COLUMBIA, MO. • When injuries depleted Missouri’s backfield depth last fall, the tailback timeshare became a party of one for the season’s final stretch. That was just fine with Larry Rountree III, who quietly put together one of the most prolific seasons for a Missouri running back.
Rountree logged five 20-carry games last year, including each of Mizzou’s final four games. By the end of MU’s 8-5 season, Rountree’s 225 carries were the most for a Mizzou running back since Devin West’s 283 in 1998. Only two other running backs in team history have carried the ball more times in a given season: Brock Olivo (232 in 1995) and Darrell Wallace (226 in 1985).