Tigers plan to continue climb up Pinkel's pyramid

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- On his first day as coach at Missouri, Gary Pinkel laid out his goals for the Tiger football program.

Pinkel's pyramid of success was built in a foundation on winning games and topped with the goal of winning a national championship.

"The high level programs go to bowl games every year, they also compete for championships and the highest level is a national championship," Pinkel said at the Big 12 Media Day in Kansas City. "I did that the first day I got here, as soon as I met with the football team. That is the goal of our football team is to play at a high level, year in and year out. We made steps last year.

"I know it is going to work, the question is when. It worked for Don James at Kent State and at Washington when I assisted him, and it worked for me at Toledo, Ohio, and it is beginning to work here in Columbia."

Missouri began the climb last season with its first winning record since 1998, and the Tigers are expected to continue that climb this season by challenging for a conference championship.

Missouri, coming off an 8-5 season that ended with a 27-14 loss to Arkansas in the Independence Bowl, is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and No. 18 in the Associated Press poll. Those are the highest preseason rankings for the Tigers since 1980.

The Tigers also are picked to finish second in the Big 12 North division behind defending conference champion Kansas State.

While increased maturity should help Missouri deal with the weight of increased expectations, the Tigers also need to show improvement on the field to continue the climb to Pinkel's goals.

One area Missouri needs to show major improvement is on the defensive side of the ball, as the Tigers ranked 72nd in the country against the run, allowing 167.2 yards per game on the ground.

In order to help stop the run, Missouri has changed from a 4-2 base defense to a 4-3 scheme. Last season, Missouri allowed Kansas State to rush for 367 yards with the Big 12 North Division title on the line and Arkansas gained 300 yards rushing the ball in the Independence Bowl.

To combat that trend, Missouri moved David Richard, a transfer from Michigan State, to outside linebacker. As a true freshman, Richard led the Spartans in rushing, but he now joins a deep and talented linebacker unit led by senior and All-Big 12 pick James Kinney. Kinney led Missouri with 147 tackles, the fourth-highest single season total in school history. He is also only 94 tackles away from setting the Missouri career mark.

Missouri also could see a defensive improvement based on an experienced front four. Tackles Atiyyah Ellison and C.J. Mosley are returning all-conference selections, and Mosley joined Kinney and quarterback Brad Smith on the preseason team.

Pinkel said the front four could be one of the top units in the conference.

"They have the chance to be a real good front four," Pinkel said. "There's some size, they can run. Let's face it, the only thing to improve a defense is the first surge."

On offense, the Missouri passing attack also needs an upgrade. With that in mind, the Tigers spent much of fall camp working on throwing the football.

With Smith and Damien Nash returning in the backfield and with the presence of shifty redshirt freshman Marcus Woods, Missouri should continue to be a top running team. Smith led the team with 1,442 yards and barely missed becoming the first player in NCAA to twice pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards.

While Smith is a dual threat, the Missouri passing game has lagged behind the rushing game. Pinkel knows that the Tigers could be tough to stop with the ability to throw the ball.

"I've been honest and open about our passing game and how much we want it to improve," Pinkel said. "And the passing game is not just Brad Smith throwing the ball better. The passing game is everybody in all phases, blocking and catching, and we have to pick it up in all those areas."

With the change in defensive schemes and the commitment to become two-dimensional on offense, the Tigers may show their coach and others that they have reached another plateau on the pyramid.