep hitting him.”
While Noel seems like the more natural running back to fit into the passing game — he was spaced out among the wide receivers for one throw sent his way, for example — both backs were factors in that realm. Noel caught four passes for 20 yards while Carroll caught two for 19 yards in a mix of check-downs and routes run.
“I was impressed with their ability to catch the ball,” Drinkwitz said.
“I see that up there with running the ball for us because we can be another asset for the quarterback, so we just try to help as much as we can,” Noel added.
Jamal Roberts, Missouri’s third-string running back, found a role with the first-team offense in some third-down situations. He’d seemed like a candidate for some touches heading into last season, his first, but Schrader’s breakout campaign put a stopper in that idea.
Roberts’ second-ever collegiate carry was a rushing score, and he finished with three runs for eight yards.
Tavorus Jones also saw action with the reserves in the second half, taking six carries for 16 yards. True freshman Kewan Lacy, one of the more heralded prospects among the likely redshirts for this season, put up an intriguing 42 yards off five carries, including one 13-yard burst.
Getting to wrap his shift up early meant Noel entered spectator mode on the sideline while the younger running backs ran the show in the second half. He seemed to have some fun with that assignment, too.
“I was excited,” Noel said. “I was on the sideline jumping for joy. It’s just great to see people that’s been putting in work getting to shine.”
‘Bulldog’ blunder
Near the end of Thursday’s first quarter, Mizzou’s offense turned a little bit funky.
At quarterback Brady Cook’s direction, the offensive line — save for center Connor Tollison, who couldn’t move from the ball — motioned out to the left side of the formation while a smattering of tight ends and receivers replaced them on the line of scrimmage.
The trick play saw the ball flipped to wideout Luther Burden III, who seemed to be looking downfield for a potential throw, but he dropped the ball and Murray State recovered the fumble.
The Tigers were enjoying a comfortable lead by that point, allowing offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to deploy a play that is an inside joke among MU’s coaches — but one that he’ll now rue as a missed opportunity.
“Oh, that’s a bad deal, too, because we’ve been practicing that play for about 18 months. It’s called ‘Bulldog’ because Fresno State Bulldogs,” Drinkwitz said, referring to Moore’s previous coaching stop. “It’s Kirby’s play and he doesn’t want to run it, so we’ve been goading him the whole offseason, like, ‘You’re never going to call it. Why do we even have it on the call sheet?’ So he ends up calling it and then (Burden) fumbles it. He’s pissed at us right now. No, we will never run that play again. Too bad. It’s a good play.”