Mizzou football scrimmage takeaways: Offense sharp, QBs growing and an injury update
The Missouri Tigers were supposed to kick off the 2020 season Saturday at Faurot Field. The stands were supposed to be full. There was supposed to be that unmistakable energy of a football game on a college campus. Central Arkansas was supposed to line up against the Tigers in Eliah Drinkwitz’s Mizzou debut.
The only part that came true Saturday was when the Tigers took the field for their second scrimmage of preseason camp. They lined up against each other — offense in black, defense in white and quarterbacks in green — and continued to work through the kinks of installing Drinkwitz’s offense.
Mizzou is three weeks away from kicking off its modified SEC schedule against No. 3 Alabama on Sept. 26. While Drinkwitz said the season feels close, it’s not nearly where he wants it to be.
“We’re supposed to have played today,” Drinkwitz said on a video call after the scrimmage. “I feel like (the movie) ‘Cast Away.’ We can’t quite get to that game yet. Every time I think we’re close, the waves throw me back on the beach. Not creeping up on anybody.”
The season feels much more certain than a month ago. Drinkwitz said he and those around him were “worried” when the Big Ten and Pac-12 shut it down for the fall, wondering if the rest of the Power Five would follow suit.
Instead, the Big 12, ACC and SEC have steadied the ship since then. The Big 12 kicks off its season next weekend, though there are some blips, like TCU postponing its SMU game to a later date.
Mizzou, meanwhile, has showcased low COVID-19 numbers with a chance to get that number down to zero.
“I tip my hat to Commissioner (Greg) Sankey and the presidents of our universities and the rest of the conference,” Drinkwitz said. “I think Greg Sankey has done an outstanding job leading and not worrying about whatever’s on Twitter. He makes decisions in real time.”
Drinkwitz has noted throughout camp how the offense has lagged behind the defense. The defensive line has gotten to the quarterback, the cornerbacks have been shutting down the MU wideouts and, on the whole, it seemed like the offense had just been stuck several steps behind the defense.
But Drinkwitz said the Tigers were finally able to put up some points on the board in the scrimmage. He said the offense was able to get first downs and shed the negative-yardage plays that had thus far plagued the Mizzou attack, earning manageable distances on third downs.
“Honestly, it was refreshing,” Drinkwitz said of the offense. “It reminded me that we could still coach a little bit around here. It was good to see that offensively. Consequently, defensively we gotta do a better job of stopping guys on third downs and not getting them behind the sticks on first down.”
While the Tigers and Drinkwitz have been tight-lipped about their quarterback battle, the first-year coach said the unit looked more comfortable in its calls Saturday. They’re starting to “know the answers,” Drinkwitz said, when it comes to progressions and where to go when facing man or zone coverage — details that will decide the fate of games once competition begins.
Drinkwitz added that some of his quarterbacks were able to scramble and make plays with their feet, which he called “an added dimension that you’ve always got to have.”
There was also some continuity, finally, on the offensive line. Drinkwitz said the unit has been dealing with issues regarding both injuries and COVID, leading to an open rotation through some practices. The Tigers have able to trot out the same starting five for the last handful of practices, Drinkwitz said.
The wide receivers also made some nice plays on contested balls, picking up chunks of yardage.
“There was good give and take from both sides,” Drinkwitz said. “Somewhere between 125-150 plays. We let everybody play today. Went live. Had some situations in the half, in the game. I thought our guys responded well to the situations. It was hot today.”
Injury update
While Mizzou’s COVID numbers are down, injuries remain a part of the sport. Drinkwitz said a few players were battling through some injuries that will keep them out for varying amounts of time.
Linebacker Chad Bailey will be out for the next two to three weeks with a hand injury. Offensive lineman Hyrin White and running back Elijah Young were out Saturday with shoulder injuries. Defensive lineman Markell Utsey, who shined at last week’s scrimmage, was unavailable with an upper-torso injury.
Wide receiver Maurice Massey was out with a lower knee injury. Damon Hazelton, who hasn’t earned his jersey number partly because he’s been battling injuries, didn’t play in the scrimmage because of a soft-tissue issue. And running back Simi Bakare was nursing a hamstring injury Saturday.