James Franklin

#1 | 6'2, 230, Sr. | Corinth, TX

2010: 11-for-14 passing (79%), 106 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 0 sacks (7.6/attempt); 23 carries, 116 yards (5.0), 2 TD

2011: 238-for-376 passing (63%), 2,865 yards, 21 TD, 11 INT, 18 sacks (7.0/attempt); 199 carries, 1,089 yards (5.5), 15 TD

2012: 139-for-234 passing (59%), 1,562 yards, 10 TD, 7 INT, 20 sacks (5.5/attempt); 68 carries, 290 yards (4.3), 0 TD

Bill C.: 1. The first thing any of us knew about him was that he was brutally, ridiculously polite. Yes, sir. No, ma'am. I grew up in an FCA town -- you went to Fellowship of Christian Athletes whether you cared about the 'C' or the 'A,' because it was a place to be seen (and, on occasion, a placed where your absence might be judged). Well, James Franklin is possibly the most perfect FCA athlete of all-time. He would destroy all comers in tackle football in the yard behind the church, and then he'd clean up, mow the grass, drive five freshmen home out of courtesy, then post about how much fun he had on Twitter (with full, egregious use of emoticons). There are a lot of ridiculously awful role models in sports. Franklin is an almost uncomfortably good one.

2. We ask a lot of football players. We ask them to play hurt. We ask them to play well hurt. We complain about the damage the sport does to players, and we know rules changes are potentially coming our way, but we also know that we like our football players to sacrifice for our pleasure, and we rebel against any and every proposed rule change wafted in our direction. It's an odd time to be a fan. It's also an odd time to be James Franklin. Franklin has designs for life after football, and we admire the hell out of that right up until it results in him refusing to take a pain-killer so he can go out and play a football game for us. We adore oddities when wins are involved, but with even the slightest threat of a loss, the odd ones are the first ones we destroy. The toughness we adored when Franklin was driving through the Oklahoma defensive line in the fourth quarter in 2010, the toughness we revered when he was bouncing off countless Texas A&M defenders on an incredible 2011 touchdown run, is the toughness we questioned when a shoulder injury (and lack of pain-killers) kept him out of the Arizona State game (How dare he smile on the sideline!!! Doesn't he know he's killing his team???), and when a sprained MCL kept him first from playing against Vanderbilt and Alabama, then from moving against Kentucky, then from throwing accurate passes against Florida, and when a concussion kept him out of the A&M game.

3. I can't say Missouri fans are better or worse than anybody else. I know too many amazing Mizzou fans to count, but I know the other ones, too. One thing is certain, though: We hate quarterbacks. We are not alone in this regard, but we are vociferous about it. Brad Smith is struggling? Yank him for Chase Daniel! Daniel seems like he might be hurt? It was time for the Blaine Gabbert era to begin anyway (or for Chase Patton to finally get his chance at glory). Gabbert can't play well on one ankle, or with an injured hip? He's a pansy and a prima donna. Get him out of here. It's time for the James Franklin era to begin. Actually, never mind. He's obviously not the guy. Berkstresser. Mauk. T.J. Moe. WHOEVER. In Gabbert's and Franklin's cases, their web presence has made them more accessible and more attackable. If I were to add up all the "Stats are for losers,""You should try watching games occasionally," and "You obviously don't know what you're talking about" blather that I've gotten from time to time, multiply it in quantity by 10 and in attempted masculinity by 50 ... that's a fall Tuesday for Franklin or Gabbert. Again, Missouri fans are not alone in this regard. Since the start of football, the backup quarterback has been the most popular player on the team. But it's embarrassing nonetheless.

4. The worst part: We still don't completely know what James Franklin is capable of.

The next step in his development will be his ability to shrug off mistakes. He played quite a few nearly error-free games, but when a glitch occurred, a second was sure to follow. He threw an interception in the opener versus Miami (Ohio), and his next pass went through a defender’s hands. Against Western Illinois, he twice overestimated his ability to throw a deep ball while rolling right (and he was twice saved by his receivers; Eric Waters broke up one sure interception, and L'Damian Washington wrestled another one away for a long reception). Against Kansas State, he threw an interception on his first pass, then froze up and took a huge sack on the next drive. Against Iowa State, he misread the defense and threw a pick six to A.J. Klein, then threw another interception on the next possession. After a quality first half, he turned the ball over four times (three interceptions and a fumble) in the second half against Oklahoma State. And then, of course, he threw back-to-back-to-back interceptions at Arrowhead versus Kansas.

These series of glitches gave ammunition to the crowd of Franklin doubters, just as it did with Daniel in 2006 (we forget now just how bad he looked against Nebraska and Oklahoma). But his overall resume tracks beautifully with those posted by other great Missouri quarterbacks.

I wrote that over a year and a half ago. And heading into his senior year, we still have no idea if he can shake off mistakes properly, if he can get out of his own head more quickly. I will forever defend James Franklin's ability to be a pretty good quarterback, but very good? Excellent? No idea. He hasn't gotten there to date, that's for damn sure. Franklin almost completely lost a year of development last season, and that's unfair. Mizzou had reasonably good luck with quarterback injuries from 2002-11, and Franklin's 2012 season was one giant regression to the mean.

5. There's still a chance James Franklin is not Missouri's quarterback in 2013. The odds are certainly good that he's the guy, and I think that's probably a good thing. When healthy, Franklin is a pretty good quarterback. We don't know his ceiling, but we've seen enough of his midpoint to think that the Mizzou offense could be perfectly decent with him in charge of it. If he gets hurt again, he may never get his starting job back, not if Maty Mauk seizes his opportunity, or if Corbin Berkstresser utilizes his experience and grows into the role. But if he can stay healthy, he will get the opportunity to prove haters wrong and prove exactly what he is capable of. We still don't really know yet.

**********

MizzouRugby: Unfortunately for James, it seems as though his legs will not be able to open up very many plays for him this year. It was woefully ineffective last year, and Henson’s offense might not call for him to do it, and that may be smart when QB runs jeopardize Franklin’s health, which is key to this team’s fortunes. Unfortunately for the coaching staff and fans, it has yet to be proven the Mizzou can be successful with James as a more traditional type passing QB. Hopefully he can recapture the offensive production of 2011, hopefully by trading some rushing yards in for passing.

The Beef: I think your comments about “proof” are a little tough given the relative success Mizzou had when Franklin threw for 2,500 yards in his one, healthy season. Franklin is on record about not really wanting to be a runner, and I feel like mentions of the offense and the calls being simpler will only help Franklin. He has a ton of weapons both behind him and to his sides, while he should also have a line which may be capable of allowing him some progression-reading time, which was rarely the case last year. If he starts all 12 games for us, then I feel he will start 13.

Confused? Check out the glossary here.

1. A clean karmic slate

As Iowa fans (running backs), as Missouri fans (offensive line), etc., we can complain about our teams' bad injury luck. And to be sure, injuries, either of the "that's the one guy we couldn't afford to lose" variety or sheer volume of losses (especially to one position unit), derail the hopes of quite a few college football teams in a given year.

It's one of the maddening parts of the projections process, really: You know that no matter how many ways you find to make your numbers as accurate as humanly possible, a certain number of teams in a given year are going to get knee-capped.

That said, for all the fanbases complaining about how roster damage screwed their teams last year ... only Maryland was starting a true freshman linebacker at quarterback last year. Maryland wins first prize. Let's recap the carnage for posterity. It was amazing.

• Danny O'Brien, once the conference's freshman of the year, transferred to Wisconsin in the offseason.
• Assumed starter C.J. Brown tore his ACL in mid-August.
• Freshman Perry Hills tore his ACL in mid-October.
• Sophomore Devin Burns injured his foot in the same game and was lost for the season.
• Freshman Caleb Rowe tore his ACL the next week.
• Freshman linebacker Shawn Petty then had his redshirt torn off for the ninth game of the year against Georgia Tech. His backup was a freshman tight end.

Combined with injuries in other areas and a wealth of transfers -- head coach Randy Edsall didn't really make many friends in his first 12 months in College Park -- Maryland was incredibly, ridiculously young last season. And the evidence is clear in the players listed below. There are three sophomore quarterbacks with experience. The three leading returning running backs are sophomores. The three leading returning receivers are sophomores. Four of the six offensive linemen with starting experience are either sophomores or juniors. The top four returning defensive linemen are either sophomores or juniors. The top four returning linebackers are juniors. The top three returning safeties are either sophomores or juniors. It's staggering.

Through this lens, one fact becomes rather incredible: Maryland actually improved in 2012.

2. They improved

Granted, the improvement was slight (from 92nd in the F/+ rankings to 86th). And granted, that the Terrapins improved might say more about the awful 2011 team than it does the 2012 team. But with (almost literally) no quarterback and freshmen and sophomores as far as the eye could see, Maryland improved dramatically on defense and doubled its win total, from two in 2011 to four in 2012.

The timing is still a little bit off. The defense that improved so much last year could suffer with the loss of a few key seniors. But despite the on-field product, Edsall has recruited at a top-50 level, he has a bona fide star in receiver Stefon Diggs (and he may have found Diggs a partner this year), and a team that is infinitely more experienced overall in 2013 will be even more experienced in 2014. Somehow, the future is actually rather bright for a team that has won four or fewer games in three of the last four seasons.

2012 Schedule & Results

3. But on the bright side, the offense never had a chance anyway

If you're going to suffer two decades' worth of quarterback injuries, you might as well do it when your offense is going to stink regardless. And if you're going to suffer a decent amount of turnovers luck, you might as well do it when your team hasn't yet put the pieces together.

Even without the quarterback situation, Maryland's offense was going to feature far too many freshmen and sophomores to have much of a ceiling. And one can almost find encouragement in the fact that, even as quarterbacks were falling left and right, the Terps' offense improved over the second half of the year. Granted, it went from amazingly bad to just bad, but that's still improvement.

Adj. Points Per Game (first 6 games): Opponent 21.8, Maryland 16.3 (minus-5.5)
Adj. Points Per Game (last 6 games): Opponent 28.2, Maryland 22.4 (minus-5.8)

In all, Maryland actually came within sniffing distance of bowl eligibility. While three of their wins were by a touchdown or less, four of their losses were, too. A bowl game would have been an incredible reward for a team that persevered with a 10-man offense, but winning four games and simply fielding a team (and almost winning at North Carolina in the finale) was enough of a sign that, through everything, Maryland might have begun to point in the right direction.

Offense

4. Let's just not even look at these stats

We learned almost nothing about what the Maryland offense is supposed to be last year. Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley prepared in the 2012 offseason for life with a quality run-pass threat at quarterback in Brown. Hills tried to run but wasn't very good at it. Rowe showed potential as a passer with decent mobility, but his stay wasn't long. And Devin Burns was run-first and run-second but his stay was even shorter. And for the final month of the season, Maryland basically attempted to avoid passing whenever possible.

In all, looking at the stats above without knowing any of the context, you might actually react with, "Damn, it's like they had a linebacker playing quarterback or something." So let's just move on.

With Brown once again the presumptive starter (KNOCK ON WOOD), here's what we know about the Maryland offense at this point:

A. There will be zone reads. Locksley has long been a fan of the run, and most of the QBs on the roster are indeed potential dual-threat guys. At least, they were with healthy knees. And despite Wes Brown's yearlong suspension following a summer arrest, the backfield is still a bit interesting, primarily because of the presence of sophomore Brandon Ross, who showed quality explosiveness at times last season. If the line improves at all -- not a given -- the run game could bounce back nicely, if only by default.

B. Maryland might have the best pair of receivers in the conference. They will also need some touches, through either jet sweeps, quick passes, or play-action.

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2013 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

Running Back

Receiving Corps

5. Stumbling into the league's best 1-2 punch

It seems like a match made in heaven, really. First, you've got Stefon Diggs, the blue-chipper who stayed close to home and, in spite of all the general awfulness around him, thrived as a true freshman.

With Marcus Leak also lost with injury, the second-most targets went to Devin Dorsey and his brutal 34 percent catch rate. Tight end Matt Furstenburg contributed 42 percent. In all, the Maryland quarterback carcasses combined to complete 50 percent of their passes to players not named Stefon Diggs … and Diggs still managed a 68 percent catch rate and averaged a robust 15.7 yards per catch. (He threw in 114 rushing yards to boot and may have been the best quarterback on the roster in November; only, sacrificing him to the angry quarterback-hating gods would have been an awful idea, and Edsall wisely chose against it.) Considering the degree of difficulty, Diggs very well may have been one of the two or three most impressive receivers in the country last year. With a healthy quarterback (and only one of them), there's no telling what he might be able to accomplish. And with a five-star junior lining up opposite him, the sky's the limit.

If there's one thing Deon Long knows, it's how to thrive on an awful offense. Locksley's New Mexico teams were horrendous, but Long still produced in 2011; his 10.9 yards per target even topped Diggs' 10.6 last year. (As a frame of reference, anything over 9.0, really, is quite good. Diggs and Long are both former five-star recruits, and they both have yet to play with a healthy, solid supporting cast. If the backfield is solid, these two guys could be amazing.

(We'll just end the receivers conversation there, as Maryland might not actually have a third one. If healthy, Diggs and Long could combine for something ridiculous, like two-thirds of Maryland's targets. And that might be a great thing. If they stay healthy. If they stay healthy. If they stay healthy.)

(Okay, fine, Nigel King might be worth watching as the No. 3 guy. But Diggs and Long are still going to combine for a ridiculous target rate.)

Offensive Line

6. The line must improve

Will it?

We probably didn't actually learn much about the Maryland line in 2012. On runs, it was blocking for freshmen and one-legged quarterbacks. On passes, it was blocking for linebackers. The Alabama line would have struggled to produce meaningful numbers with this set of skill position players last year.

Still ... the line stats above are really terrible. Awful. And some of that has to have been on the line, one that must now replace its three most experienced starters. Former four-star signee De'Onte Arnett and some sophomores and juniors will certainly see improved stats just because of the players around them; but despite the excitement about players like Diggs and Long, the line could derail any hopes for major progress.

Defense

Defensive Line

7. Poor timing

A switch to Brian Stewart's attacking 3-4 defense paid off instantly for a Maryland defense that had quite a bit of experience in the front seven. Injuries slowed the progress down (of course they did), as did the simple fact that the D knew it was going to get no help from the O, but in players like Joe Vellano (one of the more under-appreciated players in the country), Darius Kligo, Darin Drakeford and Kenny Tate, Maryland had some personnel perfectly suited for new positions in a 3-4 structure.

Unfortunately, Vellano, Drakeford, and Tate are all gone. Last year's defense with this year's offense could have made one hell of a combination -- one that could definitely have gotten Maryland to a bowl game -- but while the offense looks to take a step forward, the defense might give away those gains.

Linebackers

8. Rebuilding the pass rush

Now, this isn't an all-hope-is-lost situation. Kligo is back, and he'll get help from former four-star recruit Nate Clarke at nose. Andre Monroe returns and could provide a solid threat from the end position. And thanks in part to injuries, there are still seven linebackers with experience, including Cole Farrand, a solid run defender.

But recent recruiting will be tested; if interesting freshmen or redshirt freshmen like Roman Braglio, Abner Logan and Yannick Ngakoue can help Maryland continue to get pressure on the quarterback, then the rest of the front seven falls into place nicely. But only five Terps logged more than 1.5 sacks last year; all five are gone. They're starting from scratch in that regard.

Secondary

Special Teams

9. A one-man special teams unit

Maryland was awful in punt coverage, awful in kickoff coverage, and below average in terms of field goal kicking. But the Terps ranked almost dead in the middle of FBS in Special Teams F/+ because of one guy: Stefon Diggs, who was decent as a punt returner and spectacular as a kick returner.

The punting and kicking could improve with experience (and with enough healthy bodies to actually put decent athletes on coverage units), but Diggs is still the one-man field position weapon. The 2013 season will be an interesting test of how much you can put on one 6'0, 195-pound frame. The addition of Deon Long will help, as will the sophomore running backs, but the more touches Diggs gets, in all aspects of the game, the better it is for Maryland ... right up until his body reaches its breaking point.

2013 Schedule & Projection Factors

10. There are wins to be found

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Let's pretend for a moment that the Maryland offense rebounds to around 60th in Off. F/+ this year, right around where it was in Ralph Friedgen's last season as head coach (2010). Diggs, Long, [Random Healthy QB], and company combine to overcome a shaky line and move the ball a bit.

And let's pretend that the three- and four-star newcomers to the defensive rotation are good enough to offset any major regression, and the Maryland defense also ranks right around 60th. Both of these assumptions are ambitious but not impossible.

A team ranked around 60th in the country could win around six to eight games against this schedule. And a team ranked around 70th or 80th could still manage five or six.

The Edsall era in College Park could not have gotten off to a worse start. The 2011 team saw a ton of transfers and a complete collapse on the field. The 2012 team saw some of the worst injury luck imaginable. But while there are still plenty of issues to be found, especially in the trenches, Edsall has put together an interesting, young two-deep, interesting enough that 6-8 wins is a realistic ambition and young enough that it will still be pretty young in 2014.

I'll conservatively set the bar at six wins for 2013, with the acknowledgement that injuries could quickly derail some thin units once again. But through all of last season's travails, Maryland showed some promise. And it could show more in 2013.

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Maty Mauk

#7 | 6'0, 200, RSFr. | Kenton, OH

Bill C.: He is Johnny Manziel. He is Chase Daniel. He is Brad Banks. Maty Mauk's skill set is both fun and easy to compare to that of some really, really good quarterbacks. The all-time high school passing yardage leader chose Missouri over any number of other programs, and it was easy to slot him in line behind James Franklin. And when Franklin struggled in 2012, it was easy to assume that he would actually surpass Franklin before Franklin's career was over.

There's still a chance that that happens, obviously, but in the spring he potentially experienced higher highs and lower lows than the senior incumbent, and this staff doesn't do "lows." With a ferocious August, Mauk could still win the starting job, but the odds are pretty slim right now. Chances are good that he'll be duking it out with Corbin Berkstresser next spring in the hopes of beginning a three-year starting run.

By the way, what happens if we average out the per-year contributions of the three players listed above -- the defending Heisman trophy winner, the greatest quarterback in Mizzou history, and the incredibly successful Iowa quarterback (and junior college transfer) of a decade ago?

Freshman: 167-for-250 passing (67%), 2,027 yards, 14 TD, 6 INT; 120 carries, 734 yards, 11 TD
Sophomore: 287-for-452 passing (63%), 3,527 yards, 28 TD, 10 INT; 147 carries, 379 yards, 4 TD
Junior: 213-for-316 (67%), 2,444 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT; 74 carries, 207 yards, 3 TD
Senior: 278-for-411 (68%), 3,454 yards, 33 TD, 12 INT; 75 carries, 288 yards, 3 TD

No pressure, Maty. All you have to do is be that awesome beginning with your first snap.

Mauk's skill set is tantalizing. It really is. His read-and-react abilities at the snap and his vast spread experience in high school certainly lend to the Chase Daniel vibe. And his ability to extend plays outside of the pocket are certainly easy to compare to a certain 2012 redshirt freshman (and Heisman winner) who, at this point last year, still didn't know if he'd be starting that season. But he showed in the spring that he still had a long way to go. And while he was meant to struggle in a one-hand-touch environment, so is James Franklin. And Franklin outplayed him.

It's okay to be both incredibly excited about the Maty Mauk era and be accepting of the fact that it might not start until next year. And as I said before, if he does manage to beat Franklin out, that's very good for Mizzou, because he'd have beaten out a pretty damn good quarterback. I guess we wait and see.

MizzouRugby: If he can beat out James in fall camp, then hell yes. If he can’t, then hell yes. Either way, Maty Mauk is gonna start for MU with DGB to throw to and Josey hand off to. At least I hope so.

The Beef: I am not quite ready to annoint Mauk as the starter for next season. I was not terribly impressed with what I saw at the Spring Game, though I fully realize it is the smallest of sample sizes. I am excited to see him in early season mop-up time, though I dont know how much more we will see beyond that. Going to be quite the spring in 2014, that is for sure, and there is no doubt Mauk is the early leader of the fight.

Confused? Check out the glossary here.

1. "We don’t really know from year to year."

My first book, Study Hall: College Football, Its Stats and Its Stories, was released last week. I spoke to quite a few coaches for it, and Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe was a particularly enjoyable interview. I thought I would use some of Grobe's quotes throughout this piece.

Grobe on compiling the talent to compete in the ACC:

We just tried to take the personnel we had and tried to be a little bit different. Defensively, we really felt like we didn’t have the personnel to be in a 3-4, so we actually went to a 3-3 look and played 5 DBs. And that really helped us for a couple of years. It was totally different than what others had in our league. We went back to four-man front when we got some big guys.

Our thoughts at both places [Ohio and Wake Forest, the two programs for which he has been head coach] were to initially try our best to be a little unique.

We've really gotten to be a program that … we don’t really know from year to year. It’s hard at Wake Forest because of the academics. At a place like Wake Forest, you just go recruit the best players you can, and your schemes might change year to year. That’s not what you like to do, but it’s something you have to do.

Like Duke, Wake Forest is a pretty tough job. The academic standards are high, the fanbase isn't that big, and there is no proven history from which to pull when trying to sway recruits. Despite a series of pretty decent hires -- John Mackovic (1978-80) and Al Groh (1981-86) would go on to decent success elsewhere, Bill Dooley (1987-92) had won quite a few games at North Carolina and Virginia Tech before arriving in Winston-Salem, and Jim Caldwell (1993-00) went to a Super Bowl as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts (with help from a pretty good quarterback) -- Wake has very much struggled to maintain success.

The Demon Deacons reached 14th in the country and finished 8-4 in 1979 under Mackovic, then went 5-6 the next year. Dooley won 13 games in his first two years, then won eight in his next three. Dooley went 8-4 in his final season, then handed the reins to Caldwell, who went 9-37 in his first four seasons. He eventually patched together a 7-5 season in 1999, then went 2-9 in 2000 and was done.

Wake Forest had been to just five bowls when Grobe arrived in 2001 and hadn't been successfully strong since the 1940s. The odds were stacked against him, and with this backdrop, his accomplishments -- five bowl games, a 28-12 run from 2006-08, the 2006 ACC title, and the simple fact that a 5-7 season in 2012 was seen as relatively disappointing -- have secured his legacy. Whatever he accomplishes from here on out, he will leave Winston-Salem as one of Wake's greatest coaches.

But what does Wake have left under Grobe? The 2006-08 run was aided in part by the fact that traditional ACC powers like Florida State and Clemson didn't really have their act together; but the Demon Deacons still ranked between 28th and 45th in the F/+ rankings each year from 2006-09. They've ranked 103rd, 64th, and 107th, respectively, in the last three. They could rebound again, but is the ceiling still reasonably high, or is 60th and about six wins all they can hope for moving forward?

2012 Schedule & Results

2. Nothing worked

Wake Forest lost two tight games in the middle of the season -- by seven points to Duke, by five points to Maryland; taking either game would have gotten the Demon Deacons to six wins. But that wouldn't have made them a good team. The offense played well exactly twice (against North Carolina and Army), and the defense (which definitely wasn't the primary issue in 2012) was still only significantly better than average three times. And both units got worse after September.

Adj. Points Per Game (first 4 games): Opponent 28.7, Wake Forest 24.5 (minus-4.2)
Adj. Points Per Game (last 8 games): Opponent 29.6, Wake Forest 16.8 (minus-12.8)

Wake went from below average to bad, and a 3-1 start begat a 2-6 finish. The Deacs were pretty young across the board, and you can talk yourself into youth when it improves late in the year. Wake's young players really didn't. And as is usually the case, injuries didn't help.

Offense

3. "We had to go to school and learn to throw the ball."

Grobe on tweaks to the offense:

Our recruiting each year is simply trying to find the best players we can find. Maybe that’s an option quarterback, maybe that’s a throwing quarterback. We were running the QB a lot, with a lot of option stuff, and we ended up with Riley Skinner, who doesn’t run but throws so well. We had to go to school and learn to throw the ball. With Tanner Price, we’ve been a throwing team.

The recruiting approach for Grobe and his staff is to find athletes and fit a system around them. In 2012, however, the offense really didn't have many awesome athletes. The Deacs were still reasonably efficient on standard downs, and they were downright awesome in the red zone, but they just weren't able to create many chances for themselves because of a complete and total lack of big play ability. It doesn't matter if you're running or passing; if you don't have the horses, you're going to struggle.

Is the outlook any rosier for 2013 in this regard? It's hard to say yes. Possession receiver extraordinaire Michael Campanaro does return; of the six receivers targeted at least three times in 2012, only Campanaro managed a catch rate of better than 57 percent, but he also only averaged 9.7 yards per catch. He averaged just 11.4 as the No. 2 receiver in 2011. He was great in an "extended handoffs" capacity, but he didn't help to stretch the field.

Meanwhile, Brandon Terry showed promise in this regard (19.3 yards per catch, four catches for 87 yards against North Carolina), but his catch rate was far too low for him to be effective. They're both back, as is sophomore Sherman Ragland III, but if there's hope for more big plays, it might have to come from a newcomer like redshirt freshman Jared Crump. From what we know about the players on the roster, big plays aren't necessarily forthcoming. And in the running game, senior Josh Harris, a solid big-play guy on the rare occasion that he got to the second level of a defense, was recently deemed ineligible for the season.

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2013 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

Running Back

4. "We’re trying to get back to being more of a running team."

Now we don’t run the ball very well because we’ve gotten used to throwing. We’re really in transition now – we’re trying to get back to being more of a running team.

At Ohio, Grobe was able to craft quite a bit of offensive success through his use of the Wishbone. A former Air Force assistant under Fisher DeBerry, Grobe was certainly schooled in the option, but he wasn't married to it; he did it at Ohio because he was attempting to do something different, not because he felt it is the only way to move the ball.

As mentioned above, Wake has turned into more of a passing team through the years, thanks primarily to the weapons it has been able to recruit. But that changes in 2013. In an effort to shake things up and perhaps manufacture a few more big plays, Wake Forest is going back to the option and good chunks of the offense it was running pre-Riley Skinner.

It's in quarterback Tanner Price to have some success as a dual-threat guy. He was known as a dual-threat in high school, and he had a couple of high-carry games early in his freshman year (10 carries versus Duke, 16 versus Stanford) before he got rocked pretty hard against Florida State, and the staff went conservative with him. Without Harris, however, Wake will be leaning mostly on youngsters to test opponents' run defenses. Sophomore Deandre Martin got experience last year, but that's pretty much it.

Receiving Corps

Offensive Line

5. You need five healthy linemen

It's a good sign that Grobe is still willing to tinker and make changes in a hungry search to move the ball. His misdirection running game indeed had a decent amount of success early in his Wake tenure, and it was certainly time for a change. But the change will only matter if the line can both stay healthy and improve. Between injuries and youth, the line fell apart in 2012, especially in terms of run blocking. It couldn't create chances for its backs, it couldn't keep defenders out of the backfield, and it couldn't convert in short-yardage situations. That's three strikes.

In 2013, six players with starting experience do return (50 career starts). That's certainly a good thing. The line is big and experienced. But how much can a line improve in one year, especially when a bit of a system change is involved?

Defense

6. The defense was not the problem

The 2012 Wake defense certainly wasn't very good, but it wasn't that bad either. The Deacs were reasonably efficient on standard downs, and a light but active line was able to make quite a few plays in the backfield. But even if the defense could leverage opponents into passing downs, the back seven wasn't able to make enough stops. Injuries were a hindrance -- each of the top three linemen all missed time, as did three of the top six defensive backs -- and the unit certainly regressed as the season went on. If the D can stay healthy, and if it can at least get some sort of help from the O, then there is enough experience here to at least shoot for a top-50 or -60 Def. F/+ ranking.

Defensive Line

7. A funky, effective line

Wake's nose guard, Nikita Whitlock, is smaller than most opponents' defensive ends. But in three years, he has racked up 30 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He was dinged up last year, plus he got a bit more attention from opposing defenses, but he is a unique weapon, and Wake has shown that it knows how to use him at times.

Despite Whitlock's limited play, and despite the lack of health and depth around him, the line mostly did its job in 2012. Five different players logged at least 4.5 tackles for loss, and the Deacs were strong in both the Stuff Rate (making negative plays against the run) and Opportunity Rate (allowing runners to the second level, basically) categories. Not surprisingly, a lack of size contributed to short-yardage issues, but if you make enough plays, you can get away with that. There's a lot of experience here, and there's no reason to think the line stats will slip much. But the line will still need more help than it got last year.

Linebackers

Secondary

8. A decent secondary on paper

In 2011, then-freshman Merrill "Bud" Noel defensed 21 passes. In 2012, with Noel fighting injuries, then-sophomore Kevin Johnson recorded 18. In theory, this could be one hell of an active duo of cornerbacks if healthy. Throw in a former star recruit in A.J. Marshall and some youngsters with potential -- James Ward, Allen Ramsey and Ryan Janvion all drew some praise this spring -- and you can see a relatively impressive, aggressive defensive backfield coming together. But as with the offensive line, how much improvement can we expect to see in a single offseason? How much of last year's struggles (and there were certainly struggles) due simply to injury?

And how much will a solid secondary matter if the linebackers don't step up? Wake Forest's defense fell apart in blitzing opportunities, and the linebackers barely made any plays whatsoever against the pass. Players like Justin Jackson have showed potential, and the unit as a whole was pretty decent at flowing to the ball against the run, but it was perhaps the weakest unit on the defense last year, and it is the thinnest heading into the fall.

Special Teams

9. Don't stink at special teams

Underdog Tactics 101 tells you that you can't afford to give points away on special teams. Wake had a hell of a kickoffs weapon in Jimmy Newman and a solid punt returner in Lovell Jackson, but that was pretty much it in 2012. Kick returns were dreadful, punting was below average, and Newman wasn't as good a place-kicker as he was a kickoffs guy. Now Newman and Jackson are both gone. Wake needs to do its offense and defense as many field position favors as possible; can it?

2013 Schedule & Projection Factors

10. "It’s a cat-and-mouse game. It probably boils down to how good your players are."

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Grobe on stats and preparation:

We’re not any different than anybody else. We look at every stat known to man. Break down game film ad nauseum. We know what you’re doing on downs, field zones, hashes. Just about every situation you can possibly imagine, we’ve got it on a stat somewhere. But how do you manage all of those stats? How do you pull it together in a gameplan that makes sense?

We’ve got what you do down to a science, but you know we’ve got it. It’s a cat-and-mouse game. It probably boils down to how good your players are.

Again, Jim Grobe's legacy is set. He and his staff have proven flexible, resourceful, and adaptable through the years, and they have proven that they can hold their own in the "cat-and-mouse game." They make major shifts in strategy based on the talent they've got on hand, and they're even willing to change longstanding policies like their approach to redshirting. They pass the Underdog Tactics 101 course with flying colors, to the point where I dedicated a good portion of my "Beating, and Becoming, Goliath" chapter to Grobe's work at Ohio and Wake.

But you still need talent. Does Wake have enough? On paper, there does appear to be more talent here than what the Deacs showed last year. Tanner Price could thrive when given a few more opportunities to run. Michael Campanaro is a lovely "seven yards on second-and-7" guy. Nikita Whitlock is unique and, when healthy, dominant at times. Whitlock has play-making help on the line. And the secondary is full of aggressive, interesting players.

Wake Forest fell apart in 2010 and bounced back with an experienced squad in 2011. It could certainly do the same, and if the Deacs can get back to a top-60 level or so, there are certainly wins to be found. Only one home game is unwinnable (Florida State), and trips to Boston College, Army, Syracuse, and even Vanderbilt aren't incredibly intimidating. But it's up to Grobe and his staff to prove that they can continue to make interesting moves and tweaks. And it's up to Price, Whitlock and company to prove that they have the talent to take advantage when the cat-and-mouse game turns in their favor. I'm not completely buying it, but I'm intrigued.

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Corbin Berkstresser

#13 | 6'3, 225, So. | Lee's Summit, MO

2012: 88-for-177 passing (50%), 1,059 yards, 5 TD, 7 INT, 9 sacks (5.2/attempt); 44 carries, 143 yards (3.3), 3 TD

Bill C.: I think it was the footwork that gave him away. In 2012, Corbin Berkstresser showed immense physical potential as both a strong-armed passer and a burly short-yardage runner. He was thrown into an impossible situation -- high-pressure season, ridiculously tough schedule, sketchy offensive line -- and while he survived physically, his work left something to be desired. Of course it did. There's a reason why impossible situations are impossible.

When Berkstresser became too overwhelmed by a given moment, his footwork disappeared. He could throw short, easy passes straight to receivers' feet, he could make a terribly incorrect read, and he could prove even less capable than James Franklin at moving past mistakes. He had about a day's notice before his first career start against Arizona State (a team with a fast defense and brutal pass rush), he was forced into sudden action against Vanderbilt (a team with one of the best secondaries in the country), and he was thrown to the wolves against Alabama (a team that is Alabama). By the time he got to the Kentucky game, his third official start, he was rather discombobulated and mistake-prone. Easing into the role would have been great, but Berkstresser didn't get that chance. And in a miserable performance against Kentucky, Mizzou coaches actually decided it better to go with an immobile Franklin who couldn't throw or run.

Berkstresser has now had an offseason to regroup and go about finding his game again. He was passed by Maty Mauk in the spring and enters camp with the dubious "really experienced for a No. 3 quarterback" distinction. But he will still have a chance at either the starting or backup role this season, and he will still get a fair shot at starting again in 2014 and beyond. His footwork was an issue, and he has a long way to go on the mental side of things, but few quarterbacks could have outright thrived in his situation last year. A fresh start is a good thing.

MizzouRugby: It was mightily unfortunate for Corbin to be exposed as he was a RsFr last year. But it also showed what he has to work on. Also unfortunate is that he might not be able to start, barring injury, again for MU.

The Beef: He has said his movement to 3rd string was a bit of a wake-up call, which is never a bad thing. He will need to improve as the year goes on to get himself back in the discussion to ultimately replace Franklin next year. However, with the two frosh QB’s coming in behind him (never mind Mauk’s presence), it will be interesting to chronicle the remaining career of Berk.

Eddie Printz

#9 | 6'2, 215, Fr. | Marietta, GA

The Beef: I may not have much actual reason to be so, but I am a big fan of Printz. I think he has the more traditional background, and I think he will ultimately be the one who presses Mauk come next spring. We will see how it goes, but Printz won't see the field this year.

Bill C.: Printz has the rather unenviable task of being a direct competitor to a local boy. He doesn't seem to mind. He committed to Missouri despite the presence of Trent Hosick on the commitments list, and he quite obviously held his own this spring.

Obviously skill matters above all else, and if either Printz or Hosick is demonstrably better than the other, then that's that. But it will be difficult not to begin drawing conclusions about Josh Henson's style preferences when we track these two names on the depth chart. Printz is a passer who's a pretty good athlete; Hosick is an athlete who's a pretty good passer.

Here's what I said about Printz following the Black & Gold Game:

Eddie Printz, meanwhile, has the smoothest throwing motion on the team. One can tell that, while Hosick was maybe an athlete put at quarterback, Printz was raised a quarterback. He is certainly athletic enough, but he's meant for throwing the ball. He didn't get too many opportunities to impress on Saturday, but we saw what we needed of his throwing motion in warmups. On way play in the scrimmage, he escaped the pocket and, rolling left, attempted a difficult dump off to a running back (Tyler Hunt, I think) to his right. He couldn't quite finess it in, but it was really difficult.

Since that was my last impression of him, obviously my opinion hasn't changed much.

Trent Hosick

#11 | 6'1, 225, Fr. | Kansas City, MO

BillSelfsToupee: Dude beat Evan Boehm in the HWT state wrestling championships his Jr. year and Boehm’s Sr. year. He repeated the following year. All I have to say is Man Freaking Beast.

The Beef: I know there has been talk of Hosick eventually landing somewhere else on the roster, and that is terrible considering this young man has not taken a single class at Mizzou. However, that may be the way he sees the field down the road. No matter what position, he wont see the field this year.

MizzouRugby: Still love you for your Top Gun highlight video.

Bill C.: Alas, the audio was removed.

Still pretty damn impressive.

Here's what I said about Hosick in the spring:

Hosick impressed me a decent amount. He has a max-effort throwing motion -- when he throws hard, it looks like he's throwing hard -- but he made good decisions and moved the ball well in the "third string versus third string" portion of the scrimmage. (By the way, this game moved quickly. We'd have probably gotten more out of going to last weekend's scrimmage instead of this one, but the weather stunk.) He is big and athletic, as advertised, and one could easily see him becoming a strong game manager. His throwing motion isn't amazing, but it is more than good enough, and while it is certainly conceivable that he could end up at another position one day, don't assume it just yet. He can throw.

Hosick's athleticism is captivating. So is Printz's throwing motion. With these two joining a crowded quarterback race next spring, the odds are pretty good that, whoever wins the job, Mizzou is pretty set at QB in the post-Franklin era.

Steve Herndon. Cal Groff. Gene Crews. Robin Lingle. Earl Denny. Charlie Brown. These are the members of Missouri's last national championship team. Tom Botts' 1965 indoor track team was ridiculously dominant in a sport that was just getting its start, and the dual meet scores are just comical.

Mizzou 91.5, Arkansas 28.5, Drake 29
Mizzou 80, Oklahoma State 42
Mizzou 89, Indiana 42
Mizzou 83, Oklahoma 39

In the national meet, Mizzou thrived. Robin Lingle won the 1000-yard run (as noted in the Savitar, his time was, in 1965, the American and collegiate record), Gene Crews finished third in the shot put, Steve Herndon placed fourth in the high jump, and Earl Denny came in fourth in the hurdles. Brown, also a football player, dominated during the regular season in the 60-yard dash.

By the mid-1960s, Tom Botts, a Mizzou legend in his own right, was approaching 20 years on the job (he was Mizzou's head coach from 1946-72) and coming into his own. In all, he coached nearly 50 individual conference champions, nearly 25 all-americans, and five national champions. He was the mentor for two Olympians (Dick Ault and Dick Cochran). From his Mizzou hall of fame bio:

Statistically speaking, the athletic achievements of M.U. track teams under Coach Tom Botts run long. His track teams compiled a 135-56-2 dual meet record. During his tenure as head coach (1946-1972), Missouri won eight conference titles, four indoor and four outdoor; two Big Eight cross country titles; and the 1965 national indoor track championship, one of two M.U. national title (the other being the 1954 baseball squad under Coach John "Hi" Simmons). Following the 1970 cross country team's Big Eight title and sixth-place national finish, Botts was named the university division Cross Country Coach of the Year.

In 1961, Botts helped lead the U.S. track team through an undefeated tour of Europe.

At Missouri, Botts coached 48 individual conference champions, 23 all-Americans, five national champions, and two Olympians: Dick Ault and Dick Cochran. Ault took fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1948 London Games; Cochran won a bronze medal at the 1960 Rome Games.

Coach Botts had been bestowed with numerous accolades as well. He was inducted into the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Drake Relays Coaches of Fame in 1979, and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983, when he entered along with Lee Evans, Archie Hahn, Mildred McDaniel and LeRoy Walker. When the inaugural class for the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame was released, in 1990, it was no surprise to see Tom Botts' name on the list.

He has served as honorary referee at the Kansas, Drake, Texas, and Michigan State Relays, and in 1954, Botts received the dedication of the official program of the Amateur Athletic Union Championships. In 1955, he became a member of the University of Missouri's Mystical Seven honorary fraternity. When he retired in 1972, the university appointed Botts professor emeritus.

Perhaps of greater significance is the type of man and coach he was and is: dedicated, disciplined, practical, efficient, humble, generous, a humanitarian, proud of his athletes.

Former M.U. football coach Don Faurot, in a 1983 Columbia Missourian interview, said of Botts: "He's such a gentleman. A fine, moral individual. He's had a big influence on the kids and keeps in touch with them all."

His team came to dominate indoor track rather quickly. And it all came together in 1965.

In the grand scheme of things, indoor track is not the most attention-getting of sports. And it certainly wasn't in mid-1960s. But while Mizzou's history is full of greatness, it isn't necessarily full of national champions. This team earned that designation and made Tom Botts, already one of Mizzou's most respected coaches, one of its most accomplished.

1. Practice reports

MUtigers.com
Tigers Put on Pads for First Time in 2013

Senior LB Andrew Wilson and junior DT Lucas Vincent combined to stuff junior TB Henry Josey for a short gain at one point in the scrimmaging, but Josey later got even as he burst up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run against the #1 unit. To end the third period, Franklin and Sasser connected for a gain of around 15 yards on a third down to score points for the offense. On the play, Franklin showed impressive arm strength, as he threaded the needle and placed the ball perfectly in the breadbasket of Sasser, past the diving arms of a defender. Senior CB Tyler Davis made a big play for the reserve defense a few plays earlier, when he stepped in front of a pass in the flat and ran it back the other way for what would have been a pick six touchdown.

KC Star
MU football preseason depth chart

PowerMizzou
PowerMizzou: Camp Notebook: 8/5
PowerMizzou: Camp Q&A: David Johnson
PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: Darvin Ruise
PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: Offensive Line 8/5
PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: Gary Pinkel 8/5
PowerMizzou: Monday Camp Photos

Defensive tackle Dequinton Osborne was a very late addition to the 2013 signing class, visiting and signing with the Tigers in early June.

"We have a lot of players we keep an eye on all the time," Pinkel said. "I think he's a little overweight now but he's got great quickness."

Like so often early in camp this year, Pinkel used a question about one freshman tackle to talk about the entire group. So far, Pinkel has not been shy about praising the quartet of Josh Augusta, Nate Crawford, A.J. Logan and Osborne

"Coach Kul, we evaluate personnel every single day," Pinkel said. "It's what we do. We're going to go in there today starting at twelve o'clock and watch the whole practice and I'll start with the offensive line, go through the whole board and talk about every player. Coach Kul said this is the best group of young defensive linemen we've ever had since we've been here, as a group. That's saying a lot. You go into his room and look at all the guys in his room that have played in the NFL -- and I'm not saying they're going to play in the NFL, I'm just telling. And he's real conservative. He's not the kind of guy that runs out, you have to prove things to him. I'm real encouraged by that group of guys."

Mizzou Network
Fall Camp 2013: Day Five Report

2. Profiles

Kony Ealy
The Missourian: Kony Ealy ready to be Missouri football team's next great defensive lineman

Donovan Bonner
The Trib: Bonner finally in line to shine

Darius White
Fox Sports MW: Former star Longhorns recruit Darius White is ready for second chance at Mizzou

QBs
Post-Dispatch: Mizzou backup QBs haven't conceded race

Receivers
PowerMizzou: Realizing their potential

Aarion Penton
We Are Mizzou: Rookie Spotlight: Aarion Penton

Equipment Staff
Mizzou Network: Fall Camp 2013: Mizzou Equipment Staff

3. Defending the medical staff

The Trib (Behind the Stripes): Camp Notes: Pinkel wishes Harneet Gill well, says 'sometimes things happen'
The Trib: Foot injury led to anguish for Gill - Columbia Daily Tribune
Post-Dispatch: Pinkel extols Mizzou training staff
KC Star: Pinkel defends MU training staff after injured freshman leaves team
Post-Dispatch: Former receiver defends Mizzou training staff

4. In the pros

SPOOOOOON
The Falcoholic: Sean Weatherspoon Leaves Practice Due to Injury
CBS Sports: Falcons LB Sean Weatherspoon suffers badly dislocated finger

Blaine
Big Cat Country: Jaguars depth chart: Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne both listed as No. 1 QB
Jacksonville.com: Blaine Gabbert gets all first-team reps
Big Cat Country: Football Outsiders on the Jaguars: Is Blaine Gabbert salvageable?

Chase
The Trib: Daniel's 1st game is not all business

Tim Barnes
Fox Sports MW: Former Mizzou lineman Tim Barnes talks NFL training camp

Kendial
We Are Mizzou: Mizzou Made: Kendial Lawrence Scores First NFL Touchdown

Willy Mo
We Are Mizzou: Former Mizzou Captain Release Song for 2013 Season

5. WHATNOT

Swimming & Diving
MUtigers.com: Tigers Record Five Top-Eight Finishes at U.S. Open

Tennis
The Missourian: Columbia and Missouri athletics preparing for 2014 SEC Tennis Championships

6. DC: Tonight

For those in DC who don't live in the comments section, I'm flying to our nation's capital in a few hours, and we're meeting at Fado (about 50 steps from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop) around 6ish. Some are coming later. Be there or be square.

Henry Josey

#20 | 5'10, 190, Jr. | Angleton, TX

2010: 76 carries, 437 yards (5.8/carry), 5 TD; 4 targets, 4 catches, 19 yards (4.8/target); 1 kick return, 20.0 average

2011: 145 carries, 1,168 yards (8.1/carry), 9 TD; 13 targets, 10 catches, 91 yards (7.0/target); 6 kick returns, 24.8 average

Bill C.: We liked Danario Alexander from the start. His rawness as a true freshman didn't completely disguise his absurd athleticism, and his fantastic performance in what may have truly been Missouri's biggest win of all-time (Kansas 2007) took our appreciation of him to a new place. But when he fought through a series of knee injuries and came back for one final go-round in 2009 (after quite a bit of shaky play in 2008), our admiration of him became true fondness. We rooted for him like a little brother, knowing what he had gone through to get back onto the field; and when he not only thrived but dominated in 2009 … it was a truly special feeling. His suffering made him so very human, and his transcendent play made him super human.

One almost gets the same feeling just knowing that we will be seeing Henry Josey back on the field in a few weeks. When every other Mizzou running back went down in 2011, Josey got a chance to thrive and dominated from the running back position almost as much as Danario did from the receiver position two years earlier. We didn't know that we were going to be exposed to such greatness, and it felt incredible; and after two-thirds of a season of it, it was taken away from us, cold turkey. And during a 2012 season that was incredibly frustrating in every possible way, everything felt so much emptier knowing that Josey was still out.

We have no idea what Henry Josey is going to be capable of over his final two seasons in uniform. We have no idea if the simple brilliance that he displayed time and again in 2011 will return; at his best, Josey just seemed like he was playing a video game on Varsity level. He never seemed like he was running fast and never seems like he was making ridiculous moves; but as countrycal wrote about Roger Wehrli a couple of days ago, it just seemed like he knew how the defense was going to move before the defense did. He needed just a sliver of space to pop through it; he needed just a step of open field to get around or by a defender. He is such a smart runner and was just so damn effective. And while we might not see that Henry Josey as much in 2013, any occasional glimpse of it will give us that Danario 2009 feeling all over again.

MizzouRugby: Will the speed come back? Will the smoothness, the glide, the jitterbug quality of his running still be available to him? Lord I hope so. Even if he isn’t back to 2011 vintage, he still has the talent to be very, very productive this year.

The Beef: Eight yards a carry ... EIGHT. Look, I get that defenses in the Big XII are not likely to have been at the level the SEC defenses of 2013 will be at. However, eight yards per carry is still eight yards per carry. It is simply a medical marvel that Josey is back, reported to be just as fast, and running without pain or even brace. He could not manage to gain another yard and I would forever be impressed with what he has gone through. Icing on the cake would be coming back at a level befitting where he was when he left, earning accolades and leading us to wins all along the way.

countrycal: Is there anyone among us that does not wish for Henry to pick up where he left off that afternoon against Texas? As Rugby and Beef have already noted, this kid will remain in our memory as a True Son if he never carries the ball again. If he is practicing without a brace, then I think we can expect to see him in action early and often – and that is just awesome news for Tiger fans because none of us have forgotten what excitement he brought to the 2011 season right from the start. If he is indeed healthy, then he gets the most carries, but I don’t think Pinkel will use him as a workhorse – and I don’t think he needs to, because we have plenty of firepower lined up behind Josey. – countrycal

Confused? Check out the glossary here.

1. Luck cuts both ways

In 2011, Mike London's second season in charge at Virginia, his Cavaliers seemingly broke through after three consecutive losing seasons. The Hoos went 8-5, won at Florida State, and nearly won their division. Combined with quality recruiting, the future looked pretty bright.

In 2012, Virginia fell apart, dropped back to 4-8, lost by 36 to Georgia Tech and by 24 to North Carolina. Any positive momentum was gone, and London finished the season on at least a little bit of a hot seat.

That's the narrative, and it's a pretty easy one. Virginia was improving, and then it wasn't. But luck played a role in both seasons. In 2011, UVa went 5-1 in one-possession games; that's an unsustainably high win percentage. In 2012, the Cavaliers went 2-4 in such games, wrecked by some of the nation's worst turnovers luck. Virginia recovered just 12 of 30 fumbles for the season and turned only four of 55 passes defensed into interceptions. They should have had a turnover margin around minus-3. Instead, it was minus-14. That cost them nearly five points per game in a season that, again, saw them lose four games by a touchdown or less.

Mind you, Virginia did still regress last year. An average offense in 2011 (64th in Off. F/+) was pretty awful in 2012 (88th). A defense that was turning a corner in 2011 (43rd in Def. F/+) took a small step backwards (53rd). And for the second year in a row, the Cavaliers had one of the worst special teams units in the country. This team wasn't destined to be that good. But it probably wasn't as bad as you think in 2012, just as it wasn't as good as you think in 2011.

Of course, that didn't prevent some rather significant changes to the staff. Five coaches were sent packing, and London brought in a rather incredible amount of experience. Former Colorado State head coach and NFL offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild was brought in to run the offense. Former Georgia Tech and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta was brought in to run the defense. Larry Lewis, a former special teams coordinator at Washington State, Colorado State, and Nevada, now holds the same title in Charlottesville. And Tom O'Brien, former head coach at N.C. State and Boston College, was brought on as Associate Head Coach and tight ends coach.

London came to Charlottesville with quite the pedigree. He was a longtime Virginia assistant during some of Al Groh's best years (the Cavs went 25-14 from 2002-04, when he was defensive line coach, then surged to 9-4 in 2007 with him as defensive coordinator), and in two years as Richmond head coach, he went 24-5 and won an FCS national title. He seemed to possess a rare combination of local ties, recruiting prowess, and tactical quality. (Plus, he had the cool "He was also a cop" back story, which just adds bonus points.)

But even if last season was rather unlucky, UVa still hasn't improved much under his watch. If quality recruiting begins to pay off (it takes a little while sometimes), and if the coaching changes work out, then there could still be a golden age in the works. But these things better take effect pretty quickly.

2. How long does it take?

Can major change in the coaching staff take effect immediately? And how long does it take for quality recruiting -- Virginia ranks 24th in two-year recruiting -- to have an effect on the two-deep?

In theory, the former could have an immediate effect. The play-calling will undergo a drastic change on both sides of the ball. Maybe it doesn't work perfectly, but this was a major blood transfusion. But the effect of the latter is not quite clear because a lot of the big-time recruits are still quite young.

Virginia will likely be starting either a sophomore or redshirt freshman at quarterback. A five-star freshman could see quite a bit of the load at running back. And for better or worse, there will be quite a few sophomores and juniors seeing increased playing time in the defensive front seven. The bar is pretty low, especially on offense, but youth is not always quickly successful.

2012 Schedule & Results

3. Bad, then unlucky

When Penn State missed approximately 26 field goals in a one-point Virginia win, it looked as if the Cavs' luck may not have changed from 2011. Combined with a solid performance against Richmond -- when looking at Adj. Scores, keep in mind that it has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to FCS opponents; you pretty much have to win by 50 to end up with a good Adj. Score -- it also looked like UVa could maintain gains in the "general quality" department. But then the defense got destroyed by Georgia Tech. And the offense only once played at an above-average level over a six-game period. And though the defense rallied, it wasn't enough to overcome both the Virginia offense and a wealth of bad bounces.

Adj. Points Per Game (first 4 games): Opponent 32.7, Virginia 24.9 (minus-7.8)
Adj. Points Per Game (next 8 games): Virginia 24.6, Opponent 23.4 (plus-1.2)

Virginia went 2-2 while playing at a below-average level, then went 2-6 while playing about average. It was a weird year, basically.

Offense

4. Pro-style, whatever that means now

With Steve Fairchild running the offense, we've seen the word "pro-style" tossed around quite a bit. We'll probably need to come up with a new phrase now, what with pistol formations and zone reads beginning to finally proliferate among pro teams, but presumably what we can expect from UVa, for the most part, is "traditional" formations (medium-sized line splits, tight ends lined up on the line, etc.), relatively normal run-pass splits -- about 60% run on standard downs, 67% pass on passing downs -- et cetera. It has long been considered a recruiting draw to basically tell prospects you run what they do in the pros, and it will be interesting to see how that changes as what the pros do also changes.

Regardless, that's Fairchild's background, more or less.

And if O'Brien has any effect on the philosophy, then expect plenty of checkdowns to running backs. But that might not be a bad thing, because there's talent in the backfield. In terms of highlight yardage, anything at about 5.0 per opportunity or higher is pretty good, and Kevin Parks (5.0) meets that baseline. He also meets the baseline for catching passes -- a 75 percent catch rate and 7.9 yards per catch are neither great nor terrible. And between redshirt freshman Kye Morgan and blue-chip freshman Taquan Mizzell, there are options beyond Parks.

Of course, the running backs will still need help from the line. Virginia was awful at opening up holes on running downs and creating opportunities of any kind, and it was only decent at keeping defenders out of the backfield. Three-year starting guard, and two-time all-conference selection, Oday Aboushi is gone, but the fact that six other players return with starting experience (81 career starts) could be a sign that, at the very least, regression is unlikely. But improvement? Hard to guarantee it.

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2013 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

5. "I like their want-to."

With Michael Rocco's graduation and Phillip Sims' transfer, Virginia will have no choice but to go with a new guy at quarterback. With Matt Johns coming off of a nice case of spring mono, it appears the job will go to either sophomore David Watford or redshirt freshman Grayson Lambert. Youth at QB is not typically a winning arrangement, but hey, they have good want-to. So there's that. And there's also a pretty good set of skill position players around them.

Running Back

Receiving Corps

6. An underrated receiving corps?

Generally speaking, Virginia's passing game pretty much stunk last year. Michael Rocco threw too many interceptions, and Phillip Sims, an Alabama transfer, took too many sacks and didn't go anywhere with his passes. Virginia was mediocre in terms of pass efficiency (66th in Passing Success Rate+) and poor in terms of explosiveness (84th in Passing PPP+).

So if you want to doubt Virginia's receiving corps, have at it. You've got some evidence to support that. But the top two receivers (not including RB-WR hybrid-ish player Perry Jones) were four-star sophomores last year. Darius Jennings was the go-to guy, and Dominique Terrell was a semi-effective bailout options on passing downs. Jennings wasn't ready to be a No. 1, but the next four returnees on the list -- Terrell, E.J. Scott, tight end Jake McGee, and Tim Smith -- all averaged at least 8.2 yards per target.

Scott and McGee were also sophomores, and Smith was the No. 3 receiver in 2011 and has shown some big-play potential. This was a young, unprepared receiving corps last year, but damned if I'm not finding some things to like here … well, as long as there is a quarterback who can get these guys the ball.

Offensive Line