Missouri's game against BYU will by Gary Pinkel's 189th in 15 seasons as coach of the Tigers. It is safe to say none has ever been played after a more tumultuous and trying week.
Pinkel abruptly announced Friday that he has cancer and will resign at the end of this season, ending a tenure in which he revived a program that had largely languished for more than a decade. The 63-year-old Pinkel said he was diagnosed with lymphoma in May and decided about two weeks ago that this season would be his last.
It was a stunning turn during a most unusual week in Columbia, Missouri, that started with Pinkel's players on strike because of racial tensions on campus.