The injury situation along the Missouri offensive line may have just gone from bad to worse.
Per both the Columbia Daily Tribune and the Kansas City Star, starting right guard Jack Meiners collapsed to the ground in the backfield on the second series of Thursday's scrimmage. Players immediately motioned for trainers, and Meiners was carted off the field. He was diagnosed with what Tiger coach Gary Pinkel called a left knee sprain--but Pinkel also acknowledged the injury could be much more serious.
“We’re hoping it’s not serious,” Pinkel said. “We’ll get an MRI, see what’s up with that.”
Sixth-year senior tackle Elvis Fisher -- who himself missed the entire 2011 season with a torn patellar tendon -- didn't sound optimistic.
“It didn’t look good at all out there,” he told the Daily Tribune. “But anytime you get a knee injury, whether it’s season-ending or a little ding, it’s going to hurt.”
A 6-6, 310-pound senior who started seven games a year ago (and appeared in all 13), Meiners had owned the starting right guard spot since the start of spring camp, and had been one of the few constants along the Tigers' injury-plagued line. As the Star summarizes (better than we could):
Missouri has already lost one projected starter this camp in guard Travis Ruth, who is out for the season with a triceps injury. Starting left tackle Elvis Fisher missed all of last season with a knee injury, starting right tackle Justin Britt missed the first two weeks of camp with a foot injury and redshirt freshman Taylor Chappell -- perhaps the top backup at offensive tackle -- was also lost for the season during camp with a knee injury.
That's right: Meiners is potentially the third Tiger lineman out of their first six or seven options to be out for the year through injury. Mizzou's lack of proven depth in the interior won't make his loss any easier to take, either; Ruth has reportedly been replaced in the Tiger first team by true freshman Evan Boehm, and Meiners' spot would likely be filled by junior former walk-on Max Copeland. The pair have two combined career appearances, both Copeland's (obviously).
Boehm came to Missouri as one of the nation's more highly-regarded guard prospects, Copeland is no stranger to the offense, and the Tigers do have a handful of other viable options if Meiners' injury proves to be serious or Boehm or Copeland aren't ready. (Redshirt sophomore Nick Demien came to Missouri as one of the most highly-touted offensive line prospects in the country.) All the same, with a litany of the nation's best defensive fronts on the 2011 docket -- including Georgia's in Week 2 -- there's little doubt Pinkel and the Tigers are hoping for the best possible news from Meiners' MRI.
And if the news isn't good? There's a lot of defensive lineman across the SEC that will be licking their proverbial chops.
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