It's the question everyone that follows Missouri football wants answered: What changed?
How did this Missouri team go from 1-and-5--and a non-competitive 1-and-5 at that--to the hottest team in the SEC, five straight wins by at least four touchdowns and bowl eligibility with a chance at seven wins?
The easy answer is they've played better. That much is obvious. The defense is applying more pressure, taking the ball away more and getting off the field on third down. The offense is led by a quarterback who is on the verge of setting records, two running backs who have more than sufficiently replaced the starter, and a receiving corps led by one of the best freshman tight ends in America.
But it's more than that. It's not just on the field. In fact, if you talk to the coaches and players, it's not even mostly on the field.
"I think I told you guys a long time ago, I think it was like after the Auburn game, we got to do a better job of loving each other and being better teammates and accepting what can we do to help this program," senior tight end Jason Reese said. "A lot of people, it’s not playing. You’ve got to find other ways. It’s building camaraderie and coming together off the field to help us win those games on Saturday."
"They’ve got to be close as a team. They’ve got to have relationships that are built on trust and honesty and the willingness to give and sacrifice for everybody, not just individual accomplishments," head coach Barry Odom said. "If you’ve got some of those qualities you’re going to be okay. If you’ve got a lot of those qualities, you’re going to be better than okay."
Right now, Missouri has a lot of those qualities. Older players have ceded playing time to younger ones. New faces have taken to their roles. And the coaches have massaged it all.
"If you’ve got good staff harmony you’ve got a good chance that exudes outside of the staff room and that helps your complete program and your team when you’re working together," Odom said. "Sometimes everybody’s in agreement and sometimes there’s pretty good arguments, but when we walk out of the door, everybody’s going to be on the same page. That’s what it takes. That’s healthy. I don’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of yes guys. That doesn’t get you anywhere."
More than anything, Odom boiled it down from big picture to micro-focus. Don't focus on six games, focus on the next one. Don't focus on the next quarter, or the last one, focus on the next play. Where it's gotten the Tigers right now is 6-and-5 and bowl eligible. But not yet to where they want to be.
"Six wins is really cool, get to go to a bowl game, but I think seven sounds a whole lot better," quarterback Drew Lock said. "Then going to a bowl game and getting eight would be ideal for this program. I think if we don’t get eight wins, we’ll look at this like yes, this was a great win we had, but without eight, I don’t think anyone’s really going to be satisfied."
"All of us are going to be disappointed," Jason Reese added. "A lot of us are excited to practice today to start off this week to get to 1-0 this week."
Odom told the team this week that only one team in college football history has started the season 1-and-5 and followed it with seven straight wins. The Tigers aim to be number two.
"That’s what we’re pushing for this week to get to seven to be able to get to eight," Lock said.
You know, one week at a time.
LOCK CHASING HIS IDOL
Lock's next touchdown pass will be his 39th this season. That would tie Chase Daniel for the all-time Missouri single-season record.
"I think that would be super cool in my mind," Lock said. "I think it might mean a little more for me maybe than a quarterback coming from somewhere else because growing up watching Chase, he was an idol of mine. Got to throw with him this summer, talk to him a lot, great guy. It would be awesome."
Lock has thrown 65 touchdown passes in his career at Missouri. If he comes back for his senior season, another record would be in sight. Daniel threw 101 touchdowns between 2005 and 2008. If Lock matched this year's numbers, he'd own that mark too.
Of course, in recent weeks, the speculation has arisen that he might not come back. Could Lock go pro early?
"As of right now, not really," Lock said when asked if he has a timetable for making a decision. "We've had talks."
Odom said he has talked with Lock and Terry Beckner Jr. throughout the year, even going back to before the start of the season, about the possibility of going pro early. He went through the same consultations with Charles Harris a year ago, who ended up leaving school and going 23rd overall to the Miami Dolphins.
"The most important thing, if you have a relationship, it's not like you have to call a meeting to specifically talk about their future," Odom said. "There's been ongoing conversations from the beginning of the year through even yesterday. They're so dialed in to what they need to do for this football team."
After the season, a number of underclassmen--certainly including Lock and Beckner--will get feedback from the Draft Advisory Board on where they might be selected. It will be either first round, second round or stay in school.
"I want them to have all the information they can have, but I also want them to see the big picture," Odom said. "Fortunately with all these guys, we've got a trusting relationship with the process. They've been really open with me about it."
YOU BETTER LEARN HIS NAME
Midway through the first quarter at Vanderbilt, Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam caught a pass. The press box announcer said, "Pass complete to Albert..." He then paused. And laughed. That was it. The next time: "Pass complete to Albert." The third time, he finally took a stab at the last name.
For the record, it's OAK-woo-ay-BOO-nahm. And people better start to learn to say it because he's having a hell of a season. He has caught 20 passes for 309 yards and a Mizzou freshman record nine touchdowns.
"When you get the ball close he’s got a chance to use his body to get in position to make the grab," Odom said. "For a young guy he’s getting a lot thrown at him, but he’s handled it. I think that role for him will continue to grow."
"Albert's one of my favorite guys on the team," Lock said. "When he does catch the ball he’s one of the guys on our team that will really go up and get the ball when he needs to. I can trust him 100 percent in a one on one situation."
Okwuegbunam's ascendance has come at the expense of playing time for senior Jason Reese. But when asked about that, Reese goes back to what he said about everyone finding his role on a successful team.
"I genuinely love everyone on this team. Albert is playing his butt off right now. It’s really fun to watch. I took him under my wing and so it’s fun to see his development," Reese said. "It’s just fun for me to see his success knowing that I kind of took him in and showed him how good a football player he is."
So from the view of a redshirt senior, what's the ceiling for the 270-pound redshirt freshman?
"I don’t even know. Nine touchdowns as a freshman? It’s crazy," Reese said. "I’m just so excited for him to see. He’s very large. He continuously gains weight. He’s a couple biscuits away from being a left tackle now."
