Oh, it’s an exciting day for the Bill Pollock Show.  We have a sponsor.  The Missouri Coalition of Roadway Safety is presenting my coverage of the Missouri Tigers and their game at the Texas Bowl.

We didn’t talk about his past life as a gladiator, but we did talk about this season and what it means for the players to get back to a bowl game and how significant an 8-5 season would be.  I also wanted to know what the player’s reaction to Barry Odom was after he set the first half on fire.

Plus, some unusual stories including the state of Missouri being in world record books for the largest Christmas stocking.  I have to pull out the bozoputer to figure out just how big this thing really is and what are we going to do with something so big?  Its a great story!

Barry Odom has added veteran offensive line coach Brad Davis to his coaching staff, as announced today.  Davis, who will coach the offensive line, comes to Mizzou after spending the 2017 season at Florida as o-line coach, and he brings with him 15 years of coaching experience, including the last nine seasons running the offensive line at a variety of stops, during which time he’s coached 13 linemen to all-conference honors.  Details of Davis’ contract will be released once fully executed, along with the completion of human resources procedures.

At Florida, the Gator offense was beset with injuries throughout the 2017 season, and Davis’ offensive line was extremely young, as there wasn’t a single senior in the two-deep by the end of the season.  Despite the challenges, Florida still managed to rush for at least 165 yards in six consecutive games at one stretch, which was the longest streak for the program since 2009.  In addition, Florida ran for more than 200 yards in three contests, while the Gator offense ranked second nationally in red zone scoring – converting at a 96.8 percent clip (30-of-31).

“I’m very pleased to have Brad and his family join our program,” said Odom.  “He’s a tremendous teacher and mentor, and he’s been lights out on the recruiting trail with his approach to building true relationships with kids.  Brad has experience in the SEC and he has worked hard to earn a great amount of respect among his peers.  I’m excited to have him with us, and I know he is going to do a great job helping us move forward offensively and continue building,” he said.

“I’m extremely excited to join Coach Odom and his staff at Mizzou and help build on the foundation these guys have already laid,” said Davis.  “In playing against these guys this year, I saw a team that played hard, played physical and that enjoyed playing together.  With Coach Odom, it was an easy sell, because of his passion for the University of Missouri.  Even from afar, that’s something I’ve always admired about him, not only his commitment to the school and to his kids, but really for advancing the program in any way possible.  For me, the opportunity to join his program and to continue the mission that he started there, I couldn’t be more excited to do that.  I can’t wait to get to work; I can’t wait to help these guys continue the path they’ve been on.  I’m excited to get there and to meet all the linemen, they’ve done a fantastic job this year, and I certainly want to continue the trend of keeping these guys going the right direction and getting better daily,” Davis said.

The University of Missouri and head football coach Barry Odom have agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2023, Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced on Saturday, subject to approval by University President Mun Choi and the Board of Curators at a future meeting.

“I am excited for the future of this program, as we have made positive steps over the course of the last two years,” Odom said. “I am so appreciative of my team and staff; they continually work together to make Mizzou Football a great representative of our University.

“The stability that this will provide for us to continue to provide a foundation for our student-athletes to be successful for the next 50 years of their lives is important,” he added. “The leadership from Mr. Sterk and our administration is moving Mizzou forward in a great way, and I am certainly grateful for their support.”

After a 4-8 season in his first year, Odom’s Tigers rebounded for a 7-5 record this year.

Everything appears to be good between Mizzou Athletic Director Jim Sterk and Head Football Coach Barry Odom. I had to ask Sterk what impressed him the most about Odom’s ability to coach through a roller coaster year. You’ll hear his answer.

Before that…what would you do if an obnoxious neighbor woke you up at 8 am on a Sunday to brag about his football team beating your team in the conference championship game?

Marcus Peters and his flag throwing incident and Travis Kelce standing up for QB Alex Smith.