COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As Missouri coach Gary Pinkel addressed his team for the final time at Faurot Field on Saturday, he did so in front of tears and hanging heads. A season of disappointment and off-field complications climaxed with an uninspired 19-8 home loss to Tennessee.
Pinkel stood in front of his players and selflessly took the blame for Saturday’s lethargic loss, feeling he had become a distraction. He thought he let his players down.
Immediately, senior center Evan Boehm, who minutes earlier helped fellow lineman Connor McGovern carry Pinkel on their shoulders from midfield to the end zone, interrupted his coach, grabbed that blame and spread it throughout the locker room.