By Matt McFarland

An explosive offense looms on the horizon in the Troy Trojans for head coach Barry Odom’s Missouri Tigers on Saturday on KCOU 88.1 FM.  The Trojans come in with one of NCAA’s best offenses, led by a balanced and dynamic attack.  Running back DK Billingsley averages 5.2 yards a carry; and Quarterback Kaleb Barker comes in with an 8-1 touchdown to interception ratio and over 350 yards a game.

Despite being a “group of five” school, Barry Odom will not take foes from the Sun Belt Conference lightly. Troy’s offense averages over 40 points a game- and in the world of college football, anything can happen with a prolific offense.

“They’re a handful of plays away from being 4-0,” Odom said.

Odom also said he felt that Trojans should have won their Sun Belt opener, a 50-43 barn burner against Arkansas State on Saturday.  When asked about Troy’s defense weakness to big plays, Odom felt that the multiple big plays they gave up to Arkansas State were mostly 50-50 balls gone wrong, sans the 92-yard bomb that opened the scoring in that game. Odom did say, however, he wanted his Tigers to stretch the field more and open up some gaps in the slightly over aggressive Trojans defense.

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Odom talks Troy matchup at weekly media availability

Odom seemed confident in his team’s preparation. He said this week was “the best bye week as in his time as head coach at Mizzou.” An extra week of preparation could be key to shutting down an incredibly Troy’s offensive attack.  Odom said he expects his entire defense to contribute to stopping the Trojans, as he needs his front seven to plug gaps as well as his corners such as Demarkus Acy to contribute to stop perimeter runs. He also said he knows “this week won’t be easy,” calling Troy “as good as any we will face this year.”

Elsewhere on the defense- Odom said he was satisfied with his defensive coordinator Ryan Walters as well as his entire defensive staff, saying “their play calling and talent defensively makes his job easier and prevents him from getting ‘overwhelmed.'”  Odom said he attributes their success to the fact that his staff has “zero ego” and they all come to work and make this program that they love better.

Mizzou beat

• Missouri has no new major injuries, and players like Brian Scales are “ahead of schedule”
• Odom is still rotating his offensive line, citing “good progression from all seven of the top guys.”
• Odom talked at length about Gary Pinkel, saying “his influence has shaped the way he coaches and runs the program.”
• You can hear Saturday’s game on KCOU 88.1 FM, online in the green and grey box, or streaming live in the Tunein Radio app. Coverage starts at 2:30 PM with Tiger Pregame Live presented by El Rancho, followed by kickoff at 3:00 PM.

Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu