Mizzou got what it wanted in the Border War: a comeback win, a 38-21 finish over Kansas, and a 2-0 start. But as the Tigers turn their attention to unbeaten Troy in Columbia, Eli Drinkwitz is making sure nobody gets too comfortable with the shiny parts of last week.
“We’re one week away from being humble,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday.
That line fit the mood around Missouri this week. The Tigers showed plenty against Kansas, especially after falling behind early and then taking control in the second half. Still, Drinkwitz spent just as much time talking about the messes that came with the victory.
The issues started with inconsistency. Missouri didn’t run the ball with any real rhythm, went 2-for-6 on fourth down and had trouble holding up in the red zone. Even more troubling was special teams, where the Tigers were burned by two blocked kicks and four penalties, including two personal fouls.
Drinkwitz didn’t dodge that part.
“I’m in charge of that unit,” Drinkwitz said. “I’m in charge of all the special teams units.”
He said Missouri has already gone back and reinstalled its field-goal protection, and the staff has also made personnel changes to keep the same breakdowns from popping up again.
The run game is still searching for its shape, even with a big moment from Roberts. He ripped off a 64-yard touchdown against Kansas and still carried the load all afternoon, finishing with 125 yards on 28 carries, a career-high workload. Afterward, he said his own adjustment starts with patience.
“Just maybe let the gaps open up a little bit more,” Roberts said.
Drinkwitz pointed to Missouri’s outside-zone blocking as a key fix. The Tigers haven’t consistently had all five offensive linemen reading things the same way, and that has kept the backs from hitting the vertical seams the scheme is built to create.
There has been more success on duo runs, according to Drinkwitz and Roberts, but the staff wants more variety and more growth from younger backs too. Xai’Shaun Edwards gave Missouri a useful jolt against Kansas, finishing with 10 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown.
If the ground game is still settling in, Simmons is already looking like the steadying force Missouri needs. Drinkwitz praised his quarterback for staying composed when Kansas pushed back and for the way he handled himself on the sideline. Simmons completed 19 of 29 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
Drinkwitz said Simmons stays connected to teammates on both sides of the ball, even lifting up the defense when it comes off the field. That presence has not gone unnoticed inside the locker room.
Roberts said the Tigers “don’t flinch” when adversity hits, while offensive lineman Curtis Peagler said Simmons’ energy helps bring the team together.
Missouri’s defense also had its share of big moments in the Kansas win. Transfer linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. forced a fumble and picked off a pass in the third quarter, and the Tigers finished with four sacks. Daeden Hopkins and Donta Simpson were among the players who helped create pressure.
Hopkins’ development is one of the more interesting pieces of this defense. The sophomore defensive end added weight in the offseason, and he said that extra strength has helped him bring more power off the edge.
That matters this week because Troy brings a different kind of challenge. Drinkwitz praised the Trojans’ coaching staff and called out quarterback Goose Crowder’s experience, along with offensive coordinator Adam Austin’s scheme. He specifically mentioned Troy’s wide-split RPOs and slow-mesh concept.
On the other side, Drinkwitz identified defensive end Donnie Smith as a player Missouri has to account for, while Troy’s interior defensive linemen create multiple fronts the Tigers will have to sort through.
It’s a final tune-up before the schedule turns harder in SEC play. Missouri already showed it can answer a punch. Now the question is whether it can clean up enough of the rough edges to look the same way from start to finish.
In Other News...
Mizzou May Be Bringing A New Problem Into SEC Play
Missouris win in the Border War did more than keep the momentum rolling, it also put a couple of Tigers in the SEC spotlight. Austin Simmons earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors and landed on the Davey OBrien Great Eight Team of the Week, while Deaden Hopkins was recognized as SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his work on the other side of the ball.
Those awards arrive just in time for a different kind of test, with Missouris SEC opener against Mississippi State set for Sept. 26 at 6:45 p.m. CST on the SEC Network. The Tigers are heading into conference play with a little national attention and a reminder that their early success is starting to draw notice beyond Columbia. [Read more 🡒]
Drinkwitz Just Put Mizzous Biggest Problem Under A Harsh Spotlight
Missouris special teams came under a harsh light after the Kansas game, and coach Eli Drinkwitz did not try to soften it. He pointed to two blocked field goals and a string of penalties as the kind of breakdowns that can swing a game, then made clear the problems went beyond execution on the field and into coaching. With Troy next on the schedule, it has become a priority area the Tigers cannot afford to leave unresolved.
Drinkwitz said the operation has already been revisited in practice, with the staff looking at fixes on the protection side and around the personnel involved. The bigger question for Missouri is whether those changes can steady a unit that has suddenly become a source of anxiety instead of an asset, especially with the SEC slate looming after this week. [Read more 🡒]
Donta Simpson Is Giving Mizzous Pass Rush A Needed Jolt
Donta Simpsons first game of the season gave Missouri a little more pop off the edge than it had been looking for. The Tigers used him for significant snaps in the opener, and the pass rusher made the most of the opportunity by finishing with 1.5 sacks in limited work, good enough to match the team high and provide an immediate boost to a defense trying to sharpen its pressure.
For Simpson, the strong start was especially notable because his offseason never really went according to plan after he dealt with an illness before getting back on the field in mid-August. Eli Drinkwitz had clearly been looking for a better response from him, and the way Simpson handled the opener showed why Missouri wanted more from him in the first place. Even with the rotation still taking shape, he gave the Tigers a needed jolt against Kansas and put himself back in the conversation as a pass-rush option worth watching. [Read more 🡒]