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Barry Odom makes Missouri coaching debut at West Virginia

Though second-stringer Marvin Zanders is expected to get some playing time on Saturday, Lock will be the starter, and he’ll be itching to fix his reputation after being unexpectedly cast into starting duty as a true freshman.

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Missouri has put a lot of talent in the National Football League and this year echoes that with the talented Charles Harris. Not the best, but certainly some of the players, especially their guards and center, are going to be really good nationally. Then a year ago they ran the ball as well as anybody in the Big 12.

It’s been a long time coming folks, but football is finally back.

There’s plenty of opportunity for J’Mon Moore, Chris Black, Emanuel Hall, or Keyon Dilosa to be that guy, but they’ll have to stay consistent. When they had Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, they were obviously going to throw the ball.

Harris led the SEC in tackles for loss with 18.5 and he was among the leaders on theTigers in tackles.

Despite the coaching change, there is optimism surrounding the Tigers due to the presence of a fierce defense and the return of numerous skill players on offense. We have no idea what this brand new offense can do in game yet, so it’s hard to understand what were going to get. He’s a unsafe guy, not just from a sacks standpoint but from a quarterback pressure standpoint.

The Mountaineers are coming off an 8-5 season that ended in record fashion against Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl.

Harris is just one of many of key players for Missouri up front, which also includes freshman All-American defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr.

The Mountaineers enter their 125th season loaded on the offensive side of the ball.

The weak spots on the line were on the edges but Wickline came on board to help solve the problems there. The young offensive line seems confident in its second year quarterback and up to the test, despite its lack of experience.

“I think we’re just more sound as an offense as far as what our jobs are and what the little things are we have to do to make our jobs easy”, Lock said. “We put a lot of emphasize on pass protection and improving the pocket for Skyler (Howard) and the quarterbacks standing back there”.

“I told him honestly how I was feeling, anxious and excited for our kids”, Odom said. But their middle linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton-I mean this in the nicest way possible-he is frightening.

The Mountaineers will face their toughest challenge right off the bat with the enormous Tigers’ d-line. These are the next guys who need to step up. Is he a guy who comes in on running situations? It is what college football is today. He’s incorporated a lot of run game with it.

Beckner is the smallest at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds.

11 Combined starts for Missouri’s returning offensive linemen, the fewest in the SEC. Combined with the depth of the defensive line the Tigers shouldn’t have a problem getting to the quarterback and limiting their opposition’s totals.

Predicting the first game of the season can usually be adequately summed up with a shrug emoticon.

But the Tigers are more than big. They are fast, physical and all-around talented. “They’re bigger than what we’re used to”, he said. “They always have great ends, great interior guys”. However, West Virginia will be without its top defensive star Dravon Askew-Henry, who suffered a torn ACL in camp.

The Tigers and Mountaineers have met up five times during their respective histories, with Mizzou holding a 3-2 edge in the series. Therefore, the Tigers will be a force to reckon with once again. “They are very balanced”. And overall they are No.6. They are going to stop the run. “They are going to stop the pass”.

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Missouri has shown they are good now its time for WVU to show the nation what it’s made of.

Mizzou's Charles Harris in 2015