A quarterback controversy at Mizzou? Not quite. Eli Drinkwitz has his guy. Here’s why
It was about 3 o’clock on Thursday when I hopped in the car to drive a couple of hours east, the final destination Mizzou football’s season opener.
Sure, the Tigers had scheduled South Dakota, an FCS program and not even a particularly good one at that, but MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz had all but promised our inclusion in witnessing a quarterback battle unfold in games that count.
What could be more intriguing in a cupcake game than that?
Except, well, where was it?
This column had planned to evaluate who might have won the opening round of such a battle — incumbent starter Brady Cook or redshirt freshman Sam Horn — but it would appear that decision has been mostly made, maybe even completely made.
Cook played the entire opening half of a 35-10 Mizzou win, leaving that Sam with the same job this Sam had in the first half, though with perhaps a better view than me. Horn had his shot in the second half, holding a pressure-free four-score advantage by the time he put his helmet on.
Cook was 17 of 21 for 172 yards and a touchdown in the first half, with Horn just 3 of 5 for 54 yards, one touchdown and an interception that bounced off a receiver’s arms.
After the game, Drinkwitz had no choice but to acknowledge that, “Yeah, (Cook) has a leg up on it. That’s why he went out there first.”
So instead of analyzing who is winning this competition-in-name-only, let’s talk about why.
The quarterback room presents a more interesting question than which option has a better skill-set, or even a more college-ready skill-set. Because, in all honesty, the guy winning the competition is not the guy with the premier talent.
Maybe it’s best to explain with an example. Cook’s first touchdown came on an 18-yard pass to Mekhi Miller, a fairly routine toss over the middle. Well, the end result seemed routine enough. Actually, before Cook threw the ball, he looked off the safety occupying the right side of the field in a cover-2 defense in the red zone.
“It was honestly similar to what should’ve happened with Sam’s inside the red zone,” Drinkwitz said. “... It was something that was well executed.”
Second half, similar play, exact same look on defense. Maybe it was there over the middle, too. Except Horn didn’t recognize the coverage and give it a chance, and he instead immediately tossed a fade pattern out of bounds along the sideline. Wasn’t a bad ball. Looked pretty in the air. Oh well, right?
But as Horn jogged toward the sideline, Drinkwitz stood there waiting to meet him, and then followed with a lengthy conversation. We don’t need to guess the nature of it. We know.
Nor should we be guessing how this is unfolding. We know that, too.
Hell, after the game, Drinkwitz was defending a decision he says has not yet been finalized.
“I’m not going to let any of ya’ll decide,” he said. “I’m not going to let public perception decide. We’ll make a decision within these walls, and we’ll go with it. I’ll be honest: None of ya’ll’s opinions matter. At all. So write up what you want. Say what you want. It doesn’t matter.”
Appreciate the permission we don’t need. Let’s proceed.
Drinkwitz knows the obvious. Horn is the popular choice outside those walls— seemingly the guy with more arm talent and therefore the guy who can help Mizzou reach a higher ceiling. And, man, he spins a pretty ball. He made Missouri’s best throw of the night, over the middle to Miller for 31 yards on a third-down play.
No, we don’t expect this to be a democratic process — none of us in that media room asked for a vote in who plays quarterback at the University of Missouri. We just want to know who it will be. And we want to know why. Too much to ask?
Well, pay attention. Drinkwitz is sharing it, if indirectly, and he’s not exactly burying his clues. There’s even a bit of a see-I-told-you-so tone to it. He raved about Cook’s leadership, his team-first mentality and any of the other grown-man cliches he could use in the spur of the moment.
It wasn’t just me who paid as close attention in the final couple of minutes of a 35-10 blowout as the initial two: The fans booed when new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore called back-to-back running plays in the red zone, because it could have robbed them of the chance to see Horn sling it one more time.
But while we all glue our eyes to what’s happening on the field, looking at every pass like a tryout, the competition is being determined by what’s happening behind closed doors to prompt those outcomes.
And that appears to be game, set, match.
When describing another completion, Cook began an answer with, “I knew exactly what they were doing.” He’d later describe his game preparation, commenting, “You gotta know (that) you know. You gotta go out there, and you gotta know what you’re looking for against what coverage.”
That’s why it’s evident he is QB1, whether he’s received the label or not.
What’s less evident, though, is what this means for the Missouri offense. We’ve seen Brady Cook, albeit an injured Brady Cook for most of last season.
Even if the quarterback is the same, the offense can’t be. The defense is too good for another six-win season.
In the first quarter Thursday, Missouri threw the ball 10 times, and only one of those passes traveled more than five yards downfield — the touchdown throw that first allowed Cook to survey the defense. It wasn’t until Cook’s 20th throw of the night that he fired a football more than 20 yards downfield.
SEC teams chew up and spit out vanilla. It’s entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that Missouri doesn’t want to show its cards against an FCS opponent. But those waiting for a reason to believe the offense will be different will prolong their wait into Week 2.
It’s fine to roll with the same guy if he so clearly provides you a better ability to execute your offense.
But the progress of the program hinges on that guy delivering different results this season.
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 5:00 AM.