Missouri returned to Harpo’s on Tuesday night for Tiger Talk with plenty to unpack from its win in the Border War and an eye already on Troy, the opponent waiting in the Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary Game.
Eli Drinkwitz used the night to touch on everything from special teams to ball security to the growth of a few key players, and he didn’t shy away from taking the heat for one of the rougher details from Week 2. After Missouri had two field goals blocked by Kansas, Drinkwitz put the responsibility on himself.
“Bottom line, whatever happened happened twice. And if it happens once, shame on you; if it happens twice, they’ll say shame on me, right?
So at the end of the day, it was my fault. I haven’t done a great enough job of making sure that it was taught in a clear and concise manner that our guys could execute it.
But it was taught today, and it was taught again yesterday … so we got that thing re-taught and put in, and we won’t have any more problems moving forward.”
Drinkwitz also praised the way the defense opened against Kansas, pointing to a fast start and a stretch of seven three-and-outs. He said the group was “consistently was harassing the quarterback,” and he highlighted the stop that followed Missouri’s first fumble, when the Tigers forced a missed field goal.
Ball security came up, too, and Drinkwitz didn’t like what he saw from the offense’s 14-game turnover streak.
“That ain’t good. I let them know today: we had two fumbles.
That’s more than we’ve had in a season before here. Look, you’re going to throw interceptions; you can’t throw multiple interceptions, but you’re going to throw interceptions.
But fumbles, those are inexcusable. David Cutcliffe used to say, ‘One fumble in a lifetime is one too many.’
So for us, we’ve got to value the ball, we’ve got to take care of the football, and that’s a bad stat. We’ve got to get rid of that stat.”
There was plenty of praise mixed in as well. Drinkwitz said he has been “super impressed” with Austin Simmons’ leadership, describing the way the quarterback connects with teammates and even checks on the defense during TV timeouts. He also talked up the work Simmons has done with Donovan Olugbode, saying their connection didn’t come easy.
“Donovan has worked extremely hard to get on the same page with Austin. And I’ll be honest, this spring it was not pretty.
There was a lot of incompletions, a lot of balls that we just weren’t on the same page, and even in fall camp. But I’ve got to give it to them: those guys have spent a lot of extra time working on it and trying to find the answers and finding the solutions, and getting more reps and getting more throws.
And I think that’s the thing that has been impressive to me is the work ethic that those guys have put in in order to achieve the success that they’ve achieved.”
Olugbode, who has opened the season strong, said the fit at Missouri came down to comfort and trust.
“It felt like a family atmosphere, close to home. [Wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler], I feel like he’s good at developing receivers and is a good coach. And I trusted what coach Drink had going with this program, so it ultimately led me to choose Mizzou.”
He said the team’s bond grows from time spent together away from the field, especially long conversations in the locker room after practice.
“Just the camaraderie between us in the locker room. After practice, there will be guys in the locker room sitting and talking for two hours after practice already ended, just having fun and talking. So I feel like the amount of time we spend together and the brotherhood we build, it ultimately just leads us to have the best chemistry.”
On his connection with Simmons, Olugbode said the two kept grinding until things started to click.
“We kind of just put our heads down and went to work. It it wasn’t clicking at first without the routes or whatever we were doing, we just kept going and kept going and kept going ‘til it clicked, and then we kept going some more. And eventually we just kept getting better and better and better, and we continued to see progress.”
He also broke down his touchdown against Kansas, describing the route, the leverage he saw, and the ball from Simmons.
“I had a post route. The dude was playing outside leverage, so I kind of gave a move at the top, perfect ball by the quarterback, and the rest is history.
So it was a good play, good execution. Also, I wanted to give thanks to the o-line and the running back protection-wise.”
Olugbode added that wide receivers have to contribute in the run game, not just on passing downs.
“The receivers got to play a big factor in the run game. Sticking your face in the fan, our receiver coach says it a lot.
Being willing to block for our running backs because they do it for us in pass pro. So just it giving back.”
Drinkwitz also revisited Darris Smith’s path, describing a stretch after Smith’s ACL surgery when the program considered a separation. He said Smith was given a strict set of expectations and responded with a 4.0 GPA the next semester. Drinkwitz said he is proud of the player Smith has become and called him “a hell of a football player” and “an even better teammate.”
Looking ahead to Troy, Drinkwitz made clear Missouri isn’t treating the matchup lightly, especially with Mike Kelly noting the Trojans have beaten the Tigers before. Drinkwitz said Troy has “some pelts on their wall” and stressed that Missouri has to stick to its own standard.
“So for us, it’s really about playing and practicing to our standard. It’s about understanding that we’ve got to improve.
So there’s a lot of work to be done. If we go out and think that we play the same game against Kansas and beat Troy, we’re crazy.
We have to be better this week, and it starts with all of us, starting with me.”
Before all that, Drinkwitz even revived “Drinks on Drink,” though he made one thing clear about the tab.
“Don’t be trying to get any of that top shelf liquor; y’all don’t be drinking any of that. This is beer only. I’ll do wine, too, for some of the ladies.”
In Other News...
Missouri May Have Found The Pass Rusher It Desperately Needed
Missouris defense got a much-needed jolt in its latest matchup, and the player providing it was a teenager still early in his college career. Daeden Hopkins earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after repeatedly getting into Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshalls face, piling up eight pressures in the game and continuing a breakout stretch that has him among the nations more disruptive young edge defenders.
For a Missouri front looking for consistent pass-rushing help, Hopkins has started to look like a real answer. The 19-year-old underclassman has 12 pressures this season, and Eli Drinkwitz has pointed to both his work ethic and his development, including added weight and better run defense, as reasons the Tigers have been encouraged by his growth. What comes next for Hopkins will tell Missouri even more about whether this is a one-game spike or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Golf Found An Early Bright Spot In Brutal Conditions
Mizzou mens golf opened its season with a solid showing in a tough setting, finishing fifth at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational despite weather that made scoring difficult for everyone in the field. The Tigers ended the tournament at 25-over par, but senior Veikka Viskari provided an early lift with a steadier week than most of the leaderboard could manage.
Viskaris play gave Mizzou a legitimate bright spot to build on, and junior Trent Mierl also turned in a top-10 result to round out an encouraging team effort. In conditions like these, having multiple players hold up under pressure can matter almost as much as the final place, and the Tigers left with proof that there is some depth to lean on as the fall schedule continues. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou May Have Found A Homegrown Talent Fans Need To Watch
Daeden Hopkins has already given Missouri fans a reason to keep an eye on a local name. The edge rusher from Hermann arrived in Columbia as an in-state commit and freshman, then worked his way onto the field in multiple games while drawing steady attention inside the program for the way he handled his offseason development.
For a player who came out of a small Missouri town, the early return has been encouraging, and the buzz around him has only grown as the staff has watched him develop. Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has been among the most optimistic voices about Hopkins ceiling, and the next step now is clear: keep stacking progress and see how far that hometown path can go. [Read more 🡒]