COLUMBIA - Missouri knew it would not have Emanuel Hall available for its road tilt against No. 1 Alabama. The Tigers prepared all week like Hall, who is battling a strained groin, would not make the trip.
But something bigger than football, more serious than a minor injury, kept Hall from travelling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and sent him back home to Franklin, Tenn.
Hall's father passed away unexpectedly last Thursday and the Tiger receiver has spent the past few days with family. He was not on Missouri's depth chart ahead of Saturday afternoon's Homecoming game against Memphis, and head coach Barry Odom confirmed he will not play in the game.
Missouri (3-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) and Memphis (4-3, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) kick at 3 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
Now in his senior year, Hall hasn't caught a pass in a game since at Purdue, and he last played against Georgia, which means he is still technically eligible for a redshirt. Odom said that option was not discussed when he and Hall spoke this week.
"He said, 'Coach, I'm so ready to get back and help this team,'" Odom said. "That will probably be the way we end up going. Health-wise he's in a lot better spot than he was last Tuesday. We're getting really close. He's dealing with a lot of personal things with the passing of his father. He's getting close but also got a lot on his plate."
His Missouri teammates gave Hall space after he first got the news out of respect, and have supported him from afar after he went home.
"I actually live close to where Emanuel lives and I know he lives with Nate Brown," quarterback Drew Lock said Tuesday. "Me and Nate are really close because me and Nate lived with each other for a while. So I called Nate and asked him what he thought we should do, just being around Emanuel when it happened, how Emanuel was reacting.
"For the time being Nate said we should probably just let him deal with it himself right now, let him go home. I'll probably end up going over there when he comes back, but it was just really fresh and didn't want to over-step boundaries at the time. Because of course we would have all been there, it's an easy 30 second walk over to his house, but that's why I called Nate, just to make sure, 'Hey, should we come over or should we let it sit for right now,' and he said, 'Let it sit first.'"
Brown, a redshirt senior, has also missed the last two games with a groin injury and was listed third on this week's depth chart. After impressive debuts against Tennessee-Martin, Jalen Knox has seen his number called more, and has had more passes thrown his way than Kam Scott through six games, with 15 catches for 280 yards, second-best on the team, and two touchdowns. Knox and Alex Ofodile were listed as co-starters ahead of Brown and Scott, who has three catches for 89 yards and a score, was the clear first-string ahead of Richaud Floyd, who is still working back from a broken bone in his leg, and Barrett Banister.
"Jalen's been playing his butt off," Lock said. "He's had to grow up really fast, on some big stages, and I think he's doing a great job."
Offensive coordinator Derek Dooley said Knox and Lock have developed the best chemistry so far of the new receivers, but added the season is only halfway through. Continued reps in practice and games is the only way to build that chemistry and trust.
Lock and his receivers will have a chance to develop their relationship Saturday against a stingy Memphis pass defense that is allowing fewer than 200 yards per game through the air and just seven yards per completion with a 60 percent opponent completion percentage.