You may have heard today is Thanksgiving. Take a break between courses to see what every Tiger fan should be thankful for.
1. Barry Odom's survival instinct. In 2016, Odom sat 2-7 in his first year before winning two of his final three to offer some hope. In year two, he started 1-5 before reeling off six straight wins. After a devastating loss to Kentucky that would have sunk many teams in October, Odom has his team playing its best football in the final month, winners of its last three games by an average of 19.7 points. If Odom can beat Arkansas tomorrow, he'll be 10-2 in November. Now it's time to work on the first two months.
2. Drew Lock's loyalty. Lock's legacy will be complicated and we don't know exactly what it will be just yet. But we know it will be a lot more positive than it would have been a month ago. Recruited by everyone with options across the country, Lock committed to the Tigers when his father asked him how he'd feel if he watched someone else play quarterback for the home-state school. Through some rough times--both self-inflicted and not--Lock's relationship with the Missouri fanbase was complicated. But now he prepares for the final regular season game of his career as the SEC's second all-time leading passer and will leave the program better than he found it when he started his first game in the middle of the 2015 season.
3. Terry Beckner Jr's development. Beckner is a very good player. Whether he's quite been the five-star he was supposed to be or not, he's a very good player. But more than that, he's become perhaps the best leader in Missouri's locker room. He's the player Missouri coaches should point to every single time someone says Mizzou doesn't do right by St. Louis players. He'll be a college graduate and an NFL Draft pick and a guy that represents Missouri very well.
4. Josh Whitman's generosity. Whitman, the Athletic Director at Illinois, helped Mark Smith with the process of getting a waiver to play this season for Missouri. He didn't have to. Most probably wouldn't have. But Whitman did. And Missouri needs Smith on a team that doesn't have a whole lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket.
5. Sophie Cunningham's personality. Let's get this out of the way: If she was on any other team, you'd probably hate her. Most opposing fans do. But she's not. She's on your team. And while she's not the highest profile athlete on campus because of the sport she plays, she's the face of the school and the city. She is called the Mayor of Columbia around campus and she lives up to it. She constantly praises the fans and takes time for them after games. And she can play some basketball too.
6. Brian Smith's program. The names and faces change, but the results don't. Wrestling is Missouri's most successful program and it isn't particularly close. The Tigers are rolling along again and should be one of the best teams at the NCAA Championships at the end of the season.
7. Kevin Puryear's steadiness. Puryear won't be remembered as one of the best players in Missouri history. He may not make many lists of favorite players. But through all the hideousness of the three years before 2017-18, Puryear worked his hardest and did everything he could. Like Lock, he was an in-state kid who always wanted to play at Missouri. He never complained, never got in trouble, never did much of anything wrong other than not being on very good teams. He's in his final year at Mizzou and deserves some attention for how he's gone about it all.
8. The devotion of the fans that continue to show up. Yes, attendance is an issue at football games. Yes, it's going to be down from last year at basketball games. Missouri needs more people to show up, but the ones who continue to do so need to be appreciated. It's not a program that has what you'd call a long list of championships or a short list of heartbreaks. Being a Missouri fan ain't the easiest thing in the world. To the die-hards (and if you're reading this, you probably qualify), you deserve a tip of the cap.
9. The Kreklows. No coaches are more of an institution in Columbia than Wayne and Susan. They've been here for 19 years and they've won a lot of games and a lot of awards. The Tigers are ranked and headed back to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament again this year.
10. I write this column every year and I always reserve this spot for my personal thanks. First, to Mitchell Forde, Sean Williams, Keegan Pope, Jordan Kodner, Joe Walljasper and everyone else who has helped make this the place we believe to be the best place fans can find to follow Missouri sports. I'm old now and there might be days here and there I don't work as hard as I used to. They allow me to do that. Second, to all of you reading. This doesn't work if nobody's paying attention. We think we give a fair price, but it does cost money to follow along here. That you choose to spend some of yours here is not lost on us even on the bad days. My ultimate goal is to get paid not to work. But as long as that's not happening, this is the next best thing. Thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving.
