The game wasn’t really the story. Auburn’s Tigers were 37 points better than Missouri’s, winning 51-14 on Saturday evening. It was a third consecutive loss for Missouri and at least the second of those three that came in demoralizing fashion and were decided before the second quarter began.
The outcome had long been decided as fans, media, players and coaches trudged over the bridge spanning Providence Boulevard and connecting Memorial Stadium to the Missouri Athletic Training Complex. All expectations at that point were some more comments about having to work hard, get in the film room, get better, figure things out during a bye week and salvage whatever can still be salvaged in the final two months of a Missouri season that has started quite poorly.
But then Barry Odom stepped to the podium and shattered those expectations. Two weeks ago, we saw an angry Odom after a 31-10 loss in which Missouri went ahead 10-0 and then fell apart. Last Saturday it was a somber Odom after a 35-3 shellacking by Purdue. This week was defiant Barry Odom. When exactly he decided what his post-game message would be, only he knows. But Odom had a message and it was going to be sent to anyone within earshot.
The first two minutes were a recap of what everyone had seen: Complete domination by the visitors, a trend which by the end of the night had reached ten consecutive quarters. Missouri has been outscored 117-17 since a second quarter touchdown against South Carolina.
“Okay, here’s the deal. We obviously wanted to start fast tonight, didn’t do it. Had a procedure penalty there that put us in a situation behind the sticks. Then got the defense on the field, went play-action and gave up a deep post pattern, which we’ve been tested on that. I kind of defensively knew that was probably going to come because that’s what they have shown a number of times and their guy made a play. Nice pass by the quarterback, protection, receiver made a nice play.
“Then, let the game unfold a little bit and we didn’t respond to adversity. We knew it was going to, talked all week, you’re going to have adversity. You’re going to have adversity in life, you’re going to have adversity in everything you do and how you respond will dictate our success or lack thereof. We didn’t respond very well and it’s unfortunate that we again get into a situation where I think we were minus four in the turnover margin and we gave up explosive plays on defense and didn’t sustain drives offensively. For us, right now, that’s who we are.
“Within the game, I thought Larry Rountree did some good things there. He got his pads down and went north and south. Excited to see that for him. I think he’s got a chance of being a really special player. Drew (Lock) made some smart throws over the course of the game. When it wasn’t there, put it in a position, throwing it out of bounds or throwing it away. We’ve got a bye week for us and it will be hugely important for us on how we approach it. When we ended the game I think we had two-and-a-half healthy defensive tackles so that will be a major issue for us, getting those guys back and getting ready to go play a really good Kentucky team. We’ll practice as many times as we can. I’m not worried about the mindset of our football team. I’m worried about us going and getting better and the urgency we have to go do it right now.”
So that part was pretty much what you expected. But then Odom got animated. The next three-and-a-half minutes were as unfiltered as you’ll ever see a football coach.
“Now I want to talk real quick about the state of the program. And here’s the narrative, alright? So pens ready, microphones on, let’s talk real life and where we’re at. All right?”
The stage is yours, coach.
“I want to get thing real straight: I’m gonna win here. That’s gonna happen. We will win. This is a turnaround. Any way you slice it or dice it or want to look at it, this is a turnaround process. And unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—I’m built for this because I’ve been in a whole heck of a lot of them my entire life.
“I want to go back to the year 1997 and 1998 when Larry Smith was here, all right? His ass went and fought for 14 years and finally broke down the wall, okay? He did it. There was a lot of people that went and sacrificed and did a lot of things to get that turned around, but I was part of it. I was in the locker room. I saw it. I was a captain. I know what it takes.
“Okay, fast forward, 2004. Everybody wanted to run Gary Pinkel out of town. Okay, that’s pretty damn foolish, all right? Because all he’s done is become the winningest coach in program history. That was a turnaround. It took time. Okay? That’s where we’re at. Okay? It’s a turnaround. And I don’t like it. I want to win right now. But that’s not the hand I’m given. We’re doing a lot of really good things in this program. Our kids are working extremely hard. We’re not winning games yet. But we will. I’m the man to go get it done with this staff, with this team, with this program. There’s not anybody left standing after 2015, all right? I am. And I know what it takes.
“You talk about dark days? I heard that over here walking across the street. I’ve seen a damn dark day. July 12, 2005. Aaron O’Neal. That’s a dark day. Okay? This ain’t dark days. This is when the going get tough, you build in together, you fight together, you go find a way to get it done. And that’s where we’re at. It’s part of a turnaround process that is not going to be easy. Our team knows that. I know that. Our program knows that. Okay? But a guy that’s the third-team left tackle from Rock Bridge High School that’s got a Twitter account that’s got 12 followers and he wants to put out how terrible we are, all right? That’s the way this society is that we go and we read and we think, ‘Oh my gosh, Missouri football, we’re this and we’re that.’ We haven’t won yet, all right? But I got a group of guys that went over to a hospital yesterday, they took care of a kid. Okay? I’m building the future for this football team and this program and our kids’ lives that they’re going to go be successful the next 40 years of their life. They’re gonna have adversity in their life and they’re going to go back to this point on how they respond. So I’m good. I got a platform to be able to go build it. I know what I’ve got in the locker room. We’re going to win. That’s going to happen.
“Want to fast forward a little bit longer. 2012. Went to Memphis. Maybe historically at that point was the worst program in the country. All right, 2012, we won four games. 2013, we were a hell of a lot better, but we won three games. So everybody’s thinking ‘Oh, they went backwards.’ No, we didn’t go backwards. We were better in a lot of spots. And then 2014, we lined up and we won ten games. Won our bowl game, won a conference championship. And at the end of the year, there wasn’t anybody in the damn country that wanted to play our ass. I guarantee it. Because we were playing the way you’re supposed to go play. It was a turnaround. Justin Fuente did it. I was part of it. Okay?
“And then fast forward to 2015. Okay? That was a tough year. All right? That built me for who I am today. That built our program. We’re going to get there. All right? That’s the narrative. That’s the turnaround. That’s the state of our program. I’m disappointed, I’m frustrated, all of the above. But I’m right where I want to be. Building this team with a whole bunch of guys who want to go do it the right way. The right way in every aspect of our organization. That’s about all I got.”
It looked like that was all we would get too. Odom started to leave. Then he stopped and asked if there were questions. So I asked one: “Is that a message to the fanbase, just in general, something you felt like you needed to say?”
“I wanted to get it, exactly what I wanted to say. I wanted to quit hiding my emotions. I wanted to quit not being me. That’s me. Okay? I’m ready to go get this, I’m ready to go get this done.”
How about the players?
“They’re hurt. They’re ready to go to work. They’re ready to figure this out. Yeah, they’re getting tired of it.”
That was everything Odom said and it was a mouthful. Who knows what it means? The questions have certainly been out there about his job security beyond this year. In the last two weeks, the torches and pitchforks have come out among fans demanding he be out before he coached another game. Odom clearly heard it and read it.
“The great thing about football is it teaches you to get up. The sun came out this morning and we can go back to work and really focus and this team is doing that,” Director of Athletics Jim Sterk told PowerMizzou.com on Friday. “We can still do those things that they were setting goals to do at the beginning of the year. But we’ve got to play better to do that.”
I asked Sterk if it was safe to assume that Odom was the coach for the rest of the season.
“Yeah, Barry’s our coach. That’s what we focus on and it shouldn’t be distracting for him or the team or anything like that. They’ve got a lot of work to do so that’s the plan.”
“Unless there’s something crazy, it’s usually three or four years,” Sterk said when asked if there is a general guideline for how long it takes to turn a program around. “I’ve been impressed with Barry. The kids that are here want to play hard for him. I think they’re collectively together and I expect them to pull together and play a heck of a lot better the rest of the season.”
Before the year Sterk said that his goal for the team and a sign of progress was to win six games and make a bowl game. But that was not an ultimatum or a standard that had to be met.
“No, that’s not what I was saying,” he replied. “Every year, I always look at how do we get to six wins and then you feel a lot better because that’s an accomplishment, that’s a reward for the team and so that’s kind of a level to look at. Did I tell Barry he needs to win six games? No.
“I never tell a coach a number. You can be safe in saying that.”
None of the players heard Odom’s address to the media. J’Mon Moore said he was not so full of fire and brimstone in the locker room after the game. But to a man they backed the coach.
“I believe in Coach Odom a lot,” quarterback Drew Lock said. “Just the aura he gives around when he walks around this place, the drive he has, some of the stuff he says to us. He cares about the program more than I think someone else would. He’ll live or die on this stuff and it means a lot to all of us.”
“All I know is keep pushing,” Moore said. “You think you’re working hard? Coming out here and performing like that, you’re gonna have to work harder than that. Everybody’s gonna have to do a little bit more.
“Put in too much work. Worked too hard to come out here and not win. It’s real urgent in that locker room. We’ve got to look in the mirror. Can’t point no fingers. Got to point fingers at ourselves. We’ve got to do better.”
Indeed. The Tigers’ next chance is two weeks away at Kentucky.
