Saturday, September 3
Morgantown, W.V.
11:00 A.M.
University of Missouri
at
West Virginia
Odom Era Kicks Off With Rare Road Opener
8/29/2016 9:41:00 AM | Football
| GAME 1: Mizzou vs. West Virginia | GAME NOTES | |||||
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| Date: Saturday, Sept. 3 |
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| Time: 11 a.m. CT / Noon ET | |||||
| City: Morgantown, W.V. |
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| Site: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000) | |||||
THE BARRY ODOM ERA BEGINS AT WEST VIRGINIA
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TALE OF THE TAPE |
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| Barry Odom | Head Coach | Dana Holgorsen |
| 0-0 (1st) | Career Rec. | 36-28 (6th) |
| 0-0 | Rec. vs. Opp. | 0-0 |
| Mizzou vs. WVU | 3-2 | |
| Last Meeting | W, 34-31 ('98 Insight Bowl) | |
| In Morgantown | 1-1 | |
- Mizzou Football kicks off the Barry Odom era with one of the nation's premier nonconference matchups in week one as it heads to West Virginia for an 11 a.m. (CT) kick on Fox Sports 1.
- Saturday's game officially begins the Barry Odom era at Mizzou as he will patrol the sidelines for the first time as the Tigers' head coach. Odom is the 32nd head coach in program history and is a longtime fixture at Mizzou. He takes over a program he has been immersed in at every level for some 14 years – including six in an administrative capacity (2003-08), four as a coach (2009-11, 2015) and four as a highly-successful student-athlete (1996-99). He has spent the past four seasons as a defensive coordinator, including three at Memphis (2012-14) and one at Missouri, where his units were considered among the best in the nation.
- In 2015, Odom finished up an outstanding season as first-year defensive coordinator for Mizzou and retired coach Gary Pinkel, as his Tigers ranked ninth in the nation in total defense, allowing just 302.0 yards per game. Since the NCAA began tracking defensive statistics in 1978, that marked the first time that Mizzou had a top-10 defense. Odom's defense also ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense (16.2 avg.), seventh in pass defense (169.2 avg.) and second in tackles for loss (8.8 avg.).
- Odom is Mizzou's 11th head coach since 1935 when Don Faurot took the reins of the program. Of the 10 head coaches in that span, only three have won their initial game as a head coach. The last Mizzou head coach to win a season opener was Bob Stull in 1989 when his Tigers defeated TCU, 14-10. Following Stull was Larry Smith, who lost his opener, 20-17, to Tulsa in 1994. Pinkel then opened his career with a 20-13 loss to Bowling Green in 2001. Stull, Warren Powers and Faurot are the only Mizzou head coaches since 1935 to win their opener. Odom is looking to become the fourth on Saturday. A complete breakdown of Mizzou head coaches in their openers is on page three of the notes.
RARE ROAD OPENER FOR MIZZOU
- In its previous 125 seasons, Mizzou stands at 81-39-5 in season-opening games (.668). Mizzou has won 14 consecutive season-openers and 18-of-19 dating back to 1997.
- Despite the recent success in season opening contests, Mizzou has not opened the season with a true road game since 1996 when Larry Smith's Mizzou team lost at No. 8 Texas, 40-10.
- In all, Mizzou has played 25 season openers on the road in its 125-year history, going 6-16-3 in such contests. Mizzou has had just two road openers since 1990.
- Mizzou did win three consecutive openers on the road over ranked teams in the 1970s. Mizzou won at No. 2 Alabama in 1975. In 1976, Mizzou opened at No. 8 USC and claimed a 46-25 win. Mizzou then won at No. 3 Notre Dame, 3-0, to open 1978.
- Mizzou has lost its last three games when opening on the road, including the 1996 game at Texas. Mizzou also lost at Illinois in 1992 and 1984.
- Before Mizzou was in the SEC, it was a member of the Big 12 from 1996-2011 before leaving for the SEC. This will be just the second time Mizzou has played a Big 12 team since leaving the league. Mizzou topped Oklahoma St., 41-31, in the 2014 Cotton Bowl. It is Mizzou's first regular season game vs. a Big 12 team since joining the SEC.
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