Mizzou Football head coach Barry Odom said during his weekly press conference he thought his team was "so close to winning an evenly matched contest" in regards to Mizzou's game on Saturday, Oct. 6, against South Carolina.
"When you look back through the previous game, it doesn't make you feel any better, but you evaluate and make moves to try to move your program forward," Odom said. "You learn and you take something from it. I think the players have and the coaches have, and hopefully you apply it and you don't make those same errors again."
Odom remains optimistic about the remainder of Mizzou's season. He explained that it is going to take consistent preparation for both the players and coaches.
?? We've got a lot of football left to play. We need to be in the play, be in the moment. - @Coach_Odom on taking #Mizzou to Alabama Saturday #MIZ #ShowMe ???? pic.twitter.com/8Gu9ZXjN8K
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 10, 2018
"There are a lot of things in front of us and we can be a really good football team if we continue to work, if we continue to prepare and trust the process on going in and delivering our best."
Mizzou's opponent this Saturday, Oct. 13, offers another tough road challenge when the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. Alabama is currently ranked number one every one of the polls.
"You watch and you study and you evaluate and game plan," Odom explained. "They don't have weaknesses. They play extremely hard and extremely well and they're coached to that level and they've got really good players. They're playing as good of football as anybody in the country."
Odom said he's played or coached in a few games that he could compare to what he believes playing Alabama will be like Saturday.
"I've been in this situation a couple times as a player and a coach. You want to go play this game. You want to go prepare and then go cut loose and see how you stack up. If there's any circumstance that you are in awe or in doubt then you haven't prepared the right way. As a player I remember getting in those positions at times. If you can just worry about playing your best and delivering your best one play at a time then that's what we've got to get to."
Odom mentioned Mizzou's starting linebackers and the impact they had on the game Saturday in South Carolina. Senior LB Terez Hall, redshirt senior LB Brandon Lee, and junior LB Cale Garrett combined for 25 tackles, 4.5 for loss and a sack during Saturday's competition against South Carolina.
"With Brandon Lee at the SAM backer, Cale Garrett at the MIKE, Terez Hall at the WILL, all three of them are playing at a pretty good level right now and we can still get better. The guys behind them are getting better too. Right now, they've earned the snaps they are getting."
Mizzou was unable to leave South Carolina with a win on Saturday after a tough five hour and 13 minute game that included two separate weather delays. However, Odom believes his team will respond to the adversity.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we're at a better spot than we were any time last year and that's on the field ways that we're playing and the program and team handling adversity. It isn't perfect in where we need to be yet, but we're getting there."
Odom continued, "The resiliency and the toughness to be able to battle back, I've admired up to this point. Every year is different and every team is different. I do know that I've got a group of guys that are going to prepare the right way and they're going to play their tails off and look forward every week to go compete again."
Lock finished Saturday's game 17-36 for 204 yards with two interceptions. Odom said the loss "stung Drew that we weren't able to win a close."
"I think he's really hard on himself," Odom continued about Lock. "Most guys in that spot are that are really good, and Drew is no different. He wants to go, he wants everything on him and he wants to go win every one of them."
Odom went on to explain that Lock hasn't always been in these situations during his career at Mizzou and it's a learning experience.
"It's not always going to happen and so that's a learning process. This is a learning experience for him and all of our guys. There were times last year that he could go cut loose, but we would be down four touchdowns and it didn't really matter. The investment he's put in and putting the hours in for real football games and not coming out with a win, that hurts him."
Alabama on Saturday will be another step in the learning process for Lock and company. Alabama currently leads the southeastern conference, and the nation, in total offense.
"There's challenges every which way you look," Odom said. "Whether its game one or game six like it is for us now we're going to prepare the same way. We've got to go play one snap at a time and go cut loose."
Kickoff for Mizzou's game against Alabama Saturday is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN.