COLUMBIA, Mo. — As he hustled from his suite to the Faurot Field end zone on Saturday afternoon to watch the final moments up close and personal, Jim Sterk did something that has long been familiar to faithful followers of Mizzou.
The athletics director took a moment to prepare for the worst.
First-year Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz, the man Sterk hitched his legacy to less than a year ago, was on the cusp of a critical milestone, the kind of victory that can press fast forward on a program’s revitalization.
Mizzou was leading defending national champion and 17th-ranked LSU 45-41.