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Odom's ready to defend

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and it shows in his mannerisms.

He's got no time for subjects. His sentences often start with verbs. Like taking the shortest route to a ball carrier. They call that efficiency in his hometown of Maysville, Okla., and over the course of a year, probably saves him at least three or four minutes. You know what his point is, so why waste everyone's time, right?

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and it shows in his personality.

Missouri ranked 100th in punt return yardage last year. One-hundred and twenty-seventh in kick return yardage. Even on coverage, not much better. The Tigers were third-to-last nationally in opponent's kick return yardage. Under Gary Pinkel, Missouri didn't have a dedicated special teams coach. What does Odom do? He makes himself the special teams coach, and hires an analyst (Jonathan Rutledge) as his right hand man.

So, yes, that's Barry Odom running down the practice field with his return units. That's him swiping at guys with pads, hootin' and hollerin' and, every now and then, cussin'. That's just what defensive coaches do.

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and that side of the ball will always have his heart.

He still talks about the defense as "We" whereas the offense is "They." When asked about freshman running back Damarea Crockett, Odom said how much he wanted him on defense. A few days later, he came back to that thought.

He actually meant how much he wanted Dimetrios Mason, another freshman, on defense.

"I'm still working on that, and I guess I'll be working on that forever," Odom said, "on making sure that every aspect of the program that you look at, the entire body of what we're doing. It's a little bit easier when you're focused on one side. You've got to do everything to do that, but I've got to listen. I still think, I'm fortunate with the staff that we have, to ask their opinions, to get information and then provide the best opportunity for our kids to have success."

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, but he can still let his guard down. He knows how to work the media, probably already more advanced in that department than Pinkel ever was. He addresses media members by name.

Press conferences are going to need fainting couches pretty soon, because that's how you make reporters swoon.

"Gabe, thanks for asking that," Odom starts one answer.

He's got Coach Speak down to a science. It's address-and-pivot, the off-the-field version of survive-and-advance. But every now and then, that guard comes down. Like when he's asked if he likes being the underdog. That's what he is, after all. That's what he was as a shorter-than-hell linebacker who racked up 362 career tackles. That's what he was after starting out as a high school coach and working every single job in a college program, besides maybe doing laundry and filling water bottles.

Now, he's a ten-point 'dog in his first game as head coach. More so, he's on the road against a Power-5 opponent, the first new SEC coach to face that scenario since Joker Phillips in 2010 with Kentucky.

(That was against Louisville, though, so it was still an in-state game.)

"Yeah, I'll be honest," Odom said. "I really like it. I like the opportunity to prove people wrong. That's the way I was brought up."

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and he has to be himself. That's the advice his mentor, Gary Pinkel, gave to him earlier this week. Odom wanted to speak with Missouri's former coach.

"Had a couple questions for him," Odom said. "... He said, 'What are you gonna be like on gameday?'

"I've got to be me. Last year, was up in the box, hidden a little bit so I don't know if that was on video. I need to obviously be in control of the game, but also, I've got to be myself. I may throw up a few fist-bumps up there..."

Has to be himself. That's what his players want to see.

"He's a passionate dude," offensive lineman Kevin Pendleton said. "That's what I've loved about him since last year, we started working with him. You know, as long as there's no penalties. He's the head ball coach, so we're just here to support him and follow the map he's drawn for us.

"I'm sure he'll be an animated guy and an excited dude, and I can't wait to see it."

"To be honest, I don't want him to change anything," cornerback Aarion Penton said. "Ever since he was the DC, everything he says gets you pumped up and fired up, mentally prepared and just focused. I wouldn't recommend him changing anything. But he's a man, he's the head coach now, so he'll know a lot more than me. I still just hope he still brings that intensity and say whatever it is to give us chills and goosebumps like he always did."

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and -- right now -- Missouri has to be defended. Odom is following the program's leader in wins. Not only that, but he follows Gary Pinkel after a down year marked by more news off the field than on it.

Even a recent innocuous answer about gun policy for his players led to national headlines and outrage.

"I just want to do right, like I said earlier, I just want to do right for them," Odom said, referring to the players he inherited. "I mean, I owe 'em. They worked their tails off and have done absolutely everything I've asked them to do for a number of months now. I feel the urgency to put them in position to have the chance to be successful. Our staff feels the same way."

His favorite sweat-stained hat shows the importance of this opportunity to Odom. It's a tree-ring dating of anxiety, of stress, of excitement, of preparation.

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and he's defending more than just his players.

"I get one shot at this, and I've got a lot of people that are counting on me to do it right," Odom said. "There's a lot of people here at the University of Missouri that care deeply about this program, our athletic department. The state of Missouri is important to me, to represent the right way. There's a whole bunch of former players that I owe them to do it right, and there won't be a day, ever, I forget that."

Barry Odom is a defensive coach, and that's all you need to know about him.

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