Mizzou set for final non-conference clash before SEC action
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The gauntlet that is Southeastern Conference football is right around the corner.
No. 20 Mizzou has just one more non-conference match up left in the 2026 season, before beginning its toughest conference slate in years. Although the Tigers are 2-0 headed into Saturday's game against Troy, head coach Eli Drinkwitz highlighted quite a few areas that still need improvements.
On Tuesday, Coach Eli met with local media members after having a chance to review the film from his team's 38-21 win over Kansas on Friday night. While there were a ton of positive takeaways, he said inconsistencies in the run game, a lackluster couple of performances on special teams and the Tigers' red zone defense are all areas that he is focusing on.
However, it appears that special teams, specifically, is the area he needs to see the most growth in, after KU blocked two field goal attempts in Lawrence.
"Probably the most embarrassed I've been and we've had some embarrassing special teams performances here. That was as embarrassed as I've ever been about special teams. To have two blocked kicks and four penalties, two personal fouls on 15 yards, just inexcusable. And that's all on me. I mean, I'm the head football coach. I'm responsible for that, so got to get that cleaned up and have an emphasis on that with the team yesterday. But, it's all words, you got to see some actions behind it," Drinkwitz said.
You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.
When asked about what he felt like the main issue was in the field goal operations, on Friday night, the leader of the Tigers put it simply: coaching.
"I'm going to put it on me. I'm in charge of that unit, I'm in charge of all the special teams units, but whatever we were teaching and how we were teaching, it was not getting communicated to the players in a way that they understood it. Because we had the same block happen twice in the same same area, and we got to do a better job," he said. "We have re-installed the protection and we've made a few personnel changes on that, but at the end of the day, that's on me as the head coach, because I didn't get it corrected from the UAPB game when there was leakage in that C, D gap area and they exploited it. We got it fixed later in the game, but that's too late."
The Mizzou run game didn't put up near as bad a performance against the Jayhawks in Friday night's win, but Drinkwitz still wants to iron out some of the inconsistencies in the ground attack.
All-in-all, running backs Jamal Roberts, Xai'Shuan Edwards and Anthony Favrow accounted for 177 of the Tigers' 469 total yards against Kansas, along with a pair of touchdowns. Coach Eli was asked what he feels like is the root cause of those inconsistencies.
"I think our outside zone scheme right now, we're just not all five blocking on the same page. And then our cuts aren't always the same. You know, we got to make sure that our tailbacks in phase with the way it's being blocked, you know, we had a negative yardage run where the linebacker played behind the double team and still was able to tackle us, which, you know, shouldn't happen if you're hitting the play the way you're supposed to. In the four minute run our guards were late on making their decisions, they got to play faster and they got to play on the line of scrimmage. You know, too many people think [outside zone is] a wide zone play, like we're trying to get to the sideline. We're not. We're trying to capture the line of scrimmage and get on their outside edge and create vertical seams, and we just haven't been able to do that consistently yet. I think our duo scheme was actually really good for us in the game, and I thought Coach Lindsey did a really good job of mixing that up, but we got to add some variety to our scheme," Drinkwitz said. "We just got to continue to find our rhythm and reps. You got Jamal who this is the most carries he's ever had in a game and you got Xai'Shaun who hasn't played at this level yet, but he did some excellent job. So, you know, there's just a lot of different aspects to that. You know you don't play as much live football as you normally have in the past with, with just the elements of protecting your players and vice versa. I think some of that is just we got to continue to play and get used to the speed, and then you got to make corrections and hopefully we are making those corrections."
Right guard Curtis Peagler mimicked the same message as Coach Drink, saying there is still a lot of improve upon in the run game through the first two weeks of the season.
As far as adding more variety to the run game goes, Peagler said, for him, it's been all about sticking to what they're known for.
"You know, we're a outside zone running team, so just having that ability to run that play every single game is something that's been special for us over the many years. So, just going back to our roots and sticking to what we know," he said.
You can watch the full press conference with Peagler in the video player below.
Roberts recorded a career-high 28 carries for the Tigers in the win over rival Kansas, as he ran for 133 yards and one touchdown. It's a workload he's not quite used to carrying, as Mizzou is still waiting to see when All-American running back Ahmad Hardy will return from his rehab from a gunshot wound he suffered to his leg in early May.
On Tuesday, Drinkwitz said there is no update on Hardy's condition, as he continues rehab. The team needs the junior to have two full weeks of practice, to ramp up into action, before they'll consider putting him into a game.
"I didn't even know I had 28 carries [at Kansas]. I mean, it worked out fine for me," Roberts said. "Not really a change much, but like just being able to carry that load and just, you know, just being mentally prepared for that. I mean, that's about it."
You can watch the full press conference with Roberts in the video player below.
The passing game has been carrying the load for the first two game for Coach Drinkwitz and his team.
First-year starting quarterback Austin Simmons has been thoroughly impressive, completing about 75 percent of his passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns in MU's first two wins. His perfromance in Lawrence was enough to earn him some recognition from the Southeastern Conference, as well, earning a co-Offensive Player of the Week nod.
What he's showing college football fans isn't surprising to the team, though.
"I wasn't shocked at all with the things Austin's doing," linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. said. "He has tremendous arm talent and I feel like moving forward, you know, it's going to be unbelievable."
You can watch the full press conference with Woodyard Jr. in the video player below.
On the defensive side of things, yes, Coach Drinkwitz pointed to some areas that need improvement, including needing more consistency in the cornerback room, however, he's also been thoroughly impressed with some of the younger guys who stood out against KU.
Hermann, Missouri's own Daeden Hopkins earned his first-ever SEC weekly honor, on Monday, being named the co-Defensive Lineman of the Week. The defensive end had a breakout night in Lawrence, tallying 4.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, five quarterback pressures and a pass deflection.
"I would say it's, you know, how I practice," Hopkins said, when asked what has made him such an effective pass rusher. "I feel like I practice pretty good, but, you know, it's also the people that I go against. So you know Jack [Lange], Cayden [Green], Whit [Hafer], Luke [Work], all them. You know, I get all of my stuff from them, they help me out each and every day."
You can watch the full press conference with Hopkins in the video player below.
On Tuesday, Drinkwitz made it clear that he has known and appreciated Hopkins' talent from the moment he stepped foot on campus. Now, it's all translating on the field, as he's gotten adjusted to SEC action, having put on more weight and muscle in the offseason.
Hopkins said it is an honor to represent his hometown on a stage he always dreamed of.
"I actually talked to my mom last night. She says, like, everybody's talking about me, everything like that, you know? And it's an honor. It's a blessing to, you know, just be be recognized by my hometown," he said.
Also on that defensive line, d-tackle Donta Simpson impressed Coach Eli and the coaching staff with his best performance, so far, on Friday night. Simpson really picked things up at the end of that game in Lawrence, ending up with two tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
His performance is made even more impressive by the fact that he had to miss an entire month of training in the offseason.
"Donta had a sickness in the middle of or late June that had required him to sit out, do zero training for the month of July. And, you know, he was able to be around the team, but not able to do any conditioning. We weren't able to get him back until August 12th and so it's been a a process to get him back acclimated not only to football, but to the strength and conditioning," Drinkwitz said. "He's still a relatively young player in college football, so he doesn't need to know everything. We've got to put him in a position where he can really utilize his strengths. One of the best things he does is rush the passer. He's got incredible twitch and speed, which showed in those two sacks. So, we've got to continue to get him reps in those things and then add the other elements of the run game that we need him to play. But I think, you know, that was just a peek. I don't think he played particularly well in the UAPB game and I knew we let him know that, I know I specifically did. I put him in 88 all week instead of eight, just to let him know that, you know, you got to have to play better if you want to wear a single digit. And he showed me he could."
Up next - Mizzou will look to keep the momentum rolling in the final non-conference clash of the season against Troy. That game, which will honor the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium, will kickoff at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.
