COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Saturday morning, Missouri coach Barry Odom woke up to a text message informing him of something he did not know; since 1957, only one Missouri coach-Bob Stull in 1989-won in their home debut.
Make that two.
Drew Lock tied a school-record with five touchdown passes as Missouri ran away with its home opener, defeating Eastern Michigan 61-21 Saturday.
Odom, who was a linebacker for Missouri from 1996-99, discussed the surreal nature of earning his first home win as coach of his alma mater.
“It got to me a little bit tonight. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t…I feel the responsibility to do it right, because there are so many people that have worked so hard to put this program where it is.”
Lock completed 24 of 37 pass attempts for 450 yards, only 30 yards shy of the school record.
“He did some really good things tonight,” Odom said of Lock. “He is doing a great job of running our offense, and things are slowing down tremendously for him. I think he will continue to grow by learning from his mistakes, while learning from the good things he does as well.”
The Tigers (1-1) amassed 647 yards of total offense, the most since Sept. 17, 2011. Running backs Demarea Crockett and Ish Witter combined for 25 rushes, 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Ray Wingo led Missouri in receiving yards with 125 on just three catches, one of which was a 52-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Johnathon Johnson caught five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Emmanuel Hall had three catches for 90 yards.
“Their passing attack proved to be too strong,” said Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton, who is now 4-22 in three seasons with the school. “The long balls, and even just the quick game, would eat up yards. They did a really good job of that.
“We just got run by on some of those long balls, and some well-placed balls, and some speed and size at receiver that we just weren’t able to combat.”
On the final play of the first quarter, Johnson bobbled a high-arcing punt near midfield, but recovered and took it 54 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 210 all-purpose yards.
“It was scramble mode,” Johnson said of the circus play. “I had to pick it back up. I knew I had muffed it, so I was just trying to get it back up, and I just cut it across the field.”
Odom said he’s seen this type of playmaking ability from Johnson before.
“The things he did on the field tonight, he does in practice on Tuesday’s and Wednesdays. It’s important to him that he is a total package player, having the ability to not only play out wide, but to return punts and block. He is only going to get better.”
Eastern Michigan quarterback Todd Porter was 23 of 45 for 287 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 13 times for 46 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles (1-1) struggled offensively, especially in the first half. Their first seven drives consisted of five punts, an interception and a 1-yard touchdown run. They converted 11 of 21 third down attempts and were 0 for 1 on fourth down.
Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton broke up three passes, made two tackles and had an interception, but left the game with a sprained shoulder and did not return.
Eastern Michigan cornerback Juan Giraldo was ejected early in the fourth quarter for a targeting hit on Missouri receiver Keyon Dilosa.
TAKEAWAYS
Missouri: In a 26-11 loss at West Virginia last week, Missouri’s offense ran 100 plays, more than any team in the nation. That tempo slowed somewhat Saturday, as the Tigers ran 78 plays. However, they nearly doubled their average yards per play, from 4.6 against West Virginia to 8.3 against the Eagles, and scored the most points since a 62-10 win against Southeast Louisiana Sept. 1, 2012.
Eastern Michigan: Starting running back Shaq Vann was limited to just one carry for 10 yards. Vann injured his shoulder early in the first quarter and did not return. Ian Eriksen became the Eagles’ primary ball carrier with Vann on the sidelines, rushing 23 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.
UP NEXT
Missouri: The Tigers host Georgia (2-0) next Saturday night. The Bulldogs defeated Missouri 10-9 last season in Athens.
Eastern Michigan: The Eagles travel to UNC Charlotte (1-1) next Saturday in the first meeting between the schools. The 49ers football program began in 2013.
Other Saturday scores from the SEC were:
Georgia 26, Nicholls State 24
Texas A&M 67, Prairie View A&M 0
Florida 45, Kentucky 7
Alabama 38, Western Kentucky 10
Mississippi 38, Wofford 13
Vanderbilt 47, Middle Tennessee 24
Mississippi State 27, South Carolina 14
Arkansas 41, TCU 38
Auburn 51, Arkansas State 14
LSU 34, Jacksonville State 14
Tennessee 45, Virginia Tech 24
Photo – L.G. Patterson / Associated Press / Columbia, MO
