Mizzou continued to be an enigma in 2016, undergoing a complete turnaround from the 2015 season.

Instead of a team with a great defense and terrible offense, the Tigers transformed into a team with a great offense (at times) and terrible defense under first-year head coach Barry Odom.

That led to an uninspiring 4-8 record, which included disappointing home losses to Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.

However, there were some good moments this season, from an season-ending victory over Arkansas to a 79-0 drubbing of Delaware State to a home victory over a much-improved Vanderbilt squad.

As we head toward bowl season (which Mizzou obviously did not qualify for), here’s a look at some of the team’s standouts from the 2016 campaign:

Offensive MVP — QB Drew Lock: Lock’s sophomore season was much better than his freshman campaign. In limited action last year, Lock looked overmatched.

In 2016, he unleashed his right arm, leading the SEC with 237 completions for 3,399 yards. His 23-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio also led the conference.

Though he struggled against top-tier defenses like Florida and LSU, Lock took some major steps forward this season, grasping the Tigers’ fast-paced offense and leading the team to a much-improved 34.1 points per game.

Lock made junior WR J’Mon Moore his go-to guy, finding him 62 times for an SEC-leading 1,012 yards. Moore and Lock connected for eight touchdowns and built a rapport that should carry over into the 2017 season.

Defensive MVP — DE Charles Harris: It was a tough year for the Mizzou defense as a whole. Star DE Charles Harris and the talented defensive linemen weren’t immune from those struggles under first-year coordinator DeMontie Cross.

Sep 17, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Charles Harris (91) celebrates after a sack against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Harris had an up-and-down season, recording three sacks against Georgia in Week 3 but failing to record another until Week 9.

However, the junior ended the season on a high note, recording 5.5 sacks over the final four games to finish with 9.0 for the year. In the SEC, only Tennessee’s Derek Barnett (12.0) and LSU’s Arden Key (10.0) had more. He also forced a fumble and batted down two passes.

Harris recently declared for the 2017 NFL Draft, opting to skip his senior season in Columbia, but he’ll be remembered as one of the best to play the defensive end position at Mizzou, alongside recent NFL picks Michael Sam, Markus Golden, Shane Ray and others.

Rookie of the Year — RB Damarea Crockett: The freshman was so impressive in his debut season that you could certainly make a case he deserved Offensive MVP.

However, we’ll put him here so Lock can get his due credit, too.

Crockett, an Arkansas native, ended the season on a low note by getting suspended for the season finale following a marijuana-related arrest.

Still, he managed to run for 1,062 yards on 153 carries over the course of basically 10 full games. (He only received two carries for 4 yards in the opener at West Virginia.)

Crockett also scored 10 times, including a whopping four scores against Middle Tennessee. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark five times and ran for 150 or more yards three times.

With a full offseason to mature and get more familiar with the offense, Crockett could emerge as one of the nation’s best running backs in 2017.

He’s a big reason Mizzou fans should be confident in their team’s chances of becoming bowl eligible next year.

Assistant of the Year — Josh Heupel, offensive coordinator: Mizzou’s offense was one of the nation’s worst in 2015, so big changes were needed and made before 2016.

Perhaps the biggest was bringing in Josh Heupel to run the offense. The move paid off; Missouri finished averaging 500.5 yards per game, first in the SEC and 14th in the nation.

The scoring totals didn’t match the yardage output, as Mizzou finished seventh in the SEC and 54th nationally at 34.1 per contest. However, since Heupel had to rely heavily on a sophomore quarterback, a freshman running back and a largely inexperienced offensive line and receiving corps, Year 1 must be considered an overwhelming success.

With nearly every offensive contributor returning for 2017, Heupel and the Tigers should be in a good position heading into spring ball.