No. 23 Mizzou keeps consistent mindset, as page turns to SEC action

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new season is set to begin for No. 23 Mizzou football, on Saturday: the Southeastern Conference season.

You can watch extended highlights from MU's Tuesday practice in the video player below.

Heading to head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company's week four matchup versus South Carolina to open up conference play, the team said they are well-aware of the significance of SEC play. It's not anything that Coach Drink feels like he needs to hammer home with his team, as they turn the page.

"I think as you elevate your program, you know, we talk about being 1-0 every week and the importance of nameless, faceless opponents and last week that was the focus. Not to allow our opponent to dictate our preparation or performance," Drinkwitz said. "I thought our guys really responded to that. Our guys understand the significance of playing in the SEC. They understand that the level of competition rises, the importance of all the little things rises, they understand the importance of being 1-0. This week, I don't think I really have to hammer that or say that. I think that's been the enhanced growth of the program over the last three years."

You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.

Coach Drinkwitz added that his team has a great opportunity in front of them with Saturday night's game, as the Tigers host just the third SEC night game in Columbia since 2021.

His players mimicked his message during Tuesday's weekly press conference, saying that the mindset does not shift that much from non-conference play to Southeastern Conference action. Overall, it's all about staying as consistent as possible.

"We also realize that the SEC is a tough conference," safety Jalen Catalon said. "You got really good players and you got really good coaching staffs, all the way around. I think we've done a really good job over the non-conference schedule of, you know, handling the details and doing our job. I can tell you, you know, we're continuing to do the exact same thing going into SEC play. You know, we're know we're going to be playing some good players, we know we're going to play a really good team, just like South Carolina this week, so it's just about doing our job and making sure that we just don't tune in on details going into this week."

You can watch the full press conference with Catalon, as well as defensive end Zion Young in the video players below.

The big question mark with the Gamecocks, coming into Faurot Field, is the availability of preseason First-Team All-SEC quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The sophomore took a hit to the head in South Carolina's week three loss to Vanderbilt, rendering him questionable, from an outside perspective, for Saturday's game against Mizzou.

Following that game against the Commodores, head coach Shane Beamer said he had no update on Sellers' status. However, there will be an injury report that comes out on Wednesday with the latest on his status.

When asked about the possibility of not seeing Sellers play on Saturday, Coach Drinkwitz said he fully expects the sophomore quarterback to play. However, it sounds like he is familiar with sixth-year backup Luke Doty, as well.

"Luke Doty has played quarterback, he's another guy that's played a lot of college football. We've played against him before. I think I remember recruiting Luke at Myrtle Beach High School when I was at NC State," Drinkwitz said. "Really good player, but I don't think their scheme is going to change any. You know, he's not LaNorris, but he's a very good and capable player."

If Sellers does play, as Coach Eli expects him to, it will be another mobile quarterback for defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and his unit to contend with.

Sellers came into the 2025 campaign as the No. 1 ranked quarterback prospect for the NFL Draft, according to ESPN. Through three games, he's thrown for 431 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

"Just his playmaking ability in the pocket, you know. He can do it with his legs and he can do it with his arm. He can move around in the pocket," Catalon said. "You can tell he's a Swiss army knife. He's the one that makes things go."

However, South Carolina will have quite a quarterback to contend with, themselves.

Tiger QB Beau Pribula will come into SEC action with the best completion percentage (76.4) in the conference, as well as fifth-best in the nation. The Penn State transfer has thrown for the sixth-most yards in the conference (791) and the fifth-most touchdowns (7). But, it hasn't been just his arm that's helped him find success in his first year in the black and gold. Pribula has also gashed teams on the ground, running for 114 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.

On Tuesday, Mizzou's quarterback said he's played SEC teams before and knows it will be a challenge week-in and week-out, but it's one he's prepared for. In fact, he took media members into his unique visualization process that he goes through before each and every game.

"It goes back to when I first got here and just trying to learn the offense. I would walk through pretty much every play on our offense with one of our offensive coaches in any way I can and before every practice, every game, all walk-through, every play on that script and the practice, you know, look at what the defense is scripted and kind of visualize what that is. Just going through every single progression and just kind of seeing it before it happens," Pribula said. "Then, when I'm out on the field, it's not my first time running it...Your brain doesn't really know the difference between reality and what you're really imagining, so when I'm out there it's really the second or third time I'm going through that. I think that just makes everything easier."

You can watch the full press conference with Pribula in the video player below.

Since becoming the starter at Mizzou, Pribula said that his visualization process hasn't changed too much from what it was Penn State, since he always prepared as though he was going to start.

Although we're only three weeks into the 2025 season, Coach Drinkwitz and players alike see quite a few positives, from an identity perspective, that they can capitalize on in SEC play.

"I would say adversity," wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. said. "Week two, we faced adversity. No bad talk, only positive talk. I love the positive talk on this team. We don't sugarcoat things with one another, but we don't talk bad, either. It's only encouragement. If anyone has anything bad to say, it would be after the game or locker room talk. Don't show it on the field, don't display it to the other team and the fans. Just positive talk."

You can watch the full press conference with Coleman Jr. in the video player below.

The Tigers will look to care that battle-tested mentality into their week four matchup with the Gamecocks. Kickoff at Faurot Field is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.