No. 14 Mizzou looking to stay even-keeled in Week 6, following Top-10 win
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
What a difference a week can make, right?
Ahead of Mizzou football's Week 5 game against then-No. 8 Florida, the conversation was all about how this team can bounce back from its first loss against Mississippi State. Now, just seven days later, the Tigers are focused on keeping their feet on the ground after a statement win over the Gators, on Saturday.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, for his team, the approach in practice will not change, as they will continue to focus on getting a little bit better, each week.
"The only thing we can control is the process and the plans we put in place in order to play a game at the right level. I think it's got to be a focus, on improvement. And that's really all we talked about last week was how can we get better? What are those things that we must improve? I think the sense of urgency on that last week was different than maybe what they feel [now]. So, it's important for our staff to create that urgency, but our approach is we have to improve in a lot of different areas and that starts on "Toughness Tuesday" for us. So, not not really a difference in our approach. It's all about improving from week to week and it's just a matter of how focused you are on making sure that gets done," Drinkwitz said.
You can watch the full press conference with the Tiger head coach in the video player below.
Following Mizzou's 28-point routing of the Gators, the attention now turns to a clash against Texas A&M. Coach Drinkwitz and his team will look to snap a three-game losing streak against the Aggies, as Mizzou has not found a win over A&M since 2014.
During Tuesday's weekly meeting with local media members, Drinkwitz gave an injury update for Saturday's game. He said that both starting defensive ends Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen will remain questionable, after missing Week 5's game against Florida. Linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. will also be questionable against the Aggies, as he missed about a handful of snaps against Florida.
In that press conference, Drinkwitz said his team is going to have their hands full, on Saturday, especially as they're tasked with containing quarterback Marcel Reed.
Drinkwitz is very familiar with the Aggies' dual-threat quarterback. In fact, ahead of the team's 2024 meeting, Coach Eli said he anticipated Reed to start in the game that Mizzou eventually needed up losing 41-10. However, quarterback Connor Weigman got the start and ended up leading the A&M to that 31-point victory. That's why Drinkwitz jokes he's been a fan of Reed since 2024.
Reed finally met Coach Drink on the field in the 2025 clash, when the quarterback completed 68 percent of his passes for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Aggies' 38-17 win.
Now, it's time for these guys to meet again.
"Obviously, I think he's got some tape on us from last year and kind of how we approached that game. I think, you know, that was a little bit different based off of our personnel. I think our style of play was a little bit different. So, there'll be some unique things that, you know, are different for both sides of the ball there," Drinkwitz said. "Obviously, they have a new coordinator, so maybe play style, play design on their end will be different. But, I mean, he's a really good player, who's got a lot of experience in this league. He's seen a lot of different defenses, so I don't think that you're necessarily going to trick him. I think the biggest thing for us is we've got to try to prevent his superpower, which is his running the ball to affect us negatively as a team."
"He's an athletic quarterback, he's very good with his feet and he likes to get vertical scrambling," safety Santana Banner said. "You know, last year I think we had to kind of like game plan our second half how we approached them. They did a lot of dinking and dunking, so we're going back on our film from last year and figuring out the best way to protect their offense."
You can watch the full press conference with the Banner in the video player below.
The good news for "Death Row Defense" is that there was a big-time jump in the way they played between the Mississippi State and Florida games.
In the loss to the Bulldogs, the Tigers allowed running back Fluff Bothwell to run for 126 of Mississippi State's 163 total yards on the ground. But, just one week later, the MU run defense figured things out and limited the nation's second-leading running back - Jadan Baugh - to a mere 13 yards on 12 carries. Overall, the Gators notched just 42 rushing yards.
"It was just getting back in the lab fixing things that, you know, we didn't do well in that game and coming together as a unit and focusing on those things in practice intentionally," linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez said, when asked what went into that improvement.
You can watch the full press conference with the Rodriguez in the video player below.
The Mizzou offense also so a sharp improvement between the Mississippi State and Florida games.
The message from Coach Drinkwitz the entire week leading up to that game against the Gators, was that his team needed to start fast. That did that and then some in a 28-point routing against Florida. The Tigers absolutely gashed the Gators for 560 yards of total offense, thanks to a balanced attack through the air and on the ground.
Running back Jamal Roberts had a career game, on Saturday, running for 211 yards and three touchdowns. He's been taking on the majority of the load through the first five weeks of the season, averaging about 22 carries per game. Coach Drinkwitz said his ability to handle that larger load, in the absence of All-American running back Ahmad Hardy, is a tribute to the work Roberts and the training staff does off the field.
"I think it's a tribute probably to not just him, but our athletic performance staff really working his body from a weight-management standpoint, getting him the right kind of weight on. I think our athletic training staff are working both pre-hab and rehab, post-game recovery and then our strength staff are getting him stronger. He's really put in a lot of work since Ahmad's injury to be able to carry the load that he needs to carry," Drinkwitz said. "I think he's been really more impressive than maybe I gave him credit for going into the season, with his ability to break, you know, long runs. So, that's been a really good thing. But, this week really doesn't care about last week, so this is a whole new challenge, different kind of challenge with the way that [the Texas A&M] safeties fit, the way they get their safeties involved in the run game. They try to trick you into a light box and then fill with the safety And I think Marcus Ratcliffe is one of the better safeties in the country, so it's going to be a real challenge for us."
Quarterback Austin Simmons is on the same page with Drinkwitz, echoing the message that he's turning the page from a stellar outing against Florida in Week 5.
Simmons is playing with a lot of poise and confidence under center, coming off of a 340-yard and two-touchdown performance against Jon Sumrall's team. The senior said that his confidence comes from somewhere within himself.
"I mean, when you feel good about the way you're performing, I'm pretty sure that really translates on to the game field," he said. "But whatever happened last week, I'm just going to focus on this week. That doesn't really matter. So, really just get my head back and back into preparation mode and just get ready for Texas A&M."
You can watch the full press conference with the Simmons in the video player below.
After being on a team that made a College Football Playoff run in 2025, Simmons knows a thing or two about what it takes to sustain the success that Mizzou found on Saturday.
"I think putting things to bed whenever you have success, honestly, especially when you watch the film. Yesterday, we had our little intro to Texas A&M this week and I think just watching last week's film is just putting it to bed and just focusing on this new opponent. That's just going and flipping a new page," he said.
Simmons' chemistry with his receivers, specifically Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode, has been undeniable through the first five weeks. And now, he can add another option to his list of pass-catchers, as he found receiver Caleb Goodie Sr. in the end zone for the first time in 2026 against the Gators.
That breakthrough came as Goodie waited patiently for his moment.
"My mom and my dad supported me through that, so it was hard, but just staying focused and ready for the moment. Can't dwell off the past, that will mess you up in the future," Goodie said.
You can watch the full press conference with the Goodie in the video player below.
Up next - No. 14 Mizzou will look to keep the momentum rolling in the end of the Tigers' two-game homestand. MU will host Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. on ABC 17.
