Smith gives Tigers hope this is their year

A quarterback who's on the long list of Heisman Trophy hopefuls is giving Missouri fans hope this will be the program's breakthrough season.

In the last 19 years, the Tigers have had only two winning seasons. Brad Smith, coming off a scintillating debut season, is the reason at least one publication has them ranked in the preseason Top 25.

"Brad Smith is something special," defensive back Terrence Curry said. "Playing against him every day in practice is fun."

Optimism abounds, for many reasons.

Missouri has improved each of the first two years under coach Gary Pinkel, from 4-7 in 2001 to 5-7 last year. The Tigers beat Illinois in last year's opener, won in double-overtime at Texas A&M and were competitive throughout. They scared nationally ranked Oklahoma, Colorado and Iowa State, falling in close games each time.

The schedule also appears conducive to a fast start. If Missouri can beat Illinois in the opener in St. Louis on Saturday, the Tigers could go 5-0 for the first time since 1981.

"I think this is a huge year for us," offensive tackle Rob Droege said. "The program is established, a way of life is established. We're ready to go out and show we can do something."

Players know it's important to get off to a good start against the Fighting Illini in the Edward Jones Dome.

"It's a bowl-like atmosphere," Droege said. "You look forward to the first game of the season anyway, but a game like this just puts that much more emphasis on it."

After that game, the Tigers play at Ball State, get Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee at home, then play at Kansas. Even their sixth opponent, Nebraska at home on Oct. 11, is looking beatable these days.

Plus, they've got 10 offensive starters returning. That includes the entire offensive line anchored by Droege and center A.J. Ricker, a four-year starter with 34 consecutive starts.

Senior tailback Zack Abron has topped 2,000 career rushing yards, including 758 last year, and was second in the Big 12 with 17 touchdowns last year. Junior college transfer Damien Nash, a former St. Louis-area high school star, adds depth.

"All that stuff with rankings and going to bowl games, that's not us," Droege said. "That's other people's thinking. As far as we're concerned, our expectations are to win every game. That's the way it should be."

Tying it together is Smith, the second player in Division I-A history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

Smith is one of only two sophomores on the preseason watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top college quarterback. Last year, he was the first freshman to start at quarterback in school history.

The biggest loss is wide receiver Justin Gage, a fourth-round draft pick by the Bears. The Tigers also lost backup quarterback Kirk Farmer, who's fighting for a third-string job with the Rams.

Defense held Missouri back last year, and it again is the main question mark. Six starters are back from a unit that allowed nearly 30 points per game.

"We have to believe in ourselves," Droege said.