You know you thought it. It’s okay to admit it. Drew Lock’s pass over the middle was intercepted on Missouri’s first play from scrimmage. Four plays later, Idaho scored to take a 7-0 lead.
Disaster was looming. This Missouri team had talked about winning out in the second half, talked of a complete turnaround.
And now this.
Missouri was going to lose.
To Idaho.
“Not how you draw it up,” head coach Barry Odom said. “There was a very pointed discussion between our offensive coordinator (Josh Heupel) and (Lock). It would not be G-rated.”
Lock offered up the G-rated version.
“Just play the next play,” Lock said. “Got a lot of football left. Don’t let this one eat you up. They played a different look than maybe we thought on that first play of the game. Thought I saw it correctly. Still believe I did just threw a bad ball.”
Exactly ten minutes and 32 seconds later, Lock had thrown four touchdown passes and Mizzou led 34-7. He ended the day 23-33 for 467 yards and six touchdowns. The Tigers went on to win 68-21. Crisis averted. For now, anyway.
“I think I’ve handled a lot of adversity since I’ve been here so I think throwing a pick on the first play is probably the least,” Lock said. “ I mean, I’ve been in a lot of worse situations here.”
“That’s a work in progress for every team probably on being able to withstand something like that early,” Odom said. “Drew’s a tough kid and a great competitor. It’s nice now to the point, especially him. He understands when he doesn’t make the right throw and he gets it. He knew it right when it came out of his hand.”
“I guess we got the jitters out,” wide receiver Richaud Floyd said. “Just stay calm and be poised.”
“I feel like every game has started off somewhat like that,” defensive back Cam Hilton said. “I try to motivate the team and keep them up. Personally, that’s what I do.”
Now, look, this is Idaho. They’re headed to FCS football next year and on Saturday didn’t really look like they’ll compete very well at that level. But a starving man doesn’t turn down day-old bread. Missouri needed a win badly and on Saturday it got one.
The Tigers did it with a lethal passing game, a running game that got much of the day off along with injured starter Damarea Crockett (it came out after the game that Crockett had surgery on his shoulder yesterday and will be "out for quite a while"), a new kicker (Nick Bartolotta filled in for a suspended Tucker McCann who will return next week), a bevy of new looks on defense and a touchdown from a punt return team that had been averaging less than a yard per return prior to Saturday.
“It was my first touchdown in I don’t know how many years, but it feels great. I really didn’t know what to do,” Floyd said of the return. “I caught it on the bounce and my kick block team did a great job of blocking, holding the shield up.”
Missouri won for the first time in seven weeks. After the opening minute, there was no drama. The Tigers did exactly what you would hope and expect they would do to a 2-and-5 Sun Belt team that started by not being talented and compounded it by turning the ball over and piling up penalties at an alarming rate.
The numbers were gaudy. The game was over at the start of the second quarter. It’s a start. Missouri is still 2-and-5 itself. It still does not have a win over a team that will be in FBS come 2018. Whether it means anything will be determined over the course of the next five weeks. But it’s a start. Especially the way things looked after one play.
“The focus now,” Odom said, “Is to hit reset and do it again next week.”
