Mizzou focused on sending 2024 squad off on a high note in the Music City
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
There's been a lot of talk since the regular season ended. The Mizzou buzz has been all about the transfer portal, about a new quarterback coming to town and really about the expectations for the 2025 season, as a whole.
However, during Sunday's Music City Bowl press conference, head coach Eli Drinkwitz deflected questions about the future and focused on the 2024 squad.
"I want to focus on the bowl game. We'll talk about that when those [portal] guys get on campus. This is really about this group of young men. This is about this game, this opportunity," Drinkwitz said. "We're excited about those signees, but this is about the Music City Bowl. This is about the group of men that are here, and this is about Brady Cook and his opportunity to lead this football team one last time."
You can watch the full press conference with Coach Drinkwitz in the video player below.
From the start, Drinkwitz has treated MU's trek to Nashville as a bowl trip and not necessarily a business trip. Essentially, he wants this 2024 Tiger team to enjoy its final moments together. In fact, during Sunday's press conference he mentioned that this matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes is more of an exhibition game for his team. At the end of the day, win or lose, they will go home and move forward into 2025.
The key to victory for Mizzou will be turnovers and takeaways, tackling and penalties. Coach Eli said that his team will need to be clean in those areas in order to top Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz's team, as the hallmark of his group is that they don't beat themselves.
A win in the Music City Bowl would put MU over the 10-win threshold for back-to-back season, which would be just the third time that's happened in program history. However, it has a whole lot more meaning than that for MU.
Monday will be the last time quarterback Brady Cook, defensive lineman Kristian Williams, wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. and so many other seniors will put on the black and gold and take a collegiate snap.
First-year defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said, in his debut with the Tigers, he couldn't have asked for a better senior class to work with.
"I think the continuity that they bring, there's a couple of new staff members. There's always change in the locker room, especially with the portal, but those veteran dudes have been a bridge for us from what's expected to what becomes in terms of the transition piece," Batoon said. "Their ability to come in to work every day regardless of situation, good, bad, coming off a win, coming off a loss. Every day is the same day, and I think that consistency is huge. That's what we're going to miss, right."
You can watch the full press conference with Batoon and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore in the video player below.
On the offensive side, it'll be tough to replace the grittiness and pure love for Mizzou that Cook, a St. Louis native, brings to the squad. Moore said that young man means quite a bit to him.
"Really want to finish the right way for Brady Cook. Just extremely appreciative of what he has done for me. His girlfriend watches our kids, so on a daily basis helping out my wife. He's a winner. He has been consistent, emotional consistency. Just his ability to win 20 games in the last two years," Moore said.
After Sunday's press conference, the Tigers took off for one more practice at Vanderbilt University, where there was a surprise waiting for them. Mizzou wrestling legend Michael Chandler spoke to the team before practice got going, to motivate them for this matchup against the Hawkeyes.
You can watch extended highlights of that practice in the video player below.
Mizzou and Iowa will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. at Nissan Stadium on Monday, Dec. 30.
Tune into ABC 17 SportsZone at 9:30 on Fox 22 and 10:30 on ABC 17 for more from the team ahead of Monday's game.
