Odom takes team to Civil Rights Museum; Okwuegbunam out for Liberty Bowl

As defensive coordinator at Memphis, Barry Odom made annual visits to the National Civil Rights Museum with his linebacker group.

Now Missouri’s head coach, Odom made a return trip to the museum Saturday. He brought the entire team.

“I thought it was important for us to see and do and interact and have conversation,” Odom said at his press conference Sunday.

The third-year Missouri coach stressed that he has approached bowl preparation like he does every game week, but that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from taking advantage of their time in a new city. The team went to a Memphis Grizzlies NBA game Wednesday, and a group of 10 players signed autographs for children at St. Jude’s Hospital.

“I want to make sure in everything we do that we provide experiences for our student athletes,” Odom said. “The Civil Rights Museum and the visit to St. Jude’s are something that our football team will remember forever.”

Okwuegbunam out for Liberty Bowl

For the fourth consecutive game, Drew Lock will play without his favorite tight end target. Albert Okwuegbunam will not play play in the Liberty Bowl Monday due to a shoulder injury, Odom said.

Okwuegbunam sustained the injury against Florida and has not played since. The redshirt sophomore has caught six touchdown passes on the year and has 466 receiving yards. He earned All-SEC honors in 2017 and was a finalist for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end.

“(I am) grateful for the guys and the way that they have stepped up in that position, from Kendall Blanton to Daniel Parker, Brendan Scales, Sam Bailey,” Odom said. “Every one of them has stepped in and ... upped their game each week.”

The team has not announced whether Okwuegbunam will return for his redshirt junior season or choose to enter the NFL Draft. He will have to choose whether or not to declare by mid-January.

Barry Odom: skilled weather-watcher

Growing up in rural Oklahoma, Odom learned how to track storms at an early age. He’s kept an eye on the forecast ahead of the Liberty Bowl.

“The weather here is a little bit different depending which way the weather is coming into town, which way it’s approaching,” Odom said. “Once it hits the river, is it going to continue or dissipate? There’s been a lot of study and a lot of hours put into that.”

Odom rattled off what he expects from the weather on game day. From what he’s seen, the rain should clear out by kickoff.

Gundy praises Lock

Between Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray at Oklahoma and West Virginia star Will Grier, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has had his hands full with Big 12 quarterbacks. He’ll see another explosive passer Monday in Missouri’s Drew Lock, a projected first-round draft pick.

“He’s a really good player and probably going to play this game for another 10-12 years,” Gundy said.

The Cowboys’ coach said he thinks Lock could be the first quarterback taken in the 2019 draft. He praised the Tigers’ team as a whole, saying they might be more balanced than any team Oklahoma State has seen this year.