Eli Drinkwitz hinted at changes to Mizzou position group. Here’s what he wants to see

The main card is on deck in Columbia.

Mizzou football scraped out a four-point win over Group of Five outfit Middle Tennessee on Saturday in Columbia, nine days after looking comfortable, if not clinical, against FCS outfit South Dakota to open the season.

Now come the Big ’Cats.

During his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz touched on several areas he wants the Tigers (2-0) to improve before they face No. 15-ranked Kansas State (2-0) on Saturday in Columbia.

There’s expected to be a sellout crowd for the morning kickoff at Memorial Stadium. It’s the first Faurot Field meeting between the ex-Big Eight and Big 12 rivals since 2010. In the era of conference realignment, it’s an increasingly rare regional rivalry game.

A little more than one year ago, the eventual Big 12-champion Wildcats taught the Tigers a lesson in Manhattan, Kansas.

“Our team has to focus on what we can improve on this week,” Drinkwitz said. “And there’s plenty of things from the tape that we want to focus on improving.”

First area of interest: up front.

One year after the Wildcats’ defensive front wreaked havoc against MU, some protection problems along Missouri’s offensive line resurfaced Saturday, when the Tigers gave up seven TFLs against MTSU, including four sacks.

And that was just the start.

“You know, I think we were disappointed with the first drive in the red zone,” Drinkwitz said. “We had a holding penalty, a false start and then a sack — three plays in a row right there that we need to get off the tape.”

Drinkwitz made it clear after Saturday’s game that some personnel changes may be coming. On Tuesday, he said the Tigers have reopened competition for the starting job at right guard.

Those statements held true during the open portion of practice Tuesday afternoon, when Eastern Michigan transfer Marcellus Johnson took reps at right guard with the starters while Week 1 and 2 starter Cam’Ron Johnson practiced with the second-string unit. True-freshman Logan Reichert and junior EJ Ndoma-Ogar also are being considered as options, the coach said.

The penalties and missed assignments weren’t just pinned on one position.

“I think we’re growing, we’ve just got to get all five of us on the same page and competing together,” Drinkwitz said. “Five acting as one, which is what an offensive line has to do.”

That plays a part in another concern from Missouri’s opening two weeks: creating explosive plays.

Protection issues, misreads by the QB and missed routes and timing issues among the receivers all made the coach’s list of causes.

Part of the problem there, Drinkwitz said, is as simple as the volume of opportunities provided by the playcalling. Starting quarterback Brady Cook threw 19 times against MTSU, completing 14 of the throws — and “19 opportunities is not enough to create explosive plays.”

Drinkwitz reiterated that offensive coordinator Kirby Moore is calling the plays, but that they have a standard practice of communicating throughout the game and discussing situations in between series.

After two full games of that arrangement, it’s still a work in progress.

“I think we just have to gain more confidence in our process and what we’re doing and cut loose,” Drinkwitz said.

The offense wasn’t the only phase to get a to-do list ahead of K-State. Missouri’s defense got homework, too.

The defense has allowed 29 points over the opening two games but has struggled with allowing clock-chewing drives. South Dakota burned most of the third quarter on an eight-minute, 19-second possession. Middle Tennessee had two drives that lasted more than six minutes.

“We’ve got to get them into third down, but we’ve got to get ourselves off the field,” Drinkwitz said. “And that’s going to be a point of emphasis this week.”

All told, Kansas State shapes up to be a gut check — a failed order 12 months ago.

And with crunch time coming, Missouri has work to do to make sure history doesn’t repeat.

“Any time you’re taking on a defending conference champion and a team that’s ranked in the top 20,” Drinkwitz said, “you’re going to have to play your best ball.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.