Arkansas football gives Barry Odom a birthday gift: the Battle Line Rivalry game ball

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom's birthday present was the Battle Line Rivalry trophy. That, and a game ball from Arkansas' 34-17 win over Missouri on Friday.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman gave the game ball to linebacker Grant Morgan and defensive back Joe Foucha. After the game, both players spoke to the team about Odom and what he has meant to the Razorbacks. Then, they presented him with the game ball.

"He wanted this one," linebacker Hayden Henry said of Odom. "I'm just so happy that we could go out there and get it done for him. ... What he's meant for the University of Arkansas should never go unnoticed, because he completely turned around a team and a defense. We're forever in his debt."

After the game, Pittman acknowledged Odom's history as Missouri's head coach and said he didn't want to go into it. He didn't need to — Odom's defense spoke for itself. Arkansas gave up its only touchdown in the final two minutes of the game and held Missouri to 65 passing yards.

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In the days leading up to the game, there was plenty of talk about the connections between rivals Arkansas (8-4, 4-4 SEC) and Missouri (6-6, 3-5). Odom and the two players who transferred from Missouri with him, Markell Utsey and Tre Williams, are the obvious ones. 

When Henry was asked after the game about what Odom means to the team, he echoed the sentiment he expressed earlier in the week.

"He's a stone-cold killer," Henry said. "He's the spear of our team — the tip of the spear. The guy is just a legend and he brings it every day. I couldn't be happier for him."

Senior linebackers Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool had double-digit tackles; Henry had 10 and Pool had 13. Pool is now in the top 10 in career tackles for Arkansas at 344.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson credited Pool, Henry and a third senior linebacker, Grant Morgan, as leaders on the team. He said the trio has been instrumental in his own personal growth.

"Looking up to those guys, they’ve instilled knowledge in me," Jefferson said. "Watching how they go about their day and express their feelings on the field and off the field. ... Taking a little bit from each of them and piecing it together and adding it to my collection.

With that leadership in mind, it makes sense that it was Pool who gathered the team before the start of the second half.

Arkansas was up 10-6, and the offense had struggled to move the ball. The defense had held up well, but Pool had a message.

"There was a lot of fire inside of me," Pool said after the game. "I wasn't going to let (seniors) go out and not be able to beat Missouri. Nothing inside of me was going to let it happen. And I just wanted everyone on the entire team to feel the same way."

It wasn't surprising for a player like Pool to make such a statement, especially on a defense that Henry said earlier in the week would "go to war" for Odom. Pittman said as much.

"Bumper’s a fiery guy," he said. "All three of those linebackers, when they talk, everybody listens."

Thanks to Odom's defense and the senior leadership of the linebackers, there's a cardinal red insert in the Battle Line Rivalry trophy for the first time since 2015.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.