Minutes before Missouri’s home opener against Eastern Michigan began, the pregame intro video quit working, so the giant north end zone video board just cut to a shot of first-year head coach Barry Odom at the entrance tunnel, with his team lined up behind him.
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A player at the front of the team held a Missouri state flag out ahead, and Odom clenched a whistle in his mouth and gazed out ahead, hands on hips. Across the field, up the Rock M hill, and behind that video board, a statue of Missouri’s legendary coach Don Faurot also gazed northward, hands on hips. This was a big night for Odom, and he was surely aware of the coaching footsteps he followed.
Odom led his team out on Faurot Field for the first time, and the Tigers (1-1) beat Eastern Michigan 61-21. Drew Lock threw for 450 yards, threatening the school record and taking the passing yardage lead among SEC quarterbacks. After a close quarter and a half, Missouri reeled off several big plays and gave the fans a feel-good performance on a crisp night in Columbia.
Of course, the enthusiasm comes with a measure of reserve, as Eastern Michigan (1-1) is not a very good team. Let’s see if the offense can put up some numbers against a name opponent.
Speaking of, a barking, silver pants-wearing name opponent comes to Columbia Saturday. Missouri hosts Georgia (6:30 p.m. on SEC Network) in the biggest home game of the year for the Tigers.
It’s always big playing Georgia (2-0), and if Missouri is going to challenge the presumed top three in the SEC East this is the game to start.
Missouri has failed to score a touchdown in the last two games against Georgia, a maddening 9-6 loss Between the Hedges last year and 2014’s 34-0 embarrassment in Columbia.
I’ll go out on a limb and predict Missouri to score a touchdown Saturday night, but it’ll probably take more than just one. Georgia running back Nick Chubb had a remarkable return after a gruesome knee injury last year, running for 222 yards in the Bulldogs’ season opener against North Carolina. True freshman quarterback Jacob Eason is talented but new to the college football scene.
Georgia’s defense has plenty of new starters but plenty of talent. First-year head coach Kirby Smart was the defensive coordinator at Alabama, so he knows a thing or 40 about great defense.
After opening with a win over North Carolina, Georgia only beat Nichols State by two.
Still, this is a good team coming to Columbia. The Bulldogs (No. 13 in the Coaches Poll, No. 16 AP) are the favorite, but I don’t think it’s a massive gap. Even if Eastern Michigan is bad, the confidence check Missouri’s offense got still cashes. The Tigers should be able to hang around, especially with a raucous home crowd.
I’m not going to make any grand predictions of a Missouri win, but it’s the first conference game of the year, and Tiger fans can walk into the stadium Saturday night with hope.