Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke with members of the media Tuesday afternoon to preview the first game of his second season at the helm. The Tigers will host Central Michigan at 3 p.m. Saturday. Below is a a full transcript of everything Drinkwitz said.
Opening Statement:
“First want to start by just taking a moment to recognize the 13 brave American soldiers who passed in Afghanistan and gave their life for our country, and the people of Afghanistan. I think it hits close to home because of two connections we have with the state of Missouri. Jared Schmitz, who was a graduate of Ft. Zumwalt South in Wentzville, Missouri, and then Daegan Page, from Nebraska, his father Greg Page is a Mizzou alum. And so it says in the Bible no greater love than this, than to lay down your life for a friend, and so obviously these fine, brave American soldiers did that, so just want to take a moment to recognize their sacrifice and their families’ sacrifice and say we thank you and appreciate you for that.
“Also would like to welcome the addition of Chuck Hicks. Chuck is a linebacker, a transfer linebacker from Wyoming, originally from San Diego. We had a connection through the high school coach. Jethro Franklin had known the high school coach for a long time, and once Chuck put his name in the portal and was in there a couple of days, we realized there was a connection there. He’s actually here. Today will be his first practice, and look forward to getting Chuck on the field, and he’s already in classes and all that.
“Obviously excited for game week. We’ve put in a lot of work, our players have put in a lot of work to get to this moment, whether it’s extra, 6 a.m. workouts, spring football, Saturdays throughout the summer, our guys have done a tremendous job of everything we’ve asked them to do to be at this moment, and excited about what this means for us and our program going into year two. Obviously Central Michigan is a really good football team in my opinion. Jim McElwain has done a tremendous job there. Two years ago was the MAC coach of the year, last year I think they were 3-3, had some close games. Obviously he’s an excellent coach, national championship offensive coordinator, got some experience in the NFL. Obviously he’s got some experience in this league, I believe he won the SEC East twice as the head coach at Florida. So a great offensive mind, a tremendous football coach. Gone against him one other time when he was the head football coach when I was at Boise State. So got a lot of respect for the way that he is going to have his team prepared and what they’re going to be about. Their defensive coordinator, Robb Akey, lot of experience, primarily on the defensive line, which is reflected in the strength of their team, as a defensive line unit. Was the head coach at Idaho for an extended period of time and spent some time in the NFL as a d-line coach and then at Florida, so know we have our hands full with the scheme. Football-wise, they’ve got some really good players on both sides of the ball, all very sound in their schemes. What they’re trying to do on the offensive side of the ball, there’s a lot of questions about who is going to play quarterback, but coach McElwain has been an excellent quarterback coach his entire career, so I don’t think it really matters as much who lines up behind them. They’ve got a couple of dynamic playmakers. Number 88, Khalil Pimpleton, is a really dynamic playmaker. They get him the ball in a lot of different ways, playing the slot, playing the Wildcat. He can throw it as well as run it. Wildcat is not really a gimmick for them, it’s a big part of their offense. They’ll get into it, first and second down, third down, they’ll get into it in second and long situations. He does throw the ball really well. It’s going to be a real challenge for us to maintain discipline on the defensive back end and trust, whether we’re in coverage or whether we’re in man to man, make sure we complete our assignments until the whistle is blown when 88 has the ball in his hands, because he does throw the football. Number 7, their running back, is a really good player, featured player. Had a couple of really big runs last year. A guy that, when 88 and 7 are in the backfield, it creates some gap issues, so it’s going to be a challenge for us defensively to trust our rules and trust our game plan. But they’ve got some really good skill players and really good scheme, and it’s going to be a challenge for our defensive staff and for our defensive players. On the defensive side of the ball, they base out of a four-down front. They’ve changed some guys around. First of the year it was 10 returning starters. They just released their depth chart, I think it’s now eight returning starters, the other guys are backups. The two defensive ends, Troy Hairston is a dynamic all-around player. I think he has double-digit sacks in his career. Laquan Johnson is a guy who played significant minutes and had sacks and production in 2019. Was injured last year, I believe, in the first game and now is back. So they’ve got two really talented edge defenders. And then their linebackers are downhill, physical players that do a nice job with stopping the run. So it’s going to be a tough test for us with their schemes and what they like to do combined with the talent level that they have. This is not a team that’s scared of going and playing on the road. In 2016 I believe they beat Oklahoma State when they were ranked 21 in the country, and then in 2019 they had a one-possession game in the first quarter against the University of Miami. So we’ve got to be prepared and our team has got to respond in the right way, and it starts today with a great day of practice.”
Q: How different do you feel this season headed into Week One than last season?
Drinkwitz: “I mean, I see you all in person. Totally different than what it was last year. Microphone is not working, which is a totally different problem than what we were facing last year. So I think things are a lot different. Having anticipation for what a home field at Faurot is going to look like. Know that is going to be unique and exciting. But yeah, I think any time you go into a Week One opponent, you’re never quite sure where you’re at. You kind of have a general idea, but until you play a game against an opponent, you’re not really sure what you’ve got. That’s kind of what’s going on in my mind.”
What are some of those areas that you feel like you never know until you see guys in real game action?
“All of them. I don’t think you can take anything for granted, whether it’s the quarterback position, returning experience, the kickers. What you did last year has nothing to do with what you’re going to do this year. Your preparation, your work ethic, your ability to get ready and kind of recreate what your identity is going to be has to be part of your DNA, what you want to become. And I think, whether it’s the veteran experience on the d-line or the offensive line or the quarterback position or the wide receiver position, those guys still got to go prove it. Nobody’s going to give them anything. We’re certainly not giving them anything. So we gotta go prove what we have, and we gotta show how much better, how much more we’ve improved.”
How does having normal continuity in the offseason provide for you going into this year?
“Define normal. I mean, we’ve put in a new defensive scheme, had five transfers. I think there’s no such thing as normal anymore. I think you’re constantly going to be having to forge an identity based on the way each individual circumstance is. So obviously we didn’t have the disruptions through COVID, but we still get the SEC rules handed out yesterday, we’ve still got to test once a week, you’ve still got breakthrough cases that are happening. So I think we’re all going to take it one day at a time, like a good coach-speak would say.”
You’ve had a full spring and camp to see Steve Wilks’ defense. How do you feel about what you have there?
“I feel very comfortable with the scheme that we’re trying to install and I feel like our defense is comfortable in what we’re asking them to do and the rules or the adjustments that they have. But we haven’t been tested by fire yet. We haven’t had the adversity of being down or giving up points on a scoreboard. So we’re going to have to see how all that comes together, whether it’s our defensive staff working together, whether it’s me reacting to what occurs in the game or making adjustments. Defenses giving up a big play and trying to figure out how to fix it on the sidelines. So I think there’s a lot of questions that still have to be answers. I have a lot of confidence, obviously Steve has been coaching football for a long time and knows what it takes, and our staff knows what it takes, but again, just like anything else, until you really do it, you’re not going to be quite sure where the deficiencies are and what has to be fixed.”
The lines aren’t a very common position for true freshmen to come in and play, but you’ve got Connor Tollison, Arden Walker and Mekhi Wingo all here listed on the depth chart. What’s it say about those guys that they have been able to come in and put themselves in that position?
“Well I think it says a couple things. We’re recruiting high-level players, and it says these guys have the right kind of stuff. Obviously Connor has played a lot of tackle for us, but we moved him into the center position, he’s really taken off and run with it. He’s a guy that’s athletically gifted and physical and got the right mindset. I think the future is really bright for him and we trust him in a game situation. Mekhi Wingo has been a guy that has been a really good defensive player for a long time. I know he was the Metro player of the year in St. Louis last year, so he just comes in with the right work ethic and mindset. He’s got quickness and plays with unbelievable effort. Arden Walker has really done the same thing, and so those guys have earned the positions that they’re in.”
You and coach Wilks have both spoken highly of Kris Abrams-Draine. Going back to last year, what was the conversation like with him when you talked about moving to the defensive side of the ball and what did he show against Mississippi State that led you to think that’s where he should stay?
“You know, in the recruiting process, we knew that he was a dynamic athlete. He played quarterback, played a little bit of corner. We knew he could play slot, just felt like he had the ability to play a lot of different positions, and last year, in the spring, without knowing where the depth and all the different things were going to be, we had a need at that position. Obviously he did some things in the Mississippi State game, to be able to do that, I think it’s pretty remarkable for us to have two players who played significant minutes for us last year on the offensive side of the ball, in Week One, on defense, they're going to play significant minutes for us. Kris Abrams-Draine and Shawn Robinson. The only way you can do that is to dedicate yourself. One, you’ve got to be a tremendous athlete. But you’ve also got to dedicate yourself to knowing the schemes and putting in the extra work and extra hours, and I think both of those guys, I know they have done that. I’m excited to see how that bears fruit.”
Do you have an injury update on Jay Maclin or Mookie Cooper?
“J-Mac will be out Week One. Mookie will be questionable. I think we’re going to go into a new protocol where on Thursdays we’ll release more of an NFL-style update where we’ll just say, hey, who’s probable, who’s questionable, who’s doubtful and who’s out. That way I don’t have to every Tuesday give updates. Really for us, our policy is if you practice on Thursday, you have a chance to play. If you don’t practice on Thursday, you’re out.”
Is it right that Jaylon Carlies had a penalty last year and won’t start Saturday?
“Yeah, JC had a targeting penalty against Mississippi State in the second half, and so then he has to miss the first half. We appealed for COVID reasons and they didn’t accept it. Pretty down about it. Figured with the transfer waiver, they’d waive the targeting penalty, too, but I guess not.”
How comfortable are you sending Connor Bazelak out there? How much do you think he’s grown?
“I mean, I’m confident he’ll catch the snap. But we’ll find out. He didn’t have to play in front of a lot of fans last year, so he’s got a whole new set of issues. Last year, not a lot of pressure coming in. Now he’s had a whole offseason of everyone telling him how good he is and patting him on the back, so we’ll find out how much Kool-Aid he drank and how much focus he has. I think he’s got the right stuff. I believe we’ve prepared him the right way. But praise and blame are all the same, you can’t get caught up in it either way, so that’s what we’ll be testing ourselves with on Saturday.”
Is this year any different because so many teams across the country are bringing back more guys than usual?
“Yeah, I think it’s extremely unique. When you look at Central Michigan, you know, we have, what 16 returning starters on offense and defense, and then we have four returning starters on special teams. Central Michigan, like I said, could have returned 11 starters on defense. They’ve had some adjustments offensively, they had a couple guys hit the portal, a couple guys come back from injury. I mean, you’re talking about a team that’s got well over 30 players that have played in a lot of football games. And then you’ve got the addition of transfers. So it’s as unique a thing as I’ve seen, and I think all of us are just trying to figure out where we’re at after Week One.”
You mentioned Connor playing in front of larger crowds this year, what’s that conversation like with him and have you done anything in the offseason to get him used to that noise, distraction? Is there anything you can do to replicate it?
“I mean, we’ve practice against noise every day just to prepare ourselves for the road environments that we’ll get in this season. I guess I should say, I’m not really worried about the crowd as much as just making sure that we’re not pressing to make plays or pressing to impress people. The play doesn’t care who makes it. You go out there and execute the play the way it was designed and take what the defense gives you, so as long as we do that, we’re not pressing or trying to impress people or get caught up in the hype or trying to have the pressure to perform, then we’ll be fine. But when you get in trouble is when you fall in that pressure, like I’ve got to do something to warrant all the hype or warrant all the publicity and all that. And that’s what you’ve really got to avoid, you’ve got to have a neutral thinking. And the play doesn’t care who makes it.”
You mentioned that the offensive line is going to be your best five guys in game one. You’ve got five returners listed at that one spot. Just how important was experience in deciding that?
“I think all these guys, we had some really good battles all of fall camp. We mixed with a lot of different lineups to see who kind of jelled together, and we’ll mix in some lineups during the course of the game. Javon Foster has had an unbelievable offseason, has earned his opportunity and will get some reps with Zeke (Powell). Connor Wood and Xavier Delgado, obviously Case Cook and Michael Maietti and Hyrin White. Now Hyrin didn’t play at all last year, so there’s going to be a little bit of nerves coming back from that, and especially anxiety there. So, and especially, he’s going to be matched up against one of the best players in their conference and one of the better players that we’ll see all year at defensive end with Hairston. So we’ve got our hands full. Obviously those guys have experience, but we’re going to need to play physical in the trenches and protect the quarterback if we have any chance of moving the football effectively.”
Has Ennis Rakestraw taken another step this offseason?
“Yeah, Ennis does a great job of being a competitor, and really took his game to the next level with the addition of some transfers. Does what we need him to do, puts in the work. I think he made a significant contribution for us last year as a true freshman and playing in all 10 games, so I don’t think he has to do anything more than just continue to try to improve every day, and he’s done that so far.”
Is there any difference in preparation or approach for your first ever non-conference game?
“For us, it doesn't matter who the opponent is, where the opponent is. It’s 1-0 each week. We have a process that we replicate. We have a process for our Week One opponent that we replicate and that I’ve been replicating since I’ve been a head coach. It doesn’t matter if it’s a non-conference or a conference opponent for us, it’s the same process for our team, and this is the only opponent that we can play, it’s the only opponent that we have control of, and there’s all kinds of different things and outcomes when you play in a Week One game that you have to be prepared for, whether it’s guys catching punts on the one-yard line and throwing them forward or motion penalties, bad snaps. Just crazy things that seem to always pop up in Week One. So I think more for us it's just about preparing for that Week One opponent and making sure that we've got our checks and balances in for how we're going to communicate on the sideline, how we're going to communicate in game situations, making sure we get substitutions on and off the field, making sure we're aware of the clock, making sure we're understanding where we need to be at halftime. How are we going to react when these situations occur, whether we're up or down or give up the big play, or how are we rotating players in, keeping guys fresh with our planet, the heat. So those are really the things I'm worried about, not whether it's a conference versus non conference game.”
Is there a message that you send to the players about channeling that nervous energy that might be unique to Week One?
“I think the biggest thing that you can do as a competitor is focus on the things that you can control within a game. When you play the game, really all you can control is the attitude and effort that you play every play with, and then you can control knowing your assignments and executing those at a high level. I think what happens, whether it's game one, game six, any game, big moments, you lose focus in the moment, whether it's the previous play or the worry about the scoreboard or worried about what people might say, or what the fans’ reaction to it is. You know, we have a ‘this play’ philosophy where the only thing that matters is this play, and focusing on executing this play. Cannot do anything about the previous play and you've got no control over the final score. The only thing that really matters is this play. And it kind of ties into us on our 1-0 mentality. You know, you’ve got 12 games on the schedule, but the only one that really matters is this week, this one. And you’ve got to focus all your energy, all your effort on this game. And the only way you can get ready to play for Saturday is to have a great practice today, and the only way to have a great practice today is to make sure that you have great meetings, and the only way you can have a great meeting is to be there on time with a notebook, pencil and paper ready to take notes. And so, you break it down into that focus, then when you do those things consistently, you have a great repetition by doing it, that's when the flywheel starts flying a little bit faster. That's when things are a little bit smoother, and when things are smooth, they get fast. And so that's for us to keep playing fast.”
All the talk about nerves and crowds and stuff for players. You’ve been coaching for a while, but is there still a moment of not nerves but anticipation?
“I think for me it's just a moment of soaking it up and just being grateful. You know, I opened this press conference thinking about 13 brave American soldiers and knowing how blessed I am to be in this country and coach a game of football. I never lose sight of that. And so whether it's — you know, I usually go out pretty early and just kind of look around and kind of say a few words and just remember how fortunate we are and fortunate I am to get to be the head football coach at the University of Missouri and how fortunate I've been over the course of my career, and really whatever happens next is kind of icing on the cake.”
Your message for the fans just to make sure they show up at Faurot Field on Saturday.
“I don’t know what else they gotta do. I mean, time to put up, really. We've done a lot. There's been a lot of people engaged in a lot of things over the last 18 months to try to get this thing going. And real credit to the city of Columbia. They painted Mizzou downtown. We've got Tiger paws on Champions Street. We've got some downtown initiatives. We just kicked off the black and gold Fridays. It’s time. It really is time. Let's put it all together. I'm not promising victories and all that every Saturday, I'm just saying, hey man, it's time to get in, and let's get the fans here and let's go. Let's see what we can be. We're excited to put a great product on the field and we're excited to play. Our guys have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this season and to this moment. Some guys have sacrificed a lot to come back. Some guys are sacrificing their bodies right now to try to get back in time and it would be awesome to be rewarded with a great crowd.”
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