No. 6 Mizzou football prepares for first ranked test of the season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two weeks into the 2024 season, the No. 6 Mizzou football team is thoroughly dominated it's opponents, as head coach Eli Drinkwitz's team outscored both Murray State and Buffalo 89-0. However, the competition is getting turned up a notch on Saturday.
No. 24 Boston College will come to Columbia in hopes of getting the program's second big win over Mizzou in three years.
The last time the Eagles and the Tigers met, MU took a road trip up to Chestnut Hill, Ma. The end result was one that has stuck with Coach Drink over time: a 41-34 overtime loss, which was sealed by an interception to end the ball game. In the days leading up to Mizzou's rematch, Drinkwitz has called that 2021 game a low point in his career.
"That game was hard for a lot of different reasons," he said. "I didn't think we played particularly well. There was a lot of noise around that game for comments that were made by me, so learned a hard lesson as a head coach there. Then, obviously, the emotional swings of that game. We came back, tied it up, they scored in overtime, we throw a pick the first play. You know, it was our first time having to deal with crowd rushing the field and trying to navigate your way off the field, so a lot to it."
You can watch the full press conference with Coach Drinkwitz in the video player below.
Drinkwitz said he hasn't had too much time to reflect on how far his No. 6-ranked program has come, in relation to this rematch with Boston College, however, he has taken time to recognize how far fan support has come since he first started.
"I try to definitely stay in the moment and understand that it's a special thing to be at Faurot Field in a sold out crowd and I've actually acknowledged that to a couple of coaches that have been with us the whole time, that are on the sideline...I've went up to them before the game and said, 'man, we've come a long way since we first got here,'" Drinkwitz said.
Mizzou has been dealing with a couple of injuries that will linger into week three, as well. Coach Drinkwitz gave a loose injury report during Tuesday's press conference and said a couple of players will be probable and two more questionable for Saturday's game.
- Probable: WR Theo Wease Jr., WR Luther Burden
- Questionable: TE Brett Norfleet, OL Cam'Ron Johnson
The story of the first two weeks has been the MU defense. It's a unit that has not allowed a single point in 2024, pitching two-straight shutouts for the first time since 1935. However, Coach Eli said he's appreciated the mature approach his offense has taken to moving the chains, as well, even if it's not quite as flashy.
"Teams don't really want to give up explosive plays versus our wide receiver corps, so we have to be willing to make them defend us in a different manner," he said.
The Tigers average about six yards per play, but also rank fifth in the nation in first downs, so far, in 2024. Running back Marcus Carroll said the approach his team has taken says a lot about them.
"Just everybody embracing their role and doing their part," he said. "We've been taking advantage of the run game. Like I said, we have some great receivers, great quarterback, tight ends, o-line, just when you can run the ball too, it just adds more on that defensive coordinator, especially."
You can watch the full press conference with Carroll in the video player below.
The offense has been efficient, but penalties were a concern in the week two win against Buffalo. Coach Drinkwitz said his guys need to clean those up, before a big top-25 showdown.
"Quite honestly, the alignment penalties are just embarrassing. I mean, as the head football coach, that's on me. That's undisciplined football and for me to allow that to happen...you know, we had an alignment penalty in the first game and to have it again in the second game, that's on me," Drinkwitz said. "The holding penalties, you know, we got to learn to let go when the ball's out-leveraged and when a defender's broken away, we cannot continue to engage with the jersey of the defender."
Offensive lineman Cayden Green said it is something that the entire line has been working on in practice.
"Just getting our hands inside. We talked to refs before the game and during the week, so we can see kind of what kind of officiating we are dealing with and so we just work off of that. Throughout the week, we work on getting our hands inside and finishing blocks, but not finishing in a bad position," he said.
You can watch the full press conference with Green in the video player below.
Heading into Saturday's game against the Eagles, a lot has been made of the Boston College offense, led by quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Through two games, including an upset against then-No. 10 Florida State, he's gone 19-26 for 340 yards and six touchdowns. He's also a threat in the run game, as he's carried the ball 15 times for 81 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks.
Tiger linebacker Triston Newson said that Castellanos is very shifty and quick, but he's a player that this defense is ready to go against.
"I think we just got to be ready to contain him, be ready to run," Newson said. "A guy like him can come out of the backfield so quick, you know, so it's just somebody that we got to be ready to contain and run after."
You can watch the full press conference with Newson in the video player below.
No. 6 Mizzou and No. 24 Boston College will kickoff at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Faurot Field.
