Tee it high and let it fly: Part Four of an In-Depth Look at Mizzou QB Drew Lock
7/14/2018 5:00:00 AM | Football
The message went out to every active Missouri football player on the evening of Dec. 3, 2015. The instructions were to meet at the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex for an announcement. In an auditorium filled with curiosity and anxiety, freshman quarterback Drew Lock and his teammates gathered for the unknown.
Dealing with the unknown had become the theme of the previous month. After Gary Pinkel, the man who recruited Lock and all his teammates, announced his retirement, the quarterback considered following his coach out the door. He had arrived at Missouri as a smiling, carefree golden boy, the next star quarterback in a steady, successful program.
A lot had changed in four months.
If Lock was going to have to start over with a new coach anyway, maybe a different school was a better option. He just had to say the word, and most of the coaches who had coveted him in high school would gladly hand him a scholarship.
All that was swirling in Lock's head as he took his seat.
"All I could think about was the man that walked through that door was going to play a huge role in my life," he said. "I was really nervous."
Moments later, Missouri Athletic Director Mack Rhoades addressed the team.
"We have selected our new head coach," Rhoades said. "And he's here with us tonight, and I'm going to let him in the door."
With that cue, 39-year old Barry Odom entered the room to a thunderous roar. Players climbed over seats, rushed the front of the room and smothered their new leader with hugs and high-fives. Chants of "Bar-ry, Bar-ry" filled air. He was clearly a popular choice with the players. Odom had served as the Tigers defensive coordinator in 2015 and had a long history with the program as a player and assistant.
Lock hung in the back of the group with a smile on his face.
"When I saw it was Coach Odom, I had an immediate sigh of relief," he said. "It was someone I know."
***
From 2012-14, Barry Odom was the defensive coordinator at Memphis and had recruiting responsibilities in Missouri.
"The first time I saw Drew Lock perform as an athlete was actually at one of his basketball games," Odom said. "He was very confident on the court and had complete control of everything. But the thing that impressed the most was you could tell he was having fun. All the attention was on him, and he embraced the spotlight. He played with a smile on his face."
That smile was absent as Lock's freshman season deteriorated, and Missouri's newly appointed head coach was determined to bring it back. Odom and Lock met on the day after he was officially hired.
"He told me to put my freshman year behind me," Lock said. "We were moving forward, and it was going to be my team. He stressed he needed me to act like an upperclassman."
Odom knew he had to grow his relationship with his quarterback.
"I trusted him from the first day I got to practice," Lock said.
The trust may have been challenged when Odom overhauled the staff. Only Andy Hill, Cornell Ford and Ryan Walters were the only carry-overs.
Odom was known for his defensive mind, but he had an idea of what he wanted to do offensively. He identified Lock as the unit's greatest strength. Next, he had to hire coaches.
"I adjusted the staff to give stronger support to the quarterback." Odom said. "I wanted an offensive coordinator who had success playing and coaching that position."
Utah State offensive coordinator Josh Heupel was that guy. Heupel is best known for his QB playing days at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners to a national title in 2000 and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up that season. Heupel was Oklahoma's co-offensive coordinator when quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman in 2008. That team featured a no-huddle approach with an emphasis on pace. Lock liked Heupel's résumé.
Heupel brought an attitude with him. He once said his quarterback better be tough and his ideal offensive linemen were "whiskey drinkers who weren't afraid to start a fight."
***
Lock started every game in 2016, twice passing for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns in non-conference games. His stats were sexy, but success in the SEC would be the true measurement. The Tigers managed only two wins in conference play, both against bowl teams, and finished 4-8.
Lock didn't master the offense his sophomore season, often focusing on a single receiver when he dropped back to throw.
"The new offense was a lot of run-pass option," Lock said. "There were a lot of quick throws to the flat, and when we went downfield, I had to read the defensive backs. Because the receivers weren't always running specific patterns, I was watching the DBs too much and not finding the other receivers."
The RPO offense combined with an accelerated pace of play was supposed to keep defenses on the defensive. It helped a Missouri offense that was anemic the previous year increase its productivity. But the pace also led to quick three-and-out possessions that put extra strain on the defense.
When the offense sputtered, Lock put the blame on himself. Heupel tried to break that habit.
"Probably the best thing Coach Heupel did was to teach me how to get my confidence back," Lock said. "Forget the last play, forget the last loss. I wasn't going to help the team if I was down. I had to be tough and lead no matter what."
Odom was experiencing his own growing pains.
"I probably wasn't focusing on the right things all the time," he said.
Time management had always been one of his strengths, but being a head football coach in the SEC added unexpected responsibilities. There were so many public appearances.
"I needed to do a better job of saying 'no,' " Odom said.
Saying "no" was also something Lock needed to do.
Laura Lock said it's not in her son's nature as a people pleaser.
"If a grade school wanted him to read to a class, he would do it," Odom said. "He's such a great person and representative of our program. I don't think he ever turned anyone down."
However, the coach and quarterback knew it was time to be a little selfish and focus on football. Locked committed more time to off-season workouts and studying the offensive scheme. A chance meeting with former MU quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was a first-round NFL draft pick in 2011, yielded some new advice.
"Blaine told me to loosen up and 'tee it high and let it fly,' " Lock remembered.
***
Missouri won the season opener putting up 72 points on Missouri State. Lock took the off-season advice and let it fly, torching the Bears for 521 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns. Mizzou's defense, though, was giving up stats almost as gaudy. MSU scored 35 points in the first half. It was a sign of things to come.
Missouri lost its next five games, giving up more than 30 points in each. In the middle of that disappointing stretch — a 51-14 loss to Auburn — Odom defended himself in the postgame press conference.
"I want to get one thing real straight — I'm going to win here," Odom said. "That's going to happen. We will win."
The speech was intended to reset the season.
"I was so proud of Coach," Lock said. "He was taking all the heat for our poor play, but it wasn't right. We believed in him so much, trusted him. It was time to show it."
After Odom's outburst, the Tigers played more competitively, even though they lost to Kentucky and Georgia. But close wasn't cutting it. The Tigers were 1-5 and needed to run the table to secure a winning season. If was hard to find a fan who believed they would do it.
However, the right people believed. Lock delivered on his word to be a difference-maker — throwing for more than 3,700 yards and 43 touchdowns in the regular season — as Missouri won its final six games. The scene was set for a Texas Bowl showdown against the Texas Longhorns. Expectations were high, and so was the team's confidence.
Then the text came.
"I'll never forget where I was," Lock said. "I was sitting in sports law class listening to my favorite teacher, Professor(Dana) Massengale. Paul Adams was on my left, Kendall Blanton behind us and Kevin (Pendleton) in front.
Lock's phone vibrated.
"He just stared at his phone, reading that text," Adams said. "Then, all of a sudden, he pops up and runs out of class. I mean who does that? I knew something was really wrong."
The message was from Heupel, notifying Lock he would be leaving Missouri to become the new head coach at Central Florida.
"I hope you'll understand. I have to do this," Heupel's text said. "I love you and I will always be here for you."
Lock was not feeling any love at that moment as he stood in disbelief outside the classroom. His head was spinning. He would be getting his third offensive coordinator in four years. He wanted no part of that. What about declaring early for the NFL draft?
He had a decision to make about his football future. He mightsoon be sending out at momentous text message of his own.
***
Tee it High and Let if Fly is the fourth of a multi-part series about Drew Lock's journey from Lee's Summit, to starting at Mizzou as a freshman and ultimately resetting the SEC's single season passing TD mark a year ago. Keep checking MUTigers.com for updates in the series.
Mizzou Football will open the 2018 season on Sept. 1, 2018, against UT Martin at Memorial Stadium. Fans wishing to purchase season tickets can do so at MUTigers.com/FBTix or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS. For all the latest on Mizzou Football, stay tuned to MUTigers.com or follow the team on social media (@MizzouFootball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook).
