LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — He was emotional, but there were no tears in Barry Odom’s eyes. A smile rarely seen the last six weeks stretched across his face Friday as he hugged everyone in sight at War Memorial Stadium.
The former Mizzou linebacker stopped to snap a picture with two of his favorite players, linebackers Cale Garrett and Michael Scherer, before he jogged into a victorious locker room for the first time since Oct. 12.
Odom’s injury-riddled Missouri Tigers had just outlasted illness-riddled Arkansas 24-14 to punctuate a season that went off course long ago. The win snapped the Tigers' losing streak at five games and came on the heels of Tuesday's decision by the NCAA to uphold the program's postseason ban.