Before spring practice began, Missouri football offensive coordinator Kirby Moore made it clear he wanted to see his unit improve upon scoring in the red zone. To do that, he identified eliminating penalties as a crucial factor.
"Statistically in the red zone, (last) season we had 15 drives where we had a penalty, right, and in 11 of them, we kicked field goals," Moore said. "So that is something we point to very often."
The offense seems to be hearing the message loud and clear.
Veteran center Connor Tollison has a pact within the offensive line room that he won't commit any pre-snap penalties this spring. When MU O-line coach Brandon Jones spoke to the media on Tuesday, he said Tollison has held his promise.
But it's not just Tollison who is improving.
In Missouri 's first scrimmage of spring practice Saturday, Moore said that the Tigers didn't commit any penalties in the red zone.
The second-year OC also mentioned that redshirt freshman offensive lineman Logan Reichert was impressive during the scrimmage. With former starter Xavier Delgado gone and Cam'Ron Johnson moving from a starting role on the right to left guard, Reichert is one of the favorites to be Missouri's right guard come August 31 when MU opens its 2024 season.
"I gotta finish watching the tape here soon, but on the field, (Reichert) did a really good job from a right guard perspective," Moore said. "He's got to continue to progress. And the big thing, right, is communication."
For Jones, the main place he wants to see Reichert progress is the mental side of the game.
"It's just confidence I think for (Reichert)," Jones said. "Logan is a physical specimen, and he's going to test through the roof and all of those things but just, you know, just the confidence, trusting his technique, just knowing and being confident in his assignment, which he's making significant strides there."
Just how significant are these strides? Jones compared Reichert's improvement since arriving on campus last fall to "night and day".
Another newcomer on Missouri's O-line is heralded transfer Cayden Green. The former Oklahoma Sooner is set to play left tackle and pair with Johnson on the left side of Missouri's line come fall.
"Me and Cayden, we're coming along well," Johnson said. "You know, we chop it up and figure things out on the field together. He's a really good athlete, you don't really have to worry about him too much."
While Johnson, who played left guard at Houston before transferring to Missouri, views his move as a welcome one to his "natural position", a coincidental dynamic between Johnson, Jones and Green is making the transition even easier.
"(Green) went to OU, so their offensive line coach (Bill Bedenbaugh) was coach Jones' offensive line coach when he was in college (at Texas Tech ), I think," Johnson explained. "So we all know the similar techniques and we all teach the same thing. So he kind of knew everything that we did."
Perhaps moving back to his "natural position" and pairing with Green will help Johnson, who committed a team-high 11 penalties last season, do his part in eliminating the red-zone penalties Moore wants his offense to focus on.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How changes along Missouri's O-Line might help it reduce penalties
