Mizzou shifts focus to Murray State ahead of Week 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou Football is now in full Murray State mode with its season opener arriving on Thursday night. The Tigers held a practice at the team's practice fields at the Mizzou Athletic Training Complex on Sunday afternoon as part of their preparation for Week 1.
You can watch extended highlights from Sunday's practice in the video player below.
Murray State will mark the first opponent that Mizzou has faced since defeating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl in late December. At Sunday's press conference, Eli Drinkwitz called this year's season opener "probably the most difficult" one his team has faced since he took over as the program's head coach. As Drinkwitz enters year five at Mizzou, he said Thursday's game poses a unique challenge for him, his coaching staff and his players.
"They have a whole new staff, around 60 new players that they've acquired, whether high school or through the transfer portal, so it's a real challenge to have any idea of what they're going to do schematically, whether we're talking about offense, defense or special teams," Drinkwitz said. "We're trying to pull film from a lot of different places to get an idea of what they're going to do, so we've spent a couple extra days preparing and giving our guys as much information as we possibly can. Trying to figure out what the scheme is combined with not knowing the personnel is going to be a real difficult challenge for our team and our staff."
You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.
Drinkwitz added that him and his coaching staff will know more about where the Tigers stand as a team once they measure themselves against another opponent. There's also a lot of excitement in the locker room for the new season to get underway and to simply have the opportunity to line up against an opponent that's not wearing a Mizzou uniform.
"I think we're battle ready. We've tackled live more than we ever have at any camp. We got more practice reps this camp than we've had the previous seasons. We've put in more situational football time than we have in any previous season, but now it's about 11 guys putting it together against an opponent," Drinkwitz said. "I don't really have any pre-conceived notions on what it's going to look like until we do it."
"It's real exciting. We've been beating up on each other since the spring to fall camp, so we're really just ready to just go out there and beat up on another team," Mizzou safety Daylan Carnell said.
You can watch the full press conference with Carnell in the video player below.
Mizzou also released its first unofficial depth chart of the season. Both running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll are listed as the top players in their unit heading into Week 1, and Drinkwitz likes the way the two athletes complement each other on the field.
"Nate Noel will go out there first, and then, him and Marcus will rotate through. I think those guys have good complementary football skills, and they know how to play off of each other. I think we understand we're probably not going to have somebody that's going to be able to carry it as many times in a game as Cody, so we'll have to do a good job of making sure we allow the starter to get into a rhythm but also make sure their fresh," Drinkwitz said.
"I don't want to say we're two different types of running backs, but we definitely have our own styles and stuff like that," Carroll said. "We just complement each other well."
You can watch the full press conference with Carroll in the video player below.
You can watch the full press conference with Mizzou linebacker Khalil Jacobs in the video player below.
Drinkwitz also provided a few brief injury updates. Both cornerback Ja'Marion Wayne and tight end Jordon Harris are questionable to play on Thursday night as of Sunday afternoon. Drinkwitz also said tight end Brett Norfleet is "full go" and "hasn't missed a beat" since missing some time at fall camp with an injury.
Mizzou officially kicks off the 2024 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 29 against Murray State. The season opener is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Faurot Field.
Remember to tune in to a special edition of SportsZone 'Thursday Night Kickoff at the Zou' as ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones and Kyle Helms break down all the biggest storylines leading up to Mizzou's first game of the season. It will air on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m. on KMIZ.
