Going into the 2013 season, Missouri deserved a mulligan for its disappointing SEC debut last year. When a team loses three starting offensive linemen to season-ending injuries in August, that squad is going to be in for a world of hurt.
Gary Pinkel’s team was also facing an entire season without star running back Henry Josey, who had run for 1,168 yards in just eight games in 2011. In addition, QB James Franklin was coming off of shoulder surgery and rushing his rehab to be ready for the 2012 season opener.
When Franklin suffered a foot injury in Week 2, his health issues were only magnified. Franklin returned too soon (again) and lost confidence in his accuracy as he overcompensated for both injuries.
The end result was poor play from Franklin, who no longer had his explosive scrambling ability to make up for the issues along the offensive line. The Tigers missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2004.
Some were even suggesting that Pinkel was on the hot seat coming into this year. But Missouri won its first five games, going 4-0-1 against the spread, and went into Athens last weekend to face a Georgia team that was riddled with key injuries.
When Missouri raced out to a 28-10 lead, the thinking had to be that these injuries sometimes even out.
Right?
Wrong.
With the Tigers on their way to taking command of the SEC East and improving to 6-0, Franklin went down with a separated shoulder.
Missouri still pulled out a 41-26 win as a 7-point underdog and hooked up money-line supporters with a payout in the +240 range (risk $100 to win $240), but the loss of Franklin for the next 3-5 weeks is a crushing blow.
In the next two weeks, Florida and South Carolina visit Missouri. With Franklin, the Tigers would probably have been favored in both spots. Without him, they are underdogs this week against UF and likely ‘dogs again vs. the Gamecocks.
With the wild series of events in Week 7, mostly the Georgia loss and Franklin’s injury, the SEC East is now wide open with four legitimate contenders. And South Carolina has to be the biggest winner coming out of last weekend.
For starters, the Gamecocks smashed Arkansas, 52-7, as 5.5-point road favorites. They covered the number for the first time since Week 1, thanks to big performances from senior QB Connor Shaw and sophomore running back Mike Davis.
Most important, Steve Spurrier’s team is no longer essentially two games behind Georgia (the Bulldogs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker). And the trip to Missouri in two weeks isn’t nearly as daunting since Franklin will be in street clothes.
If South Carolina can win at Tennessee and at Missouri, its two toughest remaining games will be at home vs. Florida and Clemson. UF is now without five starters who have suffered season-ending injuries, and the Gamecocks have won four in a row over Clemson by double-digit margins.
To read the rest of Brian Edwards' Weekly Read-Option, including updated Heisman odds and an early lean for Saturday, visit The Linemakers on Sporting News.