Mizzou Football Opens 2019 With Rare Road Opener at Wyoming

Saturday, August 31

Laramie, Wyo.

6:30 PM (CT)

University of Missouri

Wyoming

Mizzou Football Opens 2019 With Rare Road Opener at Wyoming

8/27/2019 8:20:00 AM | Football

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) on CBS Sports Network

Tigers Enter Year Four of Odom Era With High Expectations
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
at Wyoming	Laramie, Wyo.	Saturday, Aug. 31	6:30 PM	CBS Sports Network	Stats

#ShowMe Mizzou Game Notes

MIZZOU OPENS 2019 SEASON IN RARE ROAD OPENER AT WYOMING

Mizzou Football will open its 129th season and fourth under the direction of head coach Barry Odom this Saturday in Laramie, Wyoming, as it will take on the University of Wyoming in a 6:30 p.m. (CT) kick at War Memorial Stadium. Saturday's game will air live on CBS Sports Network and the Tiger Radio Network.

MIZZOU IN SEASON OPENERS

In its previous 128 season openers, Mizzou has won more than two-thirds of them, going 83-40-5 all-time (66.8%). Included in that win total was a 14-year win streak in season openers, but that string was broken in 2016 when the Tigers faced a tough test opening on the road at West Virginia, falling by a 26-11 count. Mizzou has however won its last two season-openers, a 51-14 triumph over UT Martin a year ago and a 72-43 win over Missouri State in 2017.

MIZZOU-WYOMING SERIES HISTORY

Mizzou and Wyoming had never met on the gridiron prior to last season, when the Tigers played host to the Cowboys in week two, and cruised to a 40-13 home win at Faurot Field. The first quarter was a defensive slugfest, as Mizzou held a 3-0 lead after one period. The Tiger offense then got untracked, scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions beginning in the second quarter, including four touchdown passes from QB Drew Lock, to extend the lead to 37-10 with 13:05 left in the game.
All five of those Mizzou TD drives covered 70 or more yards and were at least eight plays in length as the Tigers eventually owned big advantages in total offense (601-to-248) and time of possession (33:24-to-26:36), on the way to its first 2-0 start to a season since 2015.
Lock ended the game 33-for-45 passing for 398 yards and the four scores, while he also ran for 51 yards and another touchdown. Fellow senior WR Emanuel Hall was Lock's favorite target of the night, as he hauled in 10 catches for a career-high 171 yards and one touchdown.

MIZZOU WITH EIGHT ON PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAM

Mizzou Football landed eight players on the 2019 Preseason All-SEC Teams as selected by the league's 14 head coaches. Mizzou's eight selections to the three All-SEC teams marked the fifth-most by any team and the second-most of any SEC East team, trailing only Georgia.
Mizzou landed three players – senior LB Cale Garrett, junior TE Albert Okwuegbunam and senior OL Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms – on the first team. Only Alabama (10), Georgia (four) and LSU (four) had more first-team selections than
Mizzou. Garrett and Wallace-Simms were first-team All-SEC honorees following the 2018 season.
Senior CB DeMarkus Acy is a second-team pick heading into the 2019 season after earning the same distinction from the league's coaches following the 2018 season. Mizzou had four players – senior OL Yasir Durant, junior DL Jordan Elliott, senior PK Tucker McCann and junior RB Larry Rountree earn spots on the third team.

MIZZOU ENTERS YEAR FOUR OF THE ODOM ERA

In three years directing his alma mater's football program, Head Coach Barry Odom has led Mizzou Football to impressive achievements. In 2018, Odom's Tigers finished an exciting regular-season ranked No. 23 in the College Football Playoff poll (No. 24 in the Associated Press poll) with eight wins, reached a second-straight bowl game thanks to yet another strong closing month, and turned heads nationally with one of the year's most impressive road wins.
Thanks to the building momentum, and a significant amount of returning talent, excitement is high in and around the Mizzou program heading into 2019. Outside prognosticators think highly of Mizzou's chances to be among the nation's best this coming season, as several national outlets have the Tigers ranked in their preseason Top-25 polls – ESPN's FPI have the Tigers ranked No. 19 heading into the season
Much of the excitement heading into the new season revolves around the lifeblood of any college football program – recruiting. Odom and his staff worked hard to assemble a 2019 signing class that ranked 31st (Rivals.com), a standing that's among the highest-ranked classes ever assembled at Mizzou. That ranking doesn't even include what created the most buzz nationally in recruiting circles, when Odom convinced transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant to become a Tiger. The former Clemson starter, who led those Tigers to the College Football Playoff in 2017 and had a career starting record of 16-2, will bring his significant talents to the program for one year in 2019.
On the field, Odom guided his troops to an 8-5 record in 2018 and to the school's third all-time appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. After increasing his win total each year since taking over in 2016, Odom's three-year career mark stands at 19-19. He is only the fourth coach in Mizzou history to reach bowl games in two of his first three seasons at MU, joining College Football Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine in that category, as well as former coaches Al Onofrio and Warren Powers.

WELCOME KELLY BRYANT

One of the major storylines surrounding Mizzou Football during the offseason was the addition of graduate transfer QB Kelly Bryant, who started 18 games for the reigning national champion Clemson Tigers. Bryant went 16-2 in those 18 games and helped lead Clemson to the College Football Playoff in 2017.
Bryant was one of the most highly sought-after graduate transfers this past off-season and chose the Tigers over multiple top-tier programs. He was immediately ingrained as part of the Mizzou culture after enrolling in classes in January.
Bryant had an impressive 2019 Spring camp, and closed spring ball in the 2019 Black & Gold Spring Game in impressive fashion - completing 12-of-17 passes for 150 yards. He led the No. 1 offense downfield for a touchdown drive on its first possession of the game.
At Clemson in 2017, he was 262-of-398 passing for 2,802 yards and 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 886 snaps over 14 games (14 starts), going 12-2 in those games. His 12 wins were the most-ever by a first-year stating QB in Clemson history. He was 4-0 as a starter last year, including a big win at No. 16 Texas A&M, before deciding to transfer.
He holds the Clemson record for Top-25 wins as a starting quarterback (six), is seventh in completion percentage, eighth in passing yards, completions, attempts, total offense (3,467) and in total offense per game (247.6), and 10th in passing yards per game (200.1).
Bryant also completely won over the Mizzou fan base and his teammates after the Tigers' postseason ban was announced and he announced that he planned to stay at Mizzou. Not one Mizzou player entered the transfer portal following the announcement of the NCAA sanctions (just one player entered the portal to transfer back home to be closer to an ill family member).

WHEN TREY IS UNO

Junior RB Larry Rountree III ("Trey") enters the 2019 season off of a big sophomore campaign, when he led the Tigers with 1,216 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, on 225 carries (5.4 avg.). His yardage total was the third-most in MU season history, and ranked fourth in the SEC and 22nd nationally.
He is the SEC's second-leading returning rusher from last year, trailing only Ke'Shawn Vaughn of Vanderbilt (1,244 yards in 2018).
Rountree carries an active streak of three-consecutive 100-yard rushing games into the opener at Wyoming, as he closed the 2018 season with a 135-yard, one-touchdown game at Tennessee, and followed with 119 yards against Arkansas, and topped it off with a 204-yard, one-touchdown outing in the Liberty Bowl against Oklahoma State. He's trying to become the first Tiger running back since Henry Josey in 2011 to notch four-straight 100-yard games, when Josey did so in games six through nine of that season. The all-time Mizzou record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games is five, set in 1969 by Joe Moore (games one through five of that season).
After running for 703 yards and six TDs as a true freshman in 2017, Rountree's 1,919 career yards is the most by any Tiger running back through his first two years. See the chart below for details.
Additionally, "Trey" is only 438 yards from cracking Mizzou's top-10 career rushing list (No. 10 is James Wilder with 2,357 yards from 1978-80). The MU career record is 4,289 by former QB Brad Smith, while the top mark by a dedicated running back is 3,198 by Zack Abron from 2000-03.
A member of the SEC's 2018 Academic Honor Roll, Rountree was voted preseason third-team All-SEC by the league coaches heading into 2019.

Most Rushing Yards Through First Two Seasons

Rank	Tiger	Yards	Seasons
1.	Larry Rountree III	1,919	2017-18
2.	Tony Galbreath	1,647	1974-75
3.	Joe Moore	1,634	1968-69
4.	Henry Josey	1,605	2010-11
5.	Brock Olivo	1,599	1994-95

ALBERT O IS A-OKAY

Junior TE Albert Okwuegbunam (or "Albert O" as most refer to him as) is primed for a big junior year – he's healthy and ready to go after recovering from a scapula injury in game nine last season at Florida that forced him to miss the remainder of the year. Despite missing those four-plus games, he still managed outstanding numbers (43 catches, 466 yards, 6 touchdowns) that earned him finalist status for the prestigious John Mackey Award.
Expectations both inside and outside the program are big for Albert O in 2019 – he's been named a pre-season first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, College Football News, the Associated Press and Phil Steele and he also begins the season on both the Mackey and Biletnikoff watch lists.
His biggest outing in 2018 was a six-catch, 159-yard, three-touchdown game against Memphis. That marked the fifth multi-TD game of his career, which is already tied for most by a Mizzou tight end, along with former All-American and Mackey Award winner Chase Coffman (2005-08).
His full name is Albert Chukwueneka Okwuegbunam, and the Nigerian translation of Okwuegbunam means "Evil cannot bring us down" while his middle name means "God has done wonderful for us."

GOOD LUCK GETTING PAST YA-YA

Mizzou senior OL Yasir Durant enters the season as arguably the SEC's best offensive lineman, despite a lack of love on preseason All-SEC teams. At a massive 6-7, 330 pounds, Durant has been a nightmare for opposing SEC edge rushers over the last two seasons, and the numbers from a year ago prove it.
In 2018 when he protected the blindside of signal caller Drew Lock, Durant was in protection on 951 total drop-backs. He allowed pressures on just eight of those 951 drop-backs (0.008 percent), the fewest allowed by any offensive lineman, at any position, in the SEC last year. The league's next-best mark was 11.
Durant was named to the Preseason All-SEC third team by the league's 14 coaches and is a Preseason First-Team All-American according to TheAthletic.com.

GOOD LUCK GETTING PAST TREV, TOO

Senior RG Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms is the holder of maybe the most impressive individual stat from last year's Mizzou Football team. A First-Team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press a year ago, Wallace-Simms played more than 1,000 snaps on the year, and did not allow a quarterback sack or commit a penalty in 13 games at right guard.
He is the first Tiger offensive lineman to earn first-team all-conference honors since 2013 (Justin Britt, who is now the Seattle Seahawks starting C).

IN FACT, GOOD LUCK GETTING PAST THE ENTIRE OFFENSIVE LINE

Mizzou's offensive line group has put up record-breaking protection numbers over the last several seasons. Last year, Mizzou led the SEC and was Top-10 nationally (sixth and eighth, respectively) in tackles for loss allowed and sacks allowed. In 2017, Mizzou led the nation in tackles for loss allowed (2.85 per game) and was fifth in sacks allowed (1.00).
Over the last 26 games, Mizzou has run 1,920 total plays and has allowed just 89.0 negative plays (3.42 per game) and of those negative plays, only 26.0 have been sacks (1.00 per game).
Below are Mizzou's ranks when it comes to allowing the fewest negative plays:

Year	TFL Allowed (per game)	SEC	National
2018	52 (4.00/game)	1st	6th
2017	37 (2.85/game)	1st	1st

Year	Sacks Allowed (per game)	SEC	National
2018	13 (1.00/game)	1st	8th
2017	13 (1.00/game)	1st	5th

A pair of Mizzou players – Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms and Yasir Durant – landed on the preseason All-SEC Teams. Wallace-Simms, the team's RG, was a first-team pick while Durant earned third-team distinction. Mizzou also reutrns a two-year starter at C in RS junior Trystan Colon-Castillo, who is on the Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List.
Offensive line coach Brad Davis will face the challenge of replacing two starters along the line this season as RT Paul Adams is off to the NFL while LG Kevin Pendleton has graduated and is now a part of the program's recruiting staff.
Jumping into starting roles this year will be LG Larry Borom, a massive 6-4, 340-pound RS sophomore from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who saw time on special teams last season. Entering the year as the starter at RT is the extremely athletic Hyrin White, who checks in at 6-6, 305 pounds. White came off the bench at Purdue a year ago after Durant rolled an ankle and shined in a reserve role to help Mizzou earn a hard-fought road win.

GARRETT IS A TACKLING MACHINE

Mizzou's unquestioned leader on defense is MLB Cale Garrett, who is a preseason first-team All-SEC pick by multiple outlets and is garnering a lot of All-America consideration as the season begins, earning third-team distinction in the preseason from College Football News. He earned All-SEC first-team honors from ProFootballFocus.com following a stellar 2018 season.
Garret is coming off of a 2018 season during which he led the team with 112 total tackles, the third-most of any returning SEC defender. Looking deeper at his stats, Garrett's 264 career tackles are the fourth-most of any returning Power 5 defender this season. He pitched in 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack last year and boasts three career INTs on his ledger.
While the traditional stats all look great for Garrett, he also jumps out on official game film. ProFootballFocus.com graded him as the SEC's top-returning linebacker this season after he made a staggering 93 percent of attempted tackles a year ago, fourth-best at any position in the SEC.
Garrett is revered by his teammates and coaching staff and is a lead-by-example field general who has drawn comparisons to his head coach, Barry Odom, as the two share the same legendary toughness that Coach Odom played with during his time at Mizzou.
As he enters the season, Garrett's 264 career tackles rank just outside the Top-20 in program history. Should he produce at a rate similar to last season, Garrett would finish his storied Mizzou career with 378 career stops, good for sixth all-time at Mizzou, and two places higher than his current head coach.

JAYJAY ENTERING RAREFIED AIR

The nation's best slot receiver may indeed play at Mizzou in senior Johnathon Johnson, known affectionately by his teammates and those around the program as JayJay. Johnson is coming off of a 2018 season where he reset career-highs in receptions (59) and yards (737) and is a homerun threat every time he catches the ball, scoring 14 TDs in his career. He's also very dependable in short-yardage and possession downs as well.
What many fans may not realize is that Johnson enters his senior season with 1,896 career receiving yards – which is just 883 from Mizzou's all-time career mark. That would put him with some pretty elite company considering the likes of Jeremy Maclin, Danario Alexander and countless other WRs set the standard for receiving in the late 2000s at Mizzou. He currently sits No. 11 on Mizzou's all-time yards chart, an impressive feat considering all 10 players ranked ahead of him have played in the NFL.
Below is a look at Mizzou's all-time career receiving yards chart:

Career (by yardage)	Yds.	Rec.	TDs	Years
1. Danario Alexander	2778	191	22	2006-09
2. Justin Gage	2704	200	18	1999-02
3. Chase Coffman (TE)	2659	247	30	2005-08
4. J'Mon Moore	2477	158	21	2014-17
5. Jeremy Maclin	2315	182	22	2007-08
6. Martin Rucker (TE)	2175	203	18	2004-07
7. Victor Bailey	2144	128	12	1990-92
8. William Franklin	2125	143	13	2004-07
9. T.J. Moe	2101	188	11	2009-12
10. Emanuel Hall	2016	97	16	2015-18
11. J. Johnson	1896	124	13	2016-19

LOCKING DOWN AT CORNER

Following one of Mizzou's preseason practices, both Coach Odom and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters were singing the praises of safeties Tyree Gillespie and Joshuah Bledsoe. The two coaches seemed to agree that the duo has a chance to be as good as any two safeties that they have ever coached. While those are some lofty expectations, the numbers back it up as both players were huge for Mizzou down the stretch a year ago.
Gillespie, a native of Ocala, Fla., developed into a major contributor on the Tiger defense midway through last season, and his increased playing time coincided with the on-field improvement of the overall unit. He took over starting duties at one safety spot at No. 1 Alabama (10/13), and started the rest of the season – eight starts in all. He ended the season third on the defense with his 48 tackles, which included 1.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack, to go along with two pressures and a pass break-up. He shined down the stretch as 42 of his 48 tackles came in the last eight games after taking over the starting spot.
Bledsoe became a key contributor during the season for a Tiger secondary which improved throughout the course of the season. He saw action in 12 games overall, and ended the year 12th on the team with 28 tackles and a pair of pass break-ups. His biggest play of the year came at Tennessee (11/17) when he scooped up a fumble and raced 39 yards for a touchdown that was the kill shot in Mizzou's 50-17 win in Knoxville.

BRING ON THE BOUNDARY

Another reason why Mizzou's secondary looks to be one of the strengths of this year's team is a slight change in scheme. As evidenced on this year's depth chart, the Tigers are switching to a hybrid Linebacker/Safety position with a pair of tremendous athletes who are a bit of 'tweeners' - in between a linebacker and a safety. Those two players are seniors Khalil Oliver and Ronnell Perkins.
Perkins is a former All-SEC Freshman Team selection who developed into an important swing defender a year ago, taking over the hybrid role between safety and outside linebacker during the course of the season, and made big contributions down the stretch as the Tiger defense gelled nicely. Oliver, a transfer Oregon who is entering his second year with the program, has also been playing at that spot and has started for Mizzou at safety. Those two give Mizzou great depth at the position heading into the season.
The position will help the Tigers in pass coverage, giving another athletic body a chance to get on the field and cover.

WELCOME JONATHAN NANCE

Another major storyline revolving Mizzou Football during the offseason was how it would replace senior WR Emanuel Hall who put together two of the best receiving seasons in program history over the last two years. One player who should help that transition is Arkansas graduate transfer Jonathan Nance.
Nance had an impressive Spring camp where he acclimated nicely to his new offense, and hit it off right away with fellow transfer QB Kelly Bryant. He closed the 2019 Black & Gold Spring Game by catching three passes for 48 yards.
Nance and Bryant were both instrumental in each other ending up at Mizzou, as the two stayed in touch throughout their transfer process. In fact, Bryant credits Nance as being a key reason he ended up at Mizzou.
Nance also had another connection to Mizzou before signing with the Tigers in the winter. He and senior CB Richaud Floyd were high school teammates and great friends at Gulfport High School in Mississippi.
In 2017, Nance played 11 games with six starts during his junior season at Arkansas. He led the team in receptions (37), receiving yards (539) and receiving touchdowns (five) and rushed five times for 62 yards, including a season-long 40-yard run. Nance's touchdown receptions of 49, 44, 34 and 31 yards and the average length of his five touchdowns was a stunning 32.2 yards. He had a catch in all 11 games and at least five receptions twice and led the team in 20-plus yard catches (nine).

TALENTED FRESHMEN ENTER YEAR TWO WITH MIZZOU

Last year, Mizzou's true freshman class made plenty of headlines with their play on the field and the numbers back it up. Mizzou was the only Power 5 team to have three true freshman WRs catch a TD pass while the Tigers had six true freshmen score a TD on the season.
Following the year, TE Daniel Parker, Jr., and RB Tyler Badie were named to the Freshman All-SEC team. In addition, WR Jalen Knox was a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week. Below are a look at last year's true freshman contributions on offense:

Player	Rushing Yards	Receiving Yards	TDs
RB Tyler Badie	437 (4.9 avg.)	130 (10.8 avg.)	2
WR Jalen Knox	11 (3.7 avg.)	419 (15.5 avg.)	3
WR Kam Scott	NA	214 (26.8)	2
WR Dominic Gicinto	NA	171 (11.4 avg.)	2
TE Daniel Parker, Jr.	NA	63 (10.5)	1
RB Simi Bakare	53 (4.8 avg.)	NA	1
Totals	501 (4.9 avg.)	997 (12.8 avg.)	11

YES, HE McCANN!

Senior PK Tucker McCann (O'Fallon, Ill.) has a shot at leaving his name all over the Mizzou record book. He enters the 2019 season with 276 career points, which is fourth on the MU chart, and 86 points behind the record of 362 set by former great Jeff Wolfert (2006-08).
McCann ranked second in the SEC (eighth nationally) in 2018 with his 123 points (third-most in MU season history), and his 24 field goals were the second-most in MU season history.
With 45 career field goals (62 attempts), McCann is 21 behind record-holder Andrew Baggett (66 from 2012-15).
McCann made a 57-yarder in the final two minutes at South Carolina last season that gave MU a lead – it was the longest made field goal in the NCAA in 2018 by any kicker.

ELLIOTT UP NEXT FOR #DLINEZOU

Mizzou Football has produced some great players along the defensive line over the last decade, so much so that the position group has earned the moniker #DLineZou. Heading into the 2019 season, Coach Odom gave high praise to one of the defenisve line standouts saying "he has the potential to be one of the greatest defensive lineman to ever play at Mizzou." The player Odom was referring to is RS junior DT Jordan Elliott.
Elliott ended up at Mizzou after transferring in from Texas, where he played under current Mizzou senior associate head coach Brick Haley, who mentors the team's defensive line.
Elliott enjoyed a breakout sophomore season last year, as he developed throughout the course of his first season in the Mizzou program, and was named second-team All-SEC by one media outlet after a season that included 24 tackles, eight tackles for loss (third on the team) and three quarterback sacks.
Pro Football Focus graded him out highest among all Mizzou defenders for the season, at 88.8 percent.
He won SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his massive game in the regular-season finale against Arkansas. In that game, he helped the Tigers pitch their first shutout in conference play since 2010 by making five tackles, four of which went for loss, including three sacks. His second-quarter blind-side sack jarred the ball loose and ended in a fumble recovery for a touchdown by teammate Akial Byers to make the score 21-0.
While sitting out the 2017 season due to NCAA transfer restrictions, he earned the team's defensive scout player of the year award and was the team's lifter of the year.