A coincidence, yes, but it’s also a big and bright sign that Missouri University’s two tight ends had an equal – and huge – role in the Tigers’ offense in 2005.

Expect it to expand even more this year. Dual-threat quarterback Brad Smith is handing the reins over to pass-first slinger Chase Daniel, and it could mean even bigger things for Rucker and Coffman, two All-American candidates at the same school at the same position.

“I expect everyone to catch the ball more,” Rucker said Wednesday at Big 12 Conference media days. “(Daniel) doesn’t like to run. He likes to throw the ball and showcase his arm.”

Receivers like William Franklin and Brad Ekwerekwu could benefit, but it’s likely that MU does something unusual: center its offense around two homegrown tight ends. It’s only logical.

Rucker, a St. Joseph, Mo., product, and Coffman, a Peculiar, Mo., talent, both had connections to other Big 12 schools through family. Rucker’s brother, Mike, was an All-American at Nebraska. Coffman’s father, Paul, was a standout tight end at Kansas State.

Both ignored the legacies, though, and went to Missouri. Coffman did so despite the fact Rucker already was making a mark in Columbia at his position.

“We said we’ll probably red-shirt (Coffman) because we have a real experienced tight end in T. Ruck,” MU coach Gary Pinkel said of the 2005 preseason. “And we’re going through two-a-days, and the guy kept showing up and making the plays.”

Coffman forced Pinkel and his staff to reconsider. The Raymore-Peculiar kid ticketed for a red shirt instead displayed the ability to be one of the conference’s top receivers. Right away.

Pinkel ended up digging out the two-tight-end-formation plays more and more, as well as sticking Rucker and Coffman out wide at times.

Really, he had no choice.

“We move them all over the place,” Pinkel said. “I think it fits for our offense. It’s a real plus for us.”

Pinkel now has two interchangeable parts. Rucker had 64 more receiving yards in 2005, but Coffman had three more touchdowns. Rucker is 10 pounds heavier, but Coffman has an inch or two in height.

However it adds up, it creates matchup problems that are hard to ignore. Rucker and Coffman won’t always be on the field at the same time, but they certainly will be playing more often than not.

“We can put those two guys anywhere we want to put them,” Pinkel said. “And we can pretty much match them up to a certain degree against anybody.”

Added Rucker: “We can always get down the middle of the field. The linebackers are typically too slow, and the DB’s are too short. We start throwing the ball down the middle of the field, get those safeties inside the hashes and open it up to the guys outside. They can’t cover us all.”

The loss of Smith takes away the quarterback-scramble dimension to the offense, but Mizzou does have talent among its skill positions returning. Marcus Woods and Tony Temple will roam the backfield, Daniel has limited experience but tons of promise at quarterback, and wideouts Franklin and Ekwerekwu are battle-tested.

But the efficiency will come most from Coffman and Rucker, so long as Daniel finds what worked 47 times apiece between the two tight ends last season.

So can it really happen? Can a college football offense really be centered around two tight ends?

“We’ll see,” Rucker said. “I don’t know. It’s never been done before, I don’t think. But I think we can do it.”