COLUMBIA, Mo. - Barry Odom wanted to keep Johnathon Johnson a secret.
He'd seen what the speedy wide receiver could do first-hand while a coach at Memphis, and had to hope his explosiveness wouldn't show up on highlight reels.
It didn't work. Cornell Ford and the Missouri staff saw and liked Johnson, too. He eventually committed to Missouri, making the decision to try somewhere a little farther from home, and Odom, who by that point had accepted a position as the Tigers defensive coordinator, was a part of that, according to Johnson. His familiarity with Odom helped shore up his commitment to Missouri.
"I was sold on the guy," Odom said Tuesday. "Not only because he was dynamic with the ball in his hands, but also I liked his attitude, I liked his demeanor towards everything with the ball. So I think I probably helped a bit in that (recruiting) process, but Cornell had already laid the groundwork.
"I was trying to keep him under wraps and keep him there at the home town, but, anyway, things happen, and I was glad to be able to get him and honestly he's turned into a pretty good one."
Johnson was electric Saturday, using his hands and his speed to put up 116 yards and two scores on just five receptions. Pro Football Focus named him one of the three best receivers in the Southeastern Conference after Week 1, and he is currently third in the conference in receiving yards behind Mississippi's A.J. Brown and teammate J'Mon Moore. On defense, PFF recognized lineman Rashad Brandon as its highest-graded SEC player of the week and gave cornerback Logan Cheadle the third-best grade defensively in the conference.
"You've got to be really prepared coverage-wise, you better know where your help is," Odom said of covering Johnson. "You're not going to be very successful one-on-one over the course of a game."
But for Missouri, the most important thing offensively was not the 815 yards of offense the team dropped on an FCS school, but how those yards were gained. Players and coaches pointed to vastly improved wide receiver blocking from a year ago, both on the two-man screen play the Tigers used so effectively in the first half and in downfield blocking on run plays.
"It's amazing. It's 10 times better than last year," said Damarea Crockett, who ran for more than 200 yards in the season opener and was also recognized by PFF as the highest-graded Week 1 offensive SEC player and given a spot on the publication's national team of the week. "That's the difference between a play going five yards and a play going 50 yards for the touchdown, is receiver blocking. I feel like from last year's offense that's what we've improved the most, easily."
Moore, Johnson and Dimetrios Mason blocked very well for one another on the two-man run-pass option screen plays that racked up hundreds of yards after catch and contributed to Lock's record-breaking performance.
Missouri's tight ends and running backs also chipped in big blocks against second-level defenders. Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said after the game screens weren't a specific focus before the game, but it's clear why he kept calling it. The Bears played 2-on-2 on the perimeter, giving Tigers receivers a significant cushion, and when Missouri State coach Dave Steckel called for a nickel or linebacker to play between the line and the receivers, the run-pass option forced a commitment from the defense before the play had fully developed.
On several big gains, that defender committed to the run and Lock pulled the ball from his back's gut for a quick throw into one- or two-on-one coverage outside.
Heupel told an SEC Network analyst during a video breakdown of the Week 1 offensive performance his offense has a way of determining who gets thrown to during games, and "If you don't block, you ain't getting it."
Blocking was one thing Missouri's offensive line was very good at doing a year ago, and that unit returned all its depth under coach Glen Elarbee. It didn't seem to matter Tre'Vour Simms and Trystan Castillo made their first-ever starts there against Missouri State. Both slid right into place for a line that gave up just one sack.
Simms, who played but did not start in 2016, discouraged the idea something was different just because he was named a starter and said he didn't understand all the fuss that was made of it, although the first-snap jitters went away pretty quickly after the Tigers scored in 16 seconds.
He also said being named first-string right guard felt like a starting point, not a destination.
"It wasn't really a feeling, it was like, I want it more," Simms said of his reaction to seeing his name at RG1. "I didn't want that to be it, I wanted more. Bigger things than just seeing my name at the top of the depth chart. Like it's a start for where I'm trying to go in my career."