1. Barry Odom's coming back, y'all (barring a complete collapse). Coming off the most devastating loss of his career, he somehow got his team ready to play its best game of his career. Missouri wasn't just good, it was dominant. The Tigers shoved Florida up and down the field and made far fewer mistakes than their counterparts. Odom and his team kept hope alive for an 8-win regular season (they'll be favored in the final three). More than that, they showed that their belief they were more a team that had three losses to top nine teams in the country than beat up on bad teams and didn't belong in the conversation with good ones. Yes, no matter what happens there will be an element of what might have been about this season, but the journey to success is rarely a straight line. You've got to take some detours along the way.
2. Welcome back Emanuel Hall. Holy cow. I don't know how or why he makes this big a difference for this offense, but you can't deny that he does. It wasn't just the four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. It was that everyone seemingly played better with him here. Maybe it's coincidence, but whatever it is, he might be the most valuable player in the history of football. And good for that kid. Not only did he miss a month of his senior season, he lost his dad. I'm betting we see some emotion from E-Man after this one.
3. Speaking of good for him, good for Drew Lock. This kid deserved this win. He's put so much into this program. He's been beaten up so much by the fanbase, both fairly and unfairly. In a huge game, he played his best gasme against a real team. He's had bigger statistical days, but he's never been better. Final line: 24/32 for 250 yards, three touchdowns. Five carries for 19 yards. No turnovers. Good for you, kid.
4. Let's give the defense some credit. Florida isn't great, but the Tigers got a lot of stops. Cale Garrett is playing at an all SEC level and I think Akial Byers has made a big difference. He played really, really well and Missouri needed it.
5. The Tigers were killers on third down. They finished 11/18 including at least six conversions in a row. They did it with the running backs, they did it with the passing game and they did it with Drew Lock's legs. Meanwhile on defense, Florida was just 3/14 on third down, including a couple of big third and short stops. Great effort on both sides on the game's biggest plays.
6. Gainesville has been a house of horrors for the Missouri offense. In 2012, they lost 14-7 when James Franklin threw four picks. In 2016, they lost 40-14 when Drew Lock went 4/18 for 39 yards. Even in 2014, when they won 42-13, Missouri had just 119 total yards and seven first downs. The Tigers piled up 473 total yards, 22 first downs and scored more offensive points in this game than they had in their three previous trips to the Swamp combined.
2. Welcome back Emanuel Hall. Holy cow. I don't know how or why he makes this big a difference for this offense, but you can't deny that he does. It wasn't just the four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. It was that everyone seemingly played better with him here. Maybe it's coincidence, but whatever it is, he might be the most valuable player in the history of football. And good for that kid. Not only did he miss a month of his senior season, he lost his dad. I'm betting we see some emotion from E-Man after this one.
3. Speaking of good for him, good for Drew Lock. This kid deserved this win. He's put so much into this program. He's been beaten up so much by the fanbase, both fairly and unfairly. In a huge game, he played his best gasme against a real team. He's had bigger statistical days, but he's never been better. Final line: 24/32 for 250 yards, three touchdowns. Five carries for 19 yards. No turnovers. Good for you, kid.
4. Let's give the defense some credit. Florida isn't great, but the Tigers got a lot of stops. Cale Garrett is playing at an all SEC level and I think Akial Byers has made a big difference. He played really, really well and Missouri needed it.
5. The Tigers were killers on third down. They finished 11/18 including at least six conversions in a row. They did it with the running backs, they did it with the passing game and they did it with Drew Lock's legs. Meanwhile on defense, Florida was just 3/14 on third down, including a couple of big third and short stops. Great effort on both sides on the game's biggest plays.
6. Gainesville has been a house of horrors for the Missouri offense. In 2012, they lost 14-7 when James Franklin threw four picks. In 2016, they lost 40-14 when Drew Lock went 4/18 for 39 yards. Even in 2014, when they won 42-13, Missouri had just 119 total yards and seven first downs. The Tigers piled up 473 total yards, 22 first downs and scored more offensive points in this game than they had in their three previous trips to the Swamp combined.
