Coach Odom Previews Homecoming vs. Memphis
10/18/2018 5:15:00 PM | Football
Mizzou Football head coach Barry Odom is hoping that his team can cap off homecoming week with winning football and send the alumni home happy.
"Obviously, this event started here years and years ago, so we want our small part of this weekend, those three and a half hours on Saturday, for those coming back to leave the right way and that would be winning football," Odom explained. "Our guys understand that. It's nice to see people come back and care about Mizzou and I wish them a great week and even better Saturday."
Mizzou's opponent this Saturday, Oct. 20, will be the Memphis Tigers. Odom had previously coached at Memphis before returning to coach Mizzou.
"There are some many people that are still there when I was there for those three and half years," Odom said. "You look back over the past three, four, five years they've won about as many football games as anybody in the country. There are so many people that I'm close with that still have ties to that university and that city. It was a really good place to me and my family and the American Athletic Conference is one I hold in very high regard."
?? "To be the birthplace of Homecoming, it's a special weekend for everybody."@Coach_Odom previews Saturday's #MIZ107HC game vs. Memphis#MIZ #ShowMe ???? pic.twitter.com/Si870g7kt2
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 18, 2018
Odom expressed that Memphis will provide a "tremendous challenge" on Saturday, but that his players are "focused" and "ready to go play." Odom anticipates that it is going to be an exciting game and he is looking forward to the challenge.
One of the keys to Memphis's success this season has been the running game, in particular RB Darrell Henderson. Henderson has rushed for 1,133 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns and his 10.3 yards per carry leads the nation.
"They've got as an explosive of a running back and running attack as anybody in the country," Odom said of Henderson and the Memphis running attack. "There are a number of reasons why and it's because he's a really good player and they've got a really good scheme. His yards after contact are maybe the most impressive with the way that he plays."
Odom believes Henderson is a "tremendous talent" and said that if Mizzou is going to have success on Saturday, it will have to be able to slow him down and nobody has done that yet.
Another key to Mizzou's success on Saturday will be to prevent the big quarter from happening.
"The focus for us is one snap at a time and no matter the success or the failure that you have on that play that can't have an effect on the next snap," Odom said. "There's been some quarters we've played really well and been explosive, but also when you turn the ball over or give them an explosive play on defense and then you do it again that compiles to turn into one of those quarters."
Odom also mentioned that he has talked with his players about being six-second competitors.
"We talk about it on the mental conditioning side of being a six-second competitor. The average play is about six seconds so you focus and process the information once you get the play call you go into the process of having positive self talk, you get your alignment, and then you get in the moment of playing the play and that takes time and training."
A player that has stepped up for Mizzou into a more leading role is freshman WR Jalen Knox. Knox is currently Mizzou's second leading receiver behind Senior WR Emanuel Hall.
"He's handled it in a very mature way and he's going to be a great player in my opinion. He's got the football IQ. He's got the ability to work, learn, train; I mean he's all in both feet. It's fun watching him practice and it's fun watching him go compete. I'm proud of the way he's stepped up and really helped our team."
Mizzou's homecoming game against Memphis on Saturday will kickoff at 3p.m. on SEC Network.
