Is coach Barry Odom on the hot seat? Maybe not, but the Mizzou football coach’s seat might be getting warm.
Mizzou football coach Barry Odom has lost four games in a row.
In every season he’s been the head coach, the Tigers have had at least a three-game losing streak. Mizzou has lost five games in a row twice under Odom, and it is heading that way for three out of four years unless Mizzou can fix itself this weekend against Tennessee.
For now, Odom is stuck answering questions about his job security, writes to Dave Matter of the St. Louis-Post Dispatch.
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Odom is 24-24 in his four seasons at Mizzou and the Tigers sit a game out of being bowl eligible. Not quite where they wanted to be where the season started, as the team had aspirations of cracking the top 10 and challenging for an SEC East division title.
Now, they just want to get a win. Odom isn’t worried about his job. He has plenty of reasons to feel that way as he pointed out Tuesday with members of the media.
He’s won more games in his first four years than any coach at Mizzou since the 1970s, the grade point average he has produced and the graduation rate is higher for his players.
"Do I wish we’d won more up to this point? Absolutely. So does everybody else. But I know the foundation and culture of the locker room that we have. I’m proud of that. I’m in a really good spot knowing what we have in the staff room, what we got in the locker room and what we can do over the next two weeks or 10 days and what that’s going to springboard us into next year.”"
If what Odom said is true about the foundation of the team, then of course he isn’t worried. He said he meets with the athletic director every week and they discuss a number of things. If the culture is better on this team, and the Tigers can fight together, then they should be able to come away with two more victories and perhaps a bowl win to finish the season strong.
The Tigers have a stout defense, and that is something Odom can hang his hat on. But the offense has been bad.
Offensive coordinator Derek Dooley described it perfectly Tuesday morning.
"When you’re in a little rut, you’ve got to start there … We’re kind of in a little bit of a football hell right now, and it’s that old saying, when you’re walking in hell, keep going, right…"
If they fix those offensive woes, they should come away with a win Saturday.
Odom signed an extension last December to coach through the 2024 season. It was a pay raise and that probably is going to keep him here for the time being. Many fans are upset with Odom’s work, especially this season when expectations were high. That is understandable.
Multiple losses to South Carolina and going winless against Kentucky is hard to deal with as a Tiger fan. Odom also has lost to Middle Tennessee, Purdue and Wyoming.
But we’ll know even more about the team over the next two games, even if they are against beatable opponents in Tennessee and Arkansas.
Remember, Mizzou lost to equally beatable Vanderbilt and Kentucky this season. Two more wins shows the Tigers improved.