Terez Hall keeps bringing the senior leadership to Mizzou

Terez Hall didn’t let Barry Odom talk too long. The tough-nosed Missouri linebacker said he made sure to stop his coach — once a tough-nosed Missouri linebacker himself — from growing sentimental during Friday’s Senior Day ceremony.

The two stood together as the public address announcer read through a list of the Tigers’ senior players. Moments before Hall heard his name called, Odom pulled him in for a hug. They swayed as cold rain pelted against the senior captain’s bare arms, and Odom began to tell Hall how thankful he felt.

“I had to tell him, ‘Stop all that. We’ve got a football game to play,’” said Hall, who ranks second on the team with 66 tackles.

Hall said he’s not thinking about his college career winding down. He’s just trying to make a mark in the time he has left: one month of practices and a bowl game, which he hopes will be played somewhere warm and colorful.

In his final home game as a college player, Hall helped Missouri to a 38-0 victory over Arkansas on Friday. The shutout was Missouri’s first against an FBS opponent since 2010. This fact excited Hall: He said it meant he played on a better defense than Minnesota Vikings linebacker Kentrell Brothers, who was a senior at Missouri when Hall was a freshman.

Hall didn’t have a game full of tackles against the Razorbacks, but the plays he made were big. On a rainy afternoon, the boisterous linebacker brought thunder.

Late in the first quarter, Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey misfired on a pass over the middle. The ball hit Hall in the chest, and the linebacker held on for his first career interception.

“I was praying to God about it, too,” Hall said. “I was like, ‘God, I need a pick. How am I going to go a whole Mizzou football career without a pick?’”

As the linebacker ran off the field, his teammates joked around with him. How had it taken him so long to nab his first interception?

By the end of the first half, Arkansas had pulled Storey from the game, but Hall didn’t treat the new quarterback any nicer. Midway through the second quarter, he dragged Connor Noland to the ground on a fourth-down play, giving him his team-leading fifth sack of the season.

Odom praised Hall’s preparation, saying he and linebacker Cale Garrett bring energy to the film room.

“The challenge for all of us is to make sure we understand why those two are playing really well: because of the work that they do from Sunday to kickoff, on extra video on all the things that the linebackers are supposed to do,” Odom said.

With help from Hall’s sack, Missouri’s defense collected eight tackles for a loss on Friday. Nearly half came from sophomore Jordan Elliott, who had three sacks and forced a fumble.

Elliott now ranks second on the team in sacks, but he trails Hall by two. Hall joked that he’s the leader of “D-Line Zou” and said he doesn’t plan on relinquishing his team lead.

“Terez is one of those guys, he loves bringing people with him,” said fellow captain Paul Adams, an offensive lineman. “He always has upbeat attitude, and that’s one of those things: when you have a guy like him and you can feed off energy like him, it makes the game so much easier.”

Hall said Odom’s presence motivates him. When he learned Odom’s career record is now above .500 (19-18), Hall called the coach a “natural-born winner.” The senior only has one game left wearing a Missouri uniform, but he wants to set an expectation of winning in Columbia. He especially feels that when he speaks with Odom.

“Every time I talk to him, I want to leave a foundation for him,” Hall said.

Hall might not show a sentimental side, but he doesn’t hide his loyalty.

This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 9:24 PM.