2013 pre-season outlook lot of good things. He throws the ball a little better than we Senior Linebacker Gatlin Ridgway were able to do last year and that will naturally open up our offense, as well. The more he plays, the better he’ll be.” McDowell goes into fall practice number one on the depth chart at quarterback, but the Lions will have will have six quarterbacks on the roster. “He (Jay) took over the helm of the offense pretty well this spring and had a lot of reps,” Daye said. “His attitude is really good and he has an outstanding work ethic, but that position will be competitive as we’ve signed two other junior college and two high school quarterbacks. We wanted to solidify ourselves with athletes that could come in right away and play, as well as give us a future by redshirting and I think that we did that well in our recruiting efforts.” Senior Travis Hurd, as well as sophomore Giresse Forchu will be the starters at both running back and fullback for the Lions to open up fall camp. JJ Jones will see action at one of the slot back positions, while Anthony Thayer will be looked to for a continuous presence from the fullback position. The Lions will also have a few new faces at the tight end position that will both bring height, as well as size to the field for the Lions. Devyn McPhaull (6-4, 250) is a junior college transfer from nearby Fort Scott CC, while Donnell Chapman (6-2, 255) is a transfer from Northeast Mississippi CC. Both will be utilized as fans could see some double tight end sets at times. “Those guys excite us because you have two big physical guys that not only catch the ball well, but also are really good blockers,” Daye said. Returners in Will Cuffee and Michael Nelson will highlight a group of receivers that Daye said he likes because not only are they quick and can catch the ball, but they’re all big and look the part. The offensive line returns four of the five starters from a season ago in Julian Young, Caleb Benner, Austin Wolfe and Beau Bounus, while also returning players as backups that saw action last season. Brion Picket, Adrian Brownlee, Chance Mayden and Will Flores will all see action this year and return from a season ago. “I think our offensive line will be one of our strong suits this year,” Daye said. “It’s the first time that I can remember that we’ve had depth at the line. We have some solid depth there and every day as an offensive lineman here, you’re going to get better because there’s someone else pushing for your job and iron sharpens iron.” Defense Defensively, the Lions lose two starters on the defensive line in both Brandon Williams and Jon Rogers, but Southern brings back two starters on the line and five in the backfield. Ryon Phillips and Paco Varol return to anchor the Sophomore Quarterback Jay McDowell 2013 MSSU FOOTBALL @mososports missourisouthernlions mssulions.com
2012 Mssu Football Media Guide
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