The dynamic and potent Missouri offense certainly lived up to its' billing in this game, scoring on four of five first half possessions, failing only to convert a very long fieldgoal as time wound down. They also added a defensive touchdown and held Nebraska to a pitiful seven yards rushing in the half, and went to the locker room with a 31 - 10 lead, from which the 'Huskers were never able to recover. The second half brought more of the same, and though Nebraska never quit, they were clearly outmatched and ultimately fell 52 -- 17.

College: Missouri Conference: Big 12 Columnist: Adam Bendiksen

Game Notes

Chase Coffman 45 6' 6.0" 230 0.00 TE 2009 -- Top-flight athlete with fine agility and body control and a great set of hands to match. Really a big WR who can't be covered one-on-one. Excellent initial quickness and decent, but not great, long speed. Might have trouble at the next level adjusting to a traditional TE role as he almost always lines up in the slot or wide in the Tigers' spread offense. Needs to put on weight and improve his blocking, but is a top prospect and certain day-one selection. GRADE: Very Positive

Chase Daniel 10 6' 0.0" 225 4.75 QB 2009 -- Has everything you want in an NFL quarterback except ideal size. Brings poise, leadership, and decisiveness to the position, and displays a good arm and great accuracy. Has near-flawless fundamentals and a keen understanding of coverages and how to attack them. Moves well in the pocket and gets rid of the ball. A fine leader and a gamer. GRADE: Very Positive

William Moore 1 6' 0.8" 230 4.50 S 2009 -- Another elite prospect, he may be the best safety in the country, and might even translate to the "will" linebacker position in the NFL. Has it all: size, speed, range, agility and fine tackling/hitting ability. Diagnoses plays quickly, attacks the run, and can run the field in halves in deep coverage. Makes plays on the ball, and is an excellent blitzer. Sure-fire first rounder. GRADE: Very Positive

Jeremy Maclin 9 6' 0.6" 200 4.50 WR 2011 -- And the list goes on. Though only a sophomore, Maclin displays all the skills to excel in the NFL. A very smooth athlete with burst and deceptive speed, he also does the dirty work, catching passes over the middle, running reverses and throwing his body around as a blocker. Very good punt and kick returner. Has excellent hands and great run-after-catch ability. The only negative is a tendency to get sloppy on his routes, but this is understandable considering his age. Should play at least one more year in college, but might come out. GRADE: Very Positive

Sean Weatherspoon 12 6' 0.5" 235 4.6 LB 2010 -- Another prospect with NFL skills, he would benefit with one more year in college but will most likely make the jump to the NFL this coming April. Tailor-made for the weakside 4-3 role, he displays quickness, burst, agility and the ability to diagnose plays quickly. Runs sideline-to-sideline and makes his tackles stick. Doesn't shed blocks very well so must be protected, but a fine playmaker nonetheless. Excels in pass coverage. GRADE: Positive

Jimmy Jackson 1 5' 8.5" 200 4.50 HB 2009 -- Lost starting job to sophomore Derrick Washington, but primary backup. Had a few carries and displayed toughness and the ability to run hard between the tackles. Low center of gravity. Not enough snaps to scout effectively. GRADE: Incomplete

Jared Perry 4 6' 0.5" 180 4.40 WR 2010 -- Overshadowed in a deep stable of receivers, but shows some nice skills. Quick with good feet and acceleration, he catches passes thrown his way and looks for extra yardage. Needs more seasoning. Very thin build and must work on his strength, but has another year to do it. GRADE: Neutral

Justin Garrett 8 6' 1.0" 200 4.60 S 2009 -- Not in the class of William Moore, but not bad either. Ideal size for a safety, he is a willing hitter and solid tackler. Not tremendously fast but has solid instincts which place him around the ball. Not agile enough for man coverage. Special teams will be key for him if he's to play in the NFL. GRADE: Neutral

Castine Bridges 21 6' 1.0" 210 4.50 CB 2009 -- Big, physical tackler is willing in run support but used mostly in off-coverage. Gave up a TD on a closely contested pass, but held up well on balls thrown in front of him. Solid, not great. GRADE: Neutral

Brock Christopher 34 6' 1.0" 235 4.70 LB 2009 -- Tough overachiever has a chance to play on Sundays due to superior instincts and hustle. Not overly big or fast, he diagnoses things in a hurry, which places him continuously around the ball. Tracks runners all over the field and breaks up passes. Jumps screens and draws. Doesn't take on blocks well but usually slips them. Good tackler and leader. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Stryker Sulak 38 6' 4.0" 250 4.70 DE 2009 -- Tall, lean player often in the middle of the action. Good, but not elite, quickness and speed. Good instincts and deceptive strength. Must learn to use his hands better to disengage from blocks. Good on twists and stunts. Has the look of a 3-4 OLB. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Tommy Chavis 48 6' 1.0" 255 4.80 DE 2009 -- Less heralded than Sulak, but a more complete player. Kind of a 'tweener who lacks size for DE and speed/athleticism for LB, but he makes a ton of plays. Very strong for size and plays with good leverage, and has decent quickness. Sheds block very well and doesn't get fooled. Hustles all the time, and has a fiery attitude. Has a chance. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Danario Alexander 81 6' 4.0" 210 4.50 WR 2010 -- Jumbo WR coming off a double knee injury (Big 12 Championship last season, again in spring ball) and it shows. Wearing a brace and has a limp in his gate. Not back in stride yet but still makes plays. Has a fine physique and plays a physical game. Goes over the middle, catches in traffic and excels on the jump-ball. Has another year to heal. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Tommy Saunders 84 5' 11.5" 210 4.50 WR 2009 -- Former walk-on revered by his teammates. Doesn't look special in any department but makes many plays. Catches everything and blocks downfield. Runs all the "dirty" routes (crosses, screens, underneath plays, etc.) and not afraid to take a hit. Great hands. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Evander Hood 94 6' 3.0" 295 5.10 DT 2009 -- "Ziggy" joins a long list of Tigers who will play on Sunday. Not overly big, he relies on great quickness and intensity to succeed. Strictly a one-gap penetrator, he has fine athletic ability and chases plays sideline to sideline. Avoids cuts and almost never gets knocked off his feet. Plays to the whistle. Makes tackles in the run game and gets pressure on the QB. Nice spin & swim moves. Can be engulfed, but not asked to stack the point. GRADE: Positive


College: Nebraska Conference: Big 12 Columnist: Adam Bendiksen

Quentin Castille 19 6' 0.5" 235 0.00 FB 2011 -- Used strictly as a short yardage runner. Has burst and power but not much patience or wiggle. Doesn't always protect the ball. Very raw. GRADE: Neutral

Marlon Lucky 20 6' 0.0" 210 4.50 HB 2009 -- Despite a fine 2007 season, has been relegated to a one-third role in the offense. Runs with good body lean and power, but doesn't display much patience, perhaps due to his reduced role. Prefers to run over tacklers, and shows some vision. Not a natural receiver. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

Lydon Murtha 76 6' 06.0" 315 5.20 OT 2009 -- Tall, lean lineman with long arms. Good Athlete. Quick off ball with ability to block on second level. Cuts well. Nice feet and base in pass protection, but occasionally gets bulled. Quick into his drops. Needs to get stronger but shows the ability to play in the NFL. GRADE: Positive

Joe Ganz 12 6' 0.5" 210 4.90 QB 2009 -- Scrappy leader who played hard despite the sinking ship. Makes quick reads and has a solid arm. Good athlete who moves well in pocket but prefers not to run. Lacks ideal size but makes up for it with smarts. System quarterback who must have a strong cast around him. GRADE: Neutral

Larry Asante 4 6' 0.5" 210 4.60 S 2010 -- Suffered a concussion in week five and did not play. GRADE: Incomplete

Armando Murillo 5 5' 11.5" 190 4.50 CB 2009 -- Best corner on team not tested due to plethora of targets on the other side of the ball. Comes up hard in run support and is a decent tackler. GRADE: Incomplete

Phillip Dillard 52 6' 0.5" 245 4.70 LB 2010 -- Physical player with a strong skill set. Displays good instincts and makes plays sideline to sideline. Good tackler who finds the ball. Takes on blocks and sheds well but occasionally gets engulfed by big linemen. Solid speed. Downhill player who lacks agility. Not much in pass coverage, but dangerous to receivers who cross underneath him. Should stay in school, but has an NFL future. GRADE: Positive

Nate Swift 87 6' 1.0" 200 4.50 WR 2009 -- Lacks flash but solid in every regard. Lacks elite speed but is deceptively quick. Runs good routes and has great hands. Tough guy who goes over the middle and looks for yards after the catch. A leader. Good physique with room to grow. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Ndamukong Suh 93 6' 3.0" 300 5.20 DT 2010 -- Big and strong with good quickness and athletic ability. Raw and lacks technique. Plays too high at times and doesn't always use his hands well. Gets overaggressive and doesn't break down well. Displays instincts at times, but occasionally overruns the action. The skills are there but needs work; has another year to improve. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

Zach Potter 98 6' 6.0" 280 4.90 DE 2009 -- Best player on the 'Huskers D will be playing on Sundays. Tall, long and big, he's a classic 3-4 DE who has enough quickness and athletic ability to play base end in a 4-3. Very active player who has fine instincts and make many plays. Strong at the point with the ability to shed blocks. Pushes the pocket and harasses the QB versus the pass. Nice spin move. Has room to grow and will get bigger and stronger. Plays hard all the time. Will remind some of Adam Carriker, though not on his level yet -- but could be. GRADE: Very Positive

Barry Turner 99 6' 2.0" 260 4.70 DE 2009 -- DNP

Matt Slauson 70 6' 4.0" 325 5.4 OG 2009 -- Huge, powerful, slow phonebooth-type player who lacks quickness and athleticism. Can crush his man straight ahead and can anchor versus a bullrush, but has problems versus speed. Doesn't stick long on runblocks and has trouble with secondary pass rush moves. Can't block on the second level. Must be in a power/man blocking scheme, and probably only a RG. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

Other Players of Note: Sophomore Derrick Washington owns Missouri's TB role until he decides to go pro. A big, smooth power runner with vision and burst, he lacks only long speed. Junior DT Jeron Baston displays athleticism and playmaking ability. K Jeff Wolfert is among the best in the nation and will be in an NFL camp next summer. He missed his first kick of any sort in Big-12 competition (made 91 straight) in this game, but it was from 58 yards. His kickoffs consistently go deep into the endzone. For Nebraska, FB Thomas Lawson blocks well (though you wouldn't know it by the stats) and TB Roy Helu Jr. has taken carries away from Marlon Lucky.

The Big 12 is going to dominate the draft this year. I think they may actually beat out the SEC for overall draft picks this year, and I would guess it's been quite some time since that last happened.
There are soooo many player here, so I have a short list of questions for you:

1. I am beginning to feel that Chas Daniel's height is not going to hold people back from him as much as I did earlier. The guy has so many intangibles. I can see third round. You?
2. Coffman is still only 230? I thought I read somewhere he was bigger than that now. That would be a big to get clarrified.
3. I agree on Moore. I'm going to move him up a tad higher in the Top 100 this AM, and I already had him as a first rounder.
4. I can't get a handle yet on where Weatherspoon will be drafted. What do you think?
5. Do either of the MO DEs have a shot at being drafted?
6. Does Hood go past round 3, or should he get Top 100 consideration also?
7. For MO, is Dillard their best PP?
8. Which of the MO '09 class guys get drafted, if any?

P.S. I sent Donna an email to hopefully make this process a tad easier for you.

FANTASTIC WRITEUP!

In reply, I don't feel Daniel's height is much of an issue -- see Drew Brees. In a similar fashion to Brees, I see him going as high as the top of the second to Kansas City. Coffman is now listed at 245, but when I did my shell files all Missouri had was a spring ball roster which read the same as last year's. Weatherspoon is tough to figure but as of now I'd put him as a low second/high third round pick. Good playmaking ability but not tough taking on blocks. I think Sulak will be drafted on day two as a 3-4 OLB, but with Chavis it all depends on the combine. If he checks in at his listed size, probably not, as he doesn't appear to have the athleticism to translate to linebacker, but if he's closer to 6'2" and weighs in the 275-280 range (he looks to be in that area) then I think his production will get him drafted in the low rounds. Hood I think is more of a fourth round guy at this point, but he'll bear watching the rest of the way. Size and lack of power associated with it are his negatives. If Dillard stays in school another year he should be their highest drafted player of the 2009 -- 10 classes, but if he comes out I'm not sure Potter wouldn't be taken higher. Still the best 3-4 end prospect I've seen this year (haven't seen LSU yet). Lastly, I see a crop of Tigers getting drafted in April. Following the order of my files (not a ranking), I think Coffman, Daniel, Moore, Sulak and Hood all get drafted, with the combine weighing heavily on the status of Chavis and Brock Christopher. Taped the Oklahoma St. game this weekend, so I'll be watching for more.