Eli Drinkwitz sees improvement from this Missouri unit. Now he wants to see more

On many fronts, Missouri's Week 2 win over Kansas was an impressive showing early in the 2025 season. The offense produced 42 points and controlled the game through the air and on the ground, while the defense made big plays in important moments.

Now that a few days have passed, coach Eli Drinkwitz is no longer piling on admiration for the win. The focus now is for his team to improve on mistakes before playing Louisiana at 3 p.m. Saturday at Faurot Field, with the Tigers looking to improve to 3-0.

"They've got plenty of praise," Drinkwitz said Tuesday. "At the end of the day, there's a lot of things we’ve got to get better at."

The offensive line is a unit that Drinkwitz was pleased to see make improvements after Mizzou's season opener against Central Arkansas. The line didn't allow as much pressure or as many busts this time around. But on too many occasions, the Jayhawks' defensive lineman were left unblocked, which forced running backs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts to act as their own blockers.

In some situations, the offensive line lacked communication. On a third-and-1 situation in the fourth quarter, the Tigers were unable to convert on a Day 1 play because of that very reason. The issue wasn’t the effort, but instead the execution.

"Five's got to act as one if we're going to be an elite offensive line," Drinkwitz said. "We've got two elite blockers, a tight end ... a really good running back, and we've got five capable players. We’ve got to get on the same page, and they’ve got to respond to the challenge."

Between left tackle Cayden Green, left guard Dominick Giudice, center Connor Tollison and right tackle Keagan Trost, Missouri has plenty of experienced players who are used to facilitating communication on the offensive line. Curtis Peagler is the exception at right guard, but Drinkwitz's asks extend to the entire unit.

Drinkwitz isn't shying away from holding his offensive line accountable.

"The pressure is on these guys to improve," he said. "I'm not going to pretend and pat each other on the back like we've got all this stuff figured out. The name of the game's improvement, and those guys know it."

Once, Giudice stepped up to the lectern. He said he agreed with Drinkwitz's sentiment. Communicating pre-snap and picking up on each other's nonverbal communication are areas the group can improve on. That will be made easier as the offensive line keeps trying to jell before Southeastern Conference play begins.

"I think that just continues to work its way out as you practice," Giudice said. "The way you get better at playing football is by practicing and playing football. As we continue going on in the season, it will only get better."

How Mizzou’s zone defense performed

Mizzou's man-to-man coverage on defense seemed to have clicked for the most part against the Jayhawks. When it came to defending the run, the Tigers were elite; Kansas only netted 31 total rushing yards.

Zone defense, specifically on pass coverage, didn't fare as well against their opponent.

Whereas the Missouri defenders were able to attach to their assignments and communicate well with a man-to-man game plan, the zone was unable to cover the shifts and motions that the Jayhawks brought to the table. That caused confusion, which the coaching staff was unable to get fixed during the game.

"We had communication issues and eye issues and discipline issues. That stuff's got to get taken to the tape," Drinkwitz said. "Last drive of the game, the tight end (was) wide-open down the middle of the field. We combusted coverage because we don't get a communication call between the linebacker and safety on the pressure.

"There's a lot of stuff that was disappointing when we watched the tape, and I think all of us felt that we’ve got to play better."

Kansas was able to notch a few explosive plays against Mizzou, particularly with the 21-6 lead it took in the first quarter. Quarterback Jalon Daniels launched a 50-yard deep ball to receiver Levi Wentz, which set the offense up for an easy score. On that play, safety Daylan Carnell got mixed up in coverage and was forced to play cornerback because of third-down miscommunication.

Similarly to the offensive line, Drinkwitz wants his defense to be 11 acting as one. The unit has shown it can stop the run, it just has to be more sound when covering receivers.

Tigers earn weekly honors

With 334 passing yards, three touchdowns, a 76.9% completion rate and win over the Jayhawks, Pribula was selected as the Maxwell National Player of the Week on Tuesday. On top of that, he was named to Davey O'Brien's week two Great 8 list

Pribula's accuracy and clutch throws added to a 595-yard performance from the Missouri offense as a whole Saturday. Despite a fumble in the first quarter that allowed Kansas to take a 14-6 lead, the Penn State transfer was able to turn the game around and help the Tigers get back in the AP Top 25.

One of Pribula's favorite targets from the win, tight end Brett Norfleet, earned recognition as the John Mackey Player of the Week. The award is presented annually to the best tight end in college football.

Norfleet caught seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns. The first came on an 11-yard reception with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter, while the second came on a 27-yard score that put Missouri up 35-31 at the 4:14 mark of the fourth.

On Mizzou's offensive line, Giudice was named the Outland Trophy Player of the Week. The award is given to the top interior lineman on offense or defense at the end of the year.

Giudice finished Saturday's game with the second-highest Pro Football Focus grade of his career, 66.6, to help create openings for the Tigers' run game to flourish. That it did, as Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts combined for 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Eli Drinkwitz sees improvement from this Missouri unit. Now he wants to see more."