Eliah Drinkwitz reflects on spring football game, next steps for Missouri Tigers
Entering Missouri football’s spring game last Saturday, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz admitted he was nervous about the format. The teams were chosen through a player draft and he didn’t know if there would be enough depth on both sides to make things work.
Luckily for the Tigers, things turned out better than he expected.
“For that game to turn out the way it did and to get as many different situations as we did,” Drinkwitz said, “I mean, the whole thing really came together in a beautiful way and I was really impressed with how that played out. I thought there were some really good individual moments and definitely some things that we can teach off of and grow from.”
The depth and talent of the wide receiver room was one of things that stood out the most. Luther Burden, Dominic Lovett, Tauskie Dove and Chance Luper combined for 353 receiving yards, while Barrett Banister and Mekhi Miller made some plays in as well. Drinkwitz noted the growth of that position, which is under new position coach Jacob Peeler.
“People maturing, coming along, understanding for us in our pass game it’s about being detailed, disciplined and unselfish,” Drinkwitz said. “Those are three heavy words and you gotta embrace all three of them in order to be successful in the pass game, and I think those guys are doing that. And there’s good competition, I think they feed off each other.”
There were some clear mistakes on the offensive side of the ball though, most notably three interceptions — two from Tyler Macon and one from Brady Cook, who are competing for the starting quarterback spot. Cook completed 16 of 20 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns, while Macon completed 16 of 23 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown.
“Both of them had good things and bad things happen to them during the course of the game, and they had to respond both in their own way,” Drinkwitz said. “... Both of them made mistakes that really put you behind the 8-ball in trying to win a game, so we gotta learn from those and grow from those.”
Defensive back Daylan Carnell was responsible for two of those interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. A rising redshirt freshman, Carnell didn’t see much time on the field last season. The team had him playing multiple different positions last year, but Drinkwitz said he will play at the “STAR” nickel position this season. The head coach was impressed with the job Carnell did in pass defense, but wants to see him improve in tackling and stopping the run.
“He’s always been a guy that has the ability to get ball disruption and he seems to find a way to make plays on the ball,” Drinkwitz said. “ I think he’s continued to grow and develop. He’s still a young player.”
Drinkwitz also mentioned safety Joseph Charleston, linebacker Devin Nicholson and defensive linemen Darius Robinson, Isaiah McGuire, Arden Walker and Realus George as defensive players who stood out.
Many of those guys got more chances this spring because of injuries. Defensive backs Ennis Rakestraw, Kris Abrams-Draine, Martez Manuel and Jalani Williams were all absent from the spring game. Defensive linemen Kyrin Montgomery and Trajan Jeffcoat were also out, as was Chad Bailey.
Drinkwitz expects his team back healthy soon, though. Right tackle Hyrin White, who suffered a lower leg injury earlier this spring, is the only player Drinkwitz mentioned might not be back for preseason camp.
Between now and then, Missouri players will focus on watching film from the spring and taking feedback from coaches to figure out what steps they need to take to improve and play a role next season, Drinkwitz said.
The next five weeks will be spent on training to increase players’ strength, speed, agility and fundamentals. Players will get some time off at home in May, which Drinkwitz believes will be a test of their work ethic, discipline and willpower in terms of how much progress they maintain on their own. June and July will center around re-integrating previously injured players and getting everyone back to full speed.
But for now, spring practice is still in session.
“I reminded them today though that our spring is not over,” Drinkwitz said. “We got two practices left and we need to finish this spring strong. We need to correct some mistakes, continue to go out and prove who we are and what we want to be and continue to grow as a team.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 7:46 PM.
