Mizzou football gears up for trip to No. 5 Tennessee
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said that Neyland Stadium will likely be the toughest place that his team will play in this season, as the Tigers prepare to take on No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday.
Mizzou is heading to Knoxville off a close loss to Kentucky at Faurot Field. The Tigers had a three-point lead in fourth quarter, however, the Wildcats stormed 58 yards down the field for a touchdown to regain the lead.
MU had chances to win it, specifically when the Kentucky long snapper sent a ball flying over the punter's head near the end zone. Linebacker Will Norris tackled the punter as he scooped the ball up and was called with a controversial roughing the punter penalty. That penalty cost Mizzou the ball and 15 yards.
Drinkwitz said he did receive a response from the Southeastern Conference about that call.
"Their responses says that it's going to have no bearing on the outcome or this next game. That's what I'm going with. That's not really what the response was, but that's what I'm telling you the response is," he said. "It doesn't change the outcome and so it's really not anything worth discussing, in my opinion. It can only cost me money."
The attention now turns to a top-five road game, as the Tigers are still on the hunt for bowl eligibility. Coach Drink said Neyland Stadium will probably be the most challenging place they'll play this season.
"A combination of number of fans, obviously, and they're playing really well, so support there," he said. "We've got to do a better job, offensively, of not having false start penalties. Those have been things that have shown up and maintain composure."
Drinkwitz also acknowledged the chatter surrounding the quarterback position on Tuesday. He said that he can hear the chants for Sam Horn at Faurot Field on Saturday's, but added that Brady Cook still gives them the best chance.
"Brady has displayed a lot of toughness, both mental and physical, throughout the season. That's a trait that everybody can get behind," Drinkwitz said. "When you're not performing the way everybody wants you to perform, everybody wants somebody else and somebody different and sometimes it's just a growth process and sometimes it's a lot of different combinations. But, I've been proud of the way he's led and not flinched."
Drinkwitz added that they are still looking for opportunities get other quarterbacks reps in games, but it is not in his mind against No. 5 Tennessee.
Due to an injury, there will be a change coming to the offensive line ahead of the trip to Knoxville. Lineman EJ Ndoma-Ogar sustained an injury against Kentucky and Drinkwitz said he will be out for a "while." Saturday's line will be Mizzou's sixth combination on that front this season.
