Mizzou has ‘shaken off emotions’ and is moving forward from Georgia loss
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou football team has flipped the page to an AP Top-16 clash at Faurot Field on Saturday, as the Tennessee Volunteers will roll into Columbia. The Tigers are coming off of a loss against AP No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, but the team said they are not hanging their heads too long after that one.
Players said they gave themselves 24 hours, but then turned their attention to a big game against Tennessee and, once again, going 1-0. The loss in Athens took away any control MU had over their SEC East destiny. Mathematically, the Tigers would have to win out and the Bulldogs would have to lose out in order to capture an SEC East title.
However, head coach Eli Drinkwitz said there is still a lot to play for this season and that starts with his team playing for each other.
"1-0 is a mindset, whether you win or lose. Our mindset is about being 1-0 this wee and you stack the wins when you get them and the losses when you get them, then at the end of the season you look back and see where you're at," he said. "We all spend so much time here, through the offseason and in the season, invested in each other, we're not stopping now. Yeah, disappointed with the outcome Saturday, but 1-0 is a mentality and a lifestyle that we live by. We know we have to refocus. In this league, there's no weeks off."
You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.
The AP No. 16 Tiger will host No. 12 Tennessee at Faurot Field on Saturday, looking to break up a losing streak that stretches back four seasons.
Drinkwitz said the Vols are very sound and physical in all three phases of the game, especially with a dynamic offense and an aggressive defensive attack. Generally, head coach Josh Heupel's offense has focused on the passing game, but, this year, his group has the No. 1 rushing offense in the Southeastern Conference.
"I think Josh, much like good offensive coordinators do, always starts with trying to figure out how to run the football. Then, if they try to take the run away, then he has answers, vertically, down the field, throwing the ball," Drinkwitz said. "Last year teams weren't able to defend the pass with the dynamic wide receivers they have and this year he's been able to do a really good job of scheming up runs, utilizing the quarterback's legs. I think he's always been able to do that, at least against us."
The Tiger defense will be going into Saturday's game without veteran linebacker Chad Bailey. On Tuesday, Drinkwitz announced that the senior captain will be out for the remainder of the 2023 season, due to an injury from the summer that flared back up. He will still work with the team, coach linebackers and be in meetings, but will not play.
Linebacker Chuck Hicks said, from a team perspective, the next guy has to be ready to step up. When it comes to the upcoming game against the Volunteers, Hicks said he's not putting to much emphasis on run or pass, one way or the other, since he knows Heupel's team will do both well.
It's the same mentality for defending Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III, who has the ability to move around quite a bit, but also throw a good ball.
"I feel like it's just doing our job, keeping him contained," Hicks said. "I wouldn't say it puts a stress on us [the defense], though."
You can watch the full press conference with Hicks in the video player below.
Drinkwitz said his team will have to play complimentary football, on Saturday, in the sense that when the defense gets a big stop the offense will need to answer, as well.
Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. said there is some lessons that his unit can take from that Georgia game, despite the loss, headed into this week.
"I feel like we did a good job being balanced running the offense. Brady [Cook] taking what they was giving us. I think we can do better job with complimentary football. I feel like we didn't go on any runs, like when the defense got a stop. Usually we would go score or we would score, they would get a takeaway. I just feel like we can be better at complimentary football."
You can watch the full press conference with Wease Jr. in the video player below.
One big positive you can takeaway from Saturday's game was a record set by kicker Harrison Mevis. His 42-yard field goal in the third quarter made him the all-time leading scorer in program history, with 363 points.
Mevis said his success all goes back to the people that have helped him over the years, but acknowledged that it was a pretty cool feat to accomplish. As for what he felt in the actual moment, he said it was business as usual.
"I wanted to beat Georgia. I mean, at that point in the game, the team needed three points and that's where my focus was. It put us three points up and I think it was big in the game, but just wasn't enough. It wasn't anything different, just another kick," he said.
You can watch the full press conference with Mevis in the video player below.
Mizzou and Tennessee will kick off at 2:30 p.m. at Faurot Field on Saturday, Nov. 12.
