Drinkwitz has key words for detractors as Missouri football picks up another victory
There were criticisms of the Missouri Tigers’ on-field performance Saturday, yes, which MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said they’ll address when they break down film.
But Drinkwitz was quick to praise his team after Mizzou’s 17-10 win over South Carolina. The Tigers matched up with the Gamecocks with only 52 available players on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. That’s below the SEC’s roster threshold, but Drinkwitz said his team worked “way too hard to not play a game.”
That followed a week of uncertainty as Mizzou slowly saw its roster numbers dip. The Tigers started with 56 players, then 54 to 53 before finally landing to the 52 players they featured Saturday. That’s similar to an FCS roster, Drinkwitz said, the lower level of Division I football where scholarship numbers are limited compared to FBS.
The Tigers shook all of that away, improving to 3-3 on the season and holding firm at third place in the SEC East. Not bad for a team expected to win just two games and finish sixth in the division in the coach’s first season at Mizzou.
“I’ve got a couple of screenshots of people that predicted us to only win two games, so they can have those screenshots back,” Drinkwitz said. “I think that, for me, is the biggest thing. Just for our team to have a chip on our shoulder. People counting us out before we even got to the fight. There’s no quit in us.”
While Mizzou traveled with 56 players, Drinkwitz said the Tigers knew some would be unavailable to play. Trajan Jeffcoat didn’t dress as he was declared out on Friday. The trio of Kobie Whiteside, Larry Borom and Xavier Delgado made the trip, but were emergency-only weapons.
MU never wavered in its commitment to the game, though.
“We wanted to play no matter what,” Drinkwitz said. “As long as we didn’t have something from a medical standpoint that we would’ve considered to be an outbreak, we were going to play.”
It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, especially from his offense, Drinkwitz said. The Tigers jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead, but the offense failed to produce in the second half.
The Gamecocks appeared well on their way to another stunning comeback over the Tigers, but linebacker Devin Nicholson intercepted quarterback Luke Doty’s pass late in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
The defense shined bright Saturday, playing arguably its best game of the season even with defensive coordinator Ryan Walters back home because of contact tracing. The Tigers were again led by linebacker Nick Bolton, who finished with 14 tackles, two of which were for loss.
“You can’t really dwell on the past or somebody hurts, someone not being out,” Bolton said. “They’re not going to be there either way it goes. Just come in here every day, put your head down and try to improve. Give us a chance to win a football game. Everybody in the locker room has the same mindset.”
Mizzou will look to heal and get players back from contact tracing this week as it looks for another win. After securing the Mayor’s Cup against South Carolina, the Tigers have another trophy game Saturday. This time they’ll face old friend Barry Odom and the Arkansas Razorbacks with the Battle Line trophy at stake. Kickoff is 11 a.m. on Faurot Field.
The Tigers have a chance to blow even further past preseason expectations, with four games remaining on the schedule. Drinkwitz said that’s a testament to the team overcoming hardships and mistakes in a win over the Gamecocks.
“Our guys are fighting and giving everything they got,” Drinkwitz said. “Nick Bolton’s playing every snap. Our D-line is giving everything they got. We started two true freshmen at corner tonight. To be where we’re at is a tribute to our players, it’s a tribute to our seniors, it’s a tribute to our staff for just fighting.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 12:08 AM.