Missouri Tigers Football

Former Missouri Tigers running back Trevon Walters was arrested Friday night in Columbia, Missouri, after allegedly stealing and using a stolen credit device.

On Monday, Missouri head coach Barry Odom announced Walters has been dismissed from the team, per Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star.

According to Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Walters is facing three charges in total, including stealing and two counts of fraudulently using a credit device.

Per Matter, Walters was held at the Boone County Sheriff Department at a total bond of $5,500.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2014, he missed the entire 2015 campaign because of a torn ACL he suffered in spring practice.

The 21-year-old Bradenton, Florida, native was set to earn his first playing time as a collegiate player in 2016 and may have had an opportunity to work his way into the regular running back rotation.

With Walters out of the picture, returning leading rusher Ish Witter figures to receive the bulk of the carries for the Tigers.

             

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Marvin Terry, a 3-star defensive end in the 2016 recruiting class, is being held in a Dallas County, Texas, jail on allegations of assault, per David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Terry, who committed to the Missouri Tigers in December, sits No. 31 at his position and No. 496 overall in 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Terry allegedly got into an altercation with the mother of his child:

On Jan. 5, Dallas Police responded to a major disturbance call at the intersection of Bonnie View Road and Marjorie Avenue, where officers spoke to the alleged victim, who said the suspect assaulted her, according to Dallas police officer Carlos Almeida in a case summary released to the Post-Dispatch. The suspect and victim have a child together, the statement said. The victim was treated by Dallas Fire-Rescue Department and was released on the scene. Terry was later arrested on a warrant.

According to Dallas County records, Terry is facing three charges stemming from the incident and being held on $34,500 bond.

Terry had scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, TCU, Louisville and Miami, among others, per 247Sports. In his last three years at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, he recorded 56.5 sacks, 80 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.

Despite his commitment to the school, Morrison reported Terry didn't sign a letter of intent with Missouri on national signing day. As a result, Missouri head coach Barry Odom is unable to comment publicly regarding Terry's situation, per NCAA bylaws.

Matter reported Missouri "has moved on from Terry's recruitment and he will not be part of the program in the future."

When Stephen Garcia was South Carolina's quarterback, he was suspended on five separate occasions by former head coach Steve Spurrier.

Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk is barreling closer to that number.

The Tigers' rising redshirt senior was suspended indefinitely by first-year head coach Barry Odom after a video surfaced online that reportedly shows Mauk snorting a white substance off of a table.

Odom and athletics director Mack Rhoades commented on the situation late Monday night, according to Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Joint statement from Missouri A.D. Mack Rhoades and football coach Barry Odom regarding Maty Mauk pic.twitter.com/EBNhJ3Ho09

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) January 26, 2016

Obviously, an indefinite suspension is the right call while information is gathered. Some of that information is coming in from teammates who are defending Mauk.

Matter posted a follow-up story with quotes from an unidentified former teammate who says that the video is two years old and Mauk has cleaned up his life.

Wide receiver Keyon Dilosa echoed those thoughts on Twitter:

That is all pic.twitter.com/YtKfGbhpNI

— KEY 🧟‍♂️☄️ (@Key6below) January 26, 2016

If the video isn't dated, it should result in Mauk being dismissed from the program.

He was suspended indefinitely on Sept. 29, 2015 for violation of team rules, briefly reinstated on Oct. 25 and then suspended for the remainder of the regular season on Nov. 1, according to Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star.

Three incidents in less than a four-month period? If the video is relatively new, that could be the case.

It would also be Odom's chance to make a statement on what will be tolerated under his watch at Missouri. The Tigers haven't had many off-the-field incidents this offseason, and the first major disciplinary test for any new head coach is vital in setting the tone for the program.

If it's an old video, Mauk is still a distraction based on his previous run-ins with the program. That alone, coupled with his lack of progression on the field, should make it hard for him to win the job back in 2016.

Mauk is slated to compete with rising sophomore Drew Lock for the top spot on the Tigers depth chart in 2016. Lock completed 49 percent of his passes (129-of-263) for 1,332 yards, tossed four touchdowns, eight interceptions and finished last in the SEC among qualifying quarterbacks with a passer rating of 90.54.

Despite those struggles, Lock has more upside than Mauk.

Lock's struggles in 2015 can be easily chalked up to being a true freshman who was thrust into the spotlight on the fly for a team that fought through an injury to starting running back Russell Hansbrough and a wide receiving corps that was widely unproven heading into the season. He was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school and is more of a pure passer than Mauk—who is much more of a dual-threat.

That is what the Missouri offense needs under first-year coordinator Josh Heupel, who helped Kent Myers step in for an injured Chuckie Keeton last year at Utah State and throw 16 touchdowns to just three picks. Heupel also helped former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones top the 4,000-yard mark each season from 2010 to 2012 as the quarterbacks coach and later the offensive coordinator of the Sooners, and helped Trevor Knight light up Alabama with four touchdowns through the air in the 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl.

On the field, Mauk is a known commodity who is a liability more than an asset.

The 22-year-old has proved over his first three seasons at Missouri that poor decision-making off the field sometimes bleeds onto it. He has completed just 52.7 percent of his passes over three seasons, is a threat to complete passes to the opposition every time he drops back and hasn't lived up to the 4-star hype that followed him to Columbia.

For a freshman like Lock, that's understandable. For a veteran like Mauk, that's a trend. A bad one.

Mauk's upside did shine through occasionally. He has proved to be clutch at times, tossing nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in the fourth quarter of games in 2014 while also throwing eight touchdowns to just three picks on third downs that same season. But those flashes have been few and far between for three full seasons. That should be enough to accurately project what he will be if given the chance to start as a redshirt senior.

Mauk was more trouble than he's worth down the stretch in 2015, which was a reflection of his performance for three seasons in Columbia. If this video is new, Odom should let him walk. 

He is who he is on the field, and Lock has earned the right to have a shot at the full-time job after a full offseason in the program.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk was indefinitely suspended Monday as the program investigates a video of the quarterback that surfaced on social media.

Continue for updates.

---

Teammates Comment on Mauk Video

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Missouri wide receiver Keyon Dilosa released a statement on Twitter regarding Mauk and the video:

That is all pic.twitter.com/YtKfGbhpNI

— KEY 🧟‍♂️☄️ (@Key6below) January 26, 2016

Defensive tackle Harold Brantley also released a statement:

https://twitter.com/HaroldB_717/status/692048006644899840

An unnamed Missouri player also told Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a video allegedly showing Mauk snorting a white substance "was taken two years ago and the quarterback has since addressed his drug problem."

Dillon Cheverere of Total Frat Move originally shared a NSFW video allegedly showing Mauk snorting the substance and yelling afterward.

---

Mauk Suspended Indefinitely During Missouri Investigation

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Matter passed along a statement from athletic director Mack Rhoades and head football coach Barry Odom:

Joint statement from Missouri A.D. Mack Rhoades and football coach Barry Odom regarding Maty Mauk pic.twitter.com/EBNhJ3Ho09

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) January 26, 2016

This is far from the first time the quarterback has made headlines for issues off the field.

Missouri suspended Mauk after just four games last year for a violation of team rules. At the time, the team suspended him for the Tigers' game against South Carolina on Oct. 3 and expected to re-evaluate his status, but he never played another down in 2015.

Then-head coach Gary Pinkel commented on Mauk's standing after the original suspension, per Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com:

Maty's going through some personal things, and that's difficult in regards to that. But what we do, and I think our players have great respect for it, is I protect the integrity of the program. We're going to be who we are, and we're going to do the right thing. We're not going to manipulate things. We have rules we abide by. Everybody lives by the same rules. And I think overall, that's helped us build our football program.

The team reinstated Mauk on Oct. 25, during its bye week, and Pinkel did not comment on the signal-caller's status. On Nov. 1, Missouri suspended Mauk again for the remainder of the campaign for disciplinary reasons.

The Tigers finished 5-7 after starting 3-1 with Mauk under center and didn't play in a bowl game. Mauk posted 654 passing yards and six touchdown throws against four interceptions in those four games following an impressive 2014 campaign in which he threw for 2,648 yards and accounted for 27 touchdowns.

Matter noted Odom reinstated Mauk in December and that the new head coach "said he expected Mauk to compete with Drew Lock for the starting quarterback job when spring practices begin."

Matter also passed along Odom's expectations for Mauk:

He's on our team now, and just like every other player he's going to have very strict guidelines on what they can and can't do. The quarterback position is different than any position on the team and different than any position in sports. Those guys are going to be held very, very accountable for everything they do. They're a representative of me and our football program and university.

After Mauk's latest suspension, the starting job could be Lock's to lose. Lock threw for 1,332 yards and only four touchdowns with eight interceptions last season, but he was a freshman who jumped into a difficult and unexpected situation.

That experience will serve him well as he prepares for the 2016 season, and an entire spring of reps with the first team will allow him to settle in and develop familiarity with his receivers.

As for Mauk, football will take a backseat while Missouri gathers more information about the video.

A spokesperson for the University of Missouri Police Department confirmed to Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star that defensive tackle Terry Beckner was arrested and released for marijuana possession Wednesday night following a traffic stop.

Mark Kim of KOMU Sports reported that the possession was 35 grams or less of marijuana. 

Head coach Barry Odom announced Beckner was suspended as a result of the arrest, according to Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

Statement from Missouri coach Barry Odom on Terry Beckner's marijuana arrest/citation pic.twitter.com/TPJkxvJYTK

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) January 21, 2016

Beckner, a freshman, finished his first season with the Tigers with 27 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks after being one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation.

He was recovering from a torn MCL and ACL he suffered in November but was already considered one of the top players in college football, according to ESPN (via Brandon Kiley of KTGR Sports Wire):

ESPN ranks Terry Beckner Jr as the 45th best player in the country heading into '16. #Mizzou https://t.co/dFxxCnXms3 pic.twitter.com/1ZBJoLe5Cz

— Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) January 20, 2016

Beckner was named to the ESPN.com True Freshman All-America Team and the USA Today Freshman All-America Team after his freshman campaign, so big things are indeed expected of the player going forward.

It was a rough go for the Tennessee Titans in Week 15 against the New England Patriots as they fell 33-16 to quarterback Tom Brady and Co. on Sunday.

However, there were a few Titans pass-catchers who helped out their fantasy owners during the game.

Dorial Green-Beckham

Targets	Receptions	Yards	TD	Fantasy Points
9	6	113	0	11

Dorial Green-Beckham had his second-highest yardage output against the Patriots, but from a consistency standpoint, he still isn't to be trusted.

The last time he had 100-plus yards he followed it up with a 53-yard performance. Green-Beckham has just three touchdowns all season, and in Week 16 he faces a Houston Texans team ranked 11th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, per ESPN.com.

The rookie has shown he can be explosive at times, but if you are playing fantasy in Week 16, it means you are most likely in your league's Super Bowl. Unless you are dealing with an injury or have a flex position or two in a 14-team league, don't trust Green-Beckham in your lineup.

Delanie Walker

Targets	Receptions	Yards	TD	Fantasy Points
5	2	64	2	18

Delanie Walker is facing a Texans team ranked 16th in points allowed to tight ends, but in reality, it doesn't matter who he is playing against.

Walker has had at least 50 yards receiving the past 10 games and scored five touchdowns during that span. His big game in Week 15 came against a Patriots defense ranked fourth against tight ends. He showed great athletic ability with a 57-yard score.

With 76 receptions, 936 yards and six touchdowns, Walker has become a solid TE1 and is beginning to insert himself into the elite tight end conversation.   

Antonio Andrews

Attempts	Yards	Targets	Receptions	Yards	TD	Fantasy Points
14	45	6	5	25	0	6

Andrews did not have a great game against New England and has failed to impress since scoring touchdowns in his first two games of the season.

Since then he has scored just once and failed to reach the 90-yard mark in a game. His five catches against the Patriots were by far a season high, as he does not possess a great receiving game.

Although he is the clear No. 1 back for the Titans, fantasy owners will be sorry if they are pinning their hopes on the second-year running back who has just 519 yards on the ground.

All fantasy football stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

The Missouri Tigers’ search for a new football coach is officially over.

The school announced its decision to hire defensive coordinator Barry Odom on Thursday. Odom agreed to a five-year deal. Odom will make a guaranteed $2,350,000, with an added $1.5 million in incentives, Joe Walljasper of the Columbia Daily Tribune reported on Dec. 11. David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune added the deal ran through 2021, with a two-year option after that. 

Odom played linebacker for the Tigers from 1996 to 1999 and was the team's defensive coordinator this season after serving in the same role for the Memphis Tigers from 2012 to 2014. MUTigers.com provided a list of his recent coaching experience:

Year(s)	Position
2000	Assistant Coach, Ada (Okla.) High School
2001-02	Head Coach, Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) High School
2003	Administrative Graduate Assistant, Missouri
2004-05	Director of Football Recruiting, Missouri
2006	Director of Football Operations, Missouri
2007-08	Assistant AD/Director of Football Operations, Missouri
2009-11	Safeties, Memphis
2012-14	Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers, Memphis
2015	Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers, Missouri

Athletic director Mack Rhoades commented on the hire, per MUTigers.com:

We are extremely excited to announce Barry Odom as the new leader of the Mizzou football program. We had the opportunity to visit with a number of excellent coaches throughout our search. At the conclusion of that process, Coach Odom was the clear choice to serve as our next coach. He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach. He has an undeniable passion for Mizzou, a strong track-record of success at each level of his career and a clear vision to mentor our student-athletes and lead our program to even greater heights. 

Odom weighed in on the opportunity, per Morrison:

https://twitter.com/DavidCMorrison/status/672599593578684416

Missouri posted a video of how the team responded when it learned of Odom's hiring: 

.@Kentrell_Mizzou picked up his 153rd tackle of the year when hearing @Coach_Odom would be #Mizzou's next coach!https://t.co/PSXG2narwo

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 4, 2015

Odom’s Memphis squad finished fifth in the nation in scoring defense and 22nd in total defense during a 10-3 campaign in 2014. Although Missouri struggled in the win department this year, its defense ranks ninth in the nation in yards allowed per game and seventh in points allowed per game.

The unit carried the Tigers this year and kept them competitive in the always-difficult SEC.

Odom will replace Gary Pinkel, who led Missouri since 2001 and is the winningest coach in program history. He won 11 games in 2014 and 12 in 2013 and reached the SEC Championship Game in both years. However, the Tigers struggled in 2015 with a 5-7 record, and the coach elected to resign after the season after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May.

Odom is familiar with the program from his time as a player and various coaching and administrative roles and will look to lead Missouri back to the top of the SEC East after a one-year hiatus.

The Missouri Tigers have announced they will not seek a bowl bid, according to Joe Schad of ESPN.com.

On Monday, Stephanie Kuzydym of the Houston Chronicle reported the NCAA approved the "recommendation by [the] Football Oversight Committee to fill bowls with five-win teams."   

Missouri is 5-7 and has a sufficient Academic Progress Rate to qualify for one of the record 41 bowl games, but athletic director Mack Rhoades issued a statement saying the team’s focus is on finding a head coach to replace Gary Pinkel, per Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Full statement from Rhoades on Missouri's bowl decision pic.twitter.com/CC8SITj0MQ

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) November 30, 2015

Pinkel announced on Nov. 13 that this season would be his last because of his lymphoma diagnosis. His revelation came just a week after 30 players went on strike because of racial tensions that eventually led to university president Tim Wolfe's resignation.

The Tigers, who joined the SEC in 2013 and won the Eastern Division in their first two years, lost six of their last seven to finish the season.

Teams automatically become bowl-eligible with six wins, but with a record 41 bowl games, including the College Football Playoff, the NCAA established a contingency plan that would allow sub-.500 teams to qualify, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. 

The tiebreaker would be in the team’s Academic Progress Rate, for which Missouri qualified, according to Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports:

Wow. Missouri becomes the first of the 5-7 schools to say it will not accept a bowl bid. ... Had the APR score.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 30, 2015

For a team that dealt with a slew of off-field distractions, perhaps avoiding the postseason was the best call. But it’s still sad to see Pinkel, one of the sport’s most respected, cap a 15-year tenure on such a disappointing note.

The Missouri Tigers have hired their defensive coordinator, Barry Odom, to be the team's next head coach after Gary Pinkel resigned due to a lymphoma diagnosis on Nov. 13.

Athletic director Mack Rhoades released a statement on the decision to hire Odom:

We are extremely excited to announce Barry Odom as the new leader of the Mizzou football program. We had the opportunity to visit with a number of excellent coaches throughout our search. At the conclusion of that process, Coach Odom was the clear choice to serve as our next coach. He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach. He has an undeniable passion for Mizzou, a strong track-record of success at each level of his career and a clear vision to mentor our student-athletes and lead our program to even greater heights.

The financials of the five-year deal have yet to be disclosed, according to David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported on Dec. 1 Rhoades had interviewed several candidates, including Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, Utah State head coach Matt Wells and Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo.

Staying in-house and going with Odom won't be a bad choice. The Tigers defense allowed only 16.2 points per game this season, ranking seventh in the country.

Keeping someone familiar with the program will be good for the Tigers. They had a down year at 5-7, but that was in large part due to playing freshman quarterback Drew Lock after Maty Mauk's suspension.

With Gary Pinkel set to resign from his position as head coach of the University of Missouri football team, quarterbacks coach and associate head coach Andy Hill will reportedly be named interim head coach.

According to Pete Scantlebury of PowerMizzou.com, multiple sources reported that the 53-year-old Hill be elevated to head coach, at least temporarily.

Pinkel and Mizzou announced the resignation plans a couple weeks ago as the longtime Tigers coach decided to focus on his battle with lymphoma, per a press release issued by the school:

I made the decision in May, after visiting with my family, that I wanted to keep coaching, as long as I felt good and had the energy I needed. I felt great going into the season, but also knew that I would need to re-assess things at some point, and I set our bye week as the time when I would take stock of the future. After we played Vanderbilt (Oct. 24), I had a scheduled PET scan on Oct. 26 for reassessment, and then visited with my family and came to the decision on Oct. 27 that this would be my last year coaching. I still feel good physically, but I decided that I want to focus on enjoying my remaining years with my family and friends, and also have proper time to battle the disease and give full attention to that.

Missouri's season is likely over as it fell to 5-7 with a loss to Arkansas Friday, but that isn't guaranteed since a bowl invite is still possible if enough teams don't reach the 6-6 threshold.

Assuming the Tigers don't play another game, though, Pinkel's resignation is very much on the horizon.

Hill played wide receiver at Missouri from 1980 through 1984, and he has been part of the coaching staff since 1996. He previously served as head coach at Hutchinson Community College from 1994 through 1995.

The fact that Hill was named interim head coach means it is possible he won't coach a game for the Tigers. He will, however, take over the day-to-day operations that Pinkel was in charge of until a permanent option is found.

One can only assume that Hill is in the running for the head coaching job, and the manner in which he handles his duties, including recruiting, moving forward could go a long way toward determining if the interim tag is removed.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.