11/9/2021 football Edit

Everything Eli Drinkwitz said on Tuesday

Gabe DeArmond & Mitchell Forde

Staff

Opening Statement

“Good afternoon. Good luck to Cuonzo Martin and our basketball team as they start the season tonight. I know that they’re very excited and wish them all the best and we’re going to be rooting for them right here in our football complex.

After reviewing the game, again, like I said after the game, I was proud of our effort, but effort alone’s not enough. We have not played nearly clean enough or executed well enough in really any of the three phases to win a game. As a coaching staff, I challenged them, we’ve got to get more out of our schemes. We got to be more productive out of our schemes to put our players in a better position to be successful and help them execute. We just didn’t do a good enough job of putting our guys in positions and making sure that those guys could execute what we were asking them to execute in order to win. We left too many opportunities on the field and like our told our team, same thing I told our staff, effort is good and that’s one thing, but we’ve got to play much better if our goal is to be in that game. We were in it the first quarter, but that’s why you play four quarters. We’ve got to be much better moving forward and we got to execute a lot better.

New week, new opportunity versus South Carolina. Obviously they’re coming off a big win. I thought they played very well in all three phases. Coach Beamer has done an outstanding job of getting the most out of his team. He’s played three different quarterbacks throughout the season and I think they’re finding an identity with the young man they have right now. They lean on their running backs. Obviously Kevin Harris led the SEC in rushing last year and they’ve got two other backs that I think complement those guys really well. They’re dynamic on the outside at wide receiver. Georgia had two deep balls and (South Carolina) have been productive throwing the ball downfield to Josh Vann, I believe is his name. Defensively, their front four is back, all starters. Number one is a sure fire NFL Draft pick. I think he’s potentially a first-round draft pick. Their two interior guys, we’ve gone against them several times and they’re really good players and Aaron Sterling, the field defensive end, is also a good player. They’re backed up by some guys that can really get off and rush the passer. The young man, (Jordan) Burch is a five-star player out of South Carolina. They’re really talented there. The linebackers have a lot of playing experience. Feel like the young man (Damani) Staley has been there a long time and obviously has played a lot of SEC football and been very productive. Got our hands full in what we’re going to need to do to be able to win. Thankful to be home at Faurot. Thankful to have an opportunity to put a product on the field that our fans will be excited about. We’ve got to go out to work today to make that happen. With that, I’ll open it up to questions.”

After looking at the film, what did you see out of Brady Cook and Tyler Macon and did that game change anything in how you’ll approach the quarterback position if you don’t have Connor Bazelak available?

“After reviewing the film, I thought it was really very similar to what I said to the team. I thought those guys both played really hard, they both showed a lot of toughness, and they both did some really good things, but at the end of the day we didn’t play well enough at that position to give ourselves a chance to win. We had a couple of really critical errors, specifically in the first half, that would have led us to continue drives. Obviously, the second drive of the game on a third and two we had a busted play that just can’t happen in that situation. The next drive on a third and two we had a penalty that can’t happen. We scrambled and end up, I wouldn’t say diving, but fell short by a yard at the quarterback position. Those things just can’t happen in order for us, against a quality opponent. We’ve got to improve. We missed a couple of throws, took a sack. I was proud that they didn’t turn the ball over, but we were inaccurate in some of our passes. Again, we’ve got to continue to play better, I’ve got to continue to coach better, I’ve got to do a better job of putting them in a position to be more successful with the schemes that we ask them to execute. So that was my assessment of their play. Again, like I told both of them, I was extremely proud of the fact that they didn’t turn the ball over, they didn’t put us in jeopardy on either side of the field, but we’ve got to continue to be better and give us a chance to win that game.

How we play this game will be determined based on where we’re at after tomorrow’s practice and who we feel like is available and why they’re available and that will determine the direction that we go.”

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I know the injury report comes out on Thursday. Has Connor made significant progress do you think and is there an update on that?

“Injury report will come out Thursday and you all will get to be out the first three periods of practice today, I believe. So you all can make your own determinations about that stuff, speculations. He’ll be at practice today and we’ll see where we’re at. He’s not a hundred percent, but we’ll see where we’re at. The medical staff and him will make a determination on where he’s at after today, make a determination Wednesday and then we’ll put out an injury report on Thursday.”

Specifically with Brady Cook, where have you seen him develop the most since he got on campus and where would you like to see him take the next step?

“I think Brady’s a very intelligent player and he really wants to do all the right things. I thought he did a nice job of being decisive on a couple of third down opportunities where he pulled the ball down and ran, he had a nice third down opportunity that he took and made a throw to Barrett (Banister). I think we just have to continue to clean up the execution. There was a couple of plays where we went to the wrong side on our first read instead of executing the play as it was designed and that comes through repetition and understanding and preparation and we will continue to do that. He’s going to continue to grow in that. And then I think just accuracy.”

South Carolina is the only team you’ve faced all three years as a head coach. Is there anything different than some of the teams you’ve just faced twice?

“Obviously it’s new schemes in all three phases, but there is some familiarity with some of the players that are executing the schemes and maybe how they’ve played in the past and what are some things that they do really well that we have to be aware of. Number one (Kingsley Enagbare) can affect the game. He affects the game and if you don’t take advantage of a count, it’s going to be a bad opportunity for our offense. Stuff like that. Understand how well 30 (Damani Staley) does of getting everybody lined up, playing in the box and does a great job of fitting runs. I think he’s a very sound, solid linebacker for them. The back end’s a little bit new, but yeah, I think there’s just some familiarity in knowing who those guys are.”

What makes a quarterback rotation so challenging? It seems like no one really wants to do one, but sometimes it’s the situation you have.

“I think it’s challenging because everybody has different strengths and for me as a play caller I’m trying to attack a defense so it’s really no different than how we utilize our routes or our running backs. It’s okay, he’s better at this so let’s put him in on this play that attacks that defense. I think we felt like going into the Georgia game adding an extra runner into the game with Tyler (Macon) would be beneficial. I think he showed, especially early in that game, first two drives, why that was the case. Brady (Cook) does some other things in the pass game, reading coverages and some of that stuff, okay, once we got into a game and we knew we needed to throw the ball that was gonna be something that had to be played into. I think really it comes into playing to the players’ strengths a little bit more. It’s just really difficult to try to prepare all quarterbacks in a short work week. That’s really going to be the challenge this week. There’s no way I can prepare three quarterbacks to be the starter so we’re going to have to narrow down pretty quickly who’s playing and how we’re going to do that.”

Are Tyler’s mechanics kind of a work in progress? The sidearm throws, is that something you like to see or is that something he’s always done?

“I like to see it when it’s completed. I think that’s the big thing now in college football and really in the NFL is throwing the ball at different launch points and arm angles and I think what you have to do is be solid in your fundamentals first and be able to expand on that. When you watch NFL players, that’s what they’re doing. It’s no different than when I was growing up, I’d work on my fadeaway free throw jumper like Michael Jordan because that was his shot. But I wasn’t obviously Michael Jordan, so in seventh grade when I’m posting up at the elbow and taking a fade-away shot, my seventh grade basketball coach Eddie Corder was like what are you doing? I think that’s the same thing. We’re seeing these guys, you see Aaron Rodgers flip the hips and you see Patrick Mahomes scramble and sidearm balls and Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson so those younger guys practice that stuff. And it’s good, we’ve got to be able to do that, but we also got to secure our fundamentals first. Tyler’s got a lot of natural ability and talent, needs to continue to grow as a quarterback and we’re very excited about his future. We’ll get there, but we’ll get there. He’s going to have a while as a quarterback.”

How have you seen Connor help out these young guys as they try to take everything in?

“I thought really he did a nice job on the sideline of talking to those guys after series and giving them an idea what the coverage was and how they were adjusting to our speed motions out of the backfield, what are some things to consider. There was one time I got on Brady probably a little too harshly and he was over there, ‘Hey, flush it, man. Just flush it.’ Told me to flush it, which was really good. It was something that I needed to hear and I thought it was nice.”

When you have two young quarterbacks, does the number of plays you can run go down?

“I think you have to limit your play call menu and you also have to rely on what you call your DNA, which is things that you know they’ve got banked reps on. I think there’s, we install the same set of plays the first, basically, six days of practice, every spring, every summer and every fall camp. So Brady’s had the opportunity to install those now four times. He’s got memory recall on some of that stuff that maybe Tyler doesn’t have yet so you have to rely on some of those things.”

Saturday was probably as well as you guys have played run defense all year. What did you do maybe better than some previous weeks?

“Yeah, I really felt like we were physical in the trenches. I thought our two linebackers played really downhill. We changed up our lineup a little bit. We had Blaze (Alldredge) and Chad Bailey, and both those guys were not passive. They were downhill, fitting gaps, running through. Thought our defensive line did a nice job of shedding blocks, getting skinny at the point of attack, playing more vertical. I thought we did a better job of setting edges. I think there was only a couple of plays that they got out on the perimeter, and those were off quick screens, or swing screens, more than they were on the designed runs that have really been gashing us. So I thought, you know, those things helped us. Obviously we still gave up 166 yards rushing, which is too many, but it was a step in the right direction. And I thought really our front seven, including Martez (Manuel), did a nice job his fits this week.”

You have three games left and you need two wins to get to a bowl game. Describe the motivation factor you guys have for the rest of your games.

“Yeah, I think for us, it's all about this week. It's really all about this week. We really can't focus on anything else. In order to get to six, you got to first get to five, and we've got an opportunity this week at home versus a quality opponent that we've got to play well against. And so that's that's really all of our focus. There's an opportunity to win a trophy, you know, the Mayor's Cup. And so, you know, you got an opportunity to claim a tangible benefit after the game. And so really, that's our focus: our personal pride and our performance. An opportunity to not only represent the front of the jersey, the back of jersey, but to claim to claim a trophy at the end. So that's really how we're approaching this. It's one game at a time, and we’ve got to prepare, have a great Tuesday practice. We're going to put ourselves in a position to have a great Wednesday practice, continue to stack good days. You know, I think one thing that we have to continue to learn as a program is that just because you do all the things that you're supposed to do doesn't guarantee the outcome. Right? But if you don't do the things that you're supposed to do, you don't have any chance with the outcome. And I think where the disappointment came from early in the year was our football team was doing the things that it needed to do put itself in a position to win, but the outcome didn't reflect the work that we put in. That's okay, that's part of the process. You’ve got to continue to do those things. You have to have a great Tuesday practice in order to put yourself in a position to execute on Saturdays. When we go back and look at our game Saturday, you can rewind to the Tuesday that we had where we had busted assignments, we had misses, or late to this, late to that. Those things don't give you a chance to win on Saturdays, because the little things add up. So for us, again, three games left, we're not worried about those three games. We're worried about making sure that we can duplicate the process, which gives us a chance to be successful. And in order to do that, we’ve got to have a great Toughness Tuesday. We got to show up, we gotta have great meetings, great walk through focus. We gotta have a great practice with fundamentals and techniques. You’ve got to make mistakes, fix those mistakes, correct those mistakes, take the teaching from the classroom to the walk through to the practice. And that's really our focus. You know, a bowl game is a product of what your season is. Our season isn't completed yet. And in order for us to reap that benefit, we gotta put in the work.”

I think South Carolina opened some eyes with what they did this weekend. What jumped out to you in taking a look at that game?

“They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides. I think they rushed for 250 or 300 yards and had two 100-yard rushers. That alone is going to be enough to win a game in this league. Especially with those two running backs. They created explosive plays. I thought the quarterback extended the ball, extended plays in the backfield, and then was able to create explosives off those extensions. Had a big play off really a pressure look, was able to hit a guy on on the sideline, and then had another pressure look off a long-yardage situation, and then hit a wide receiver wide open in the end zone on a busted coverage. So, I mean, I think that's really what jumped out for me offensively. Defensively, again, they controlled the line of scrimmage. Florida teams traditionally run the ball really well. I think they kept them to less than 100 yards total rushing yards, which doesn't happen. In order to do that, you got to be really stout at the point of attack, and they were able to do that. So, you know, again, this is a trench league, and you’ve got to win in the trenches, and they clearly did that in that game. So that's really gonna be a test for us.”

Speaking of South Carolina, what stood out to you about Jaylan Foster?

“Yeah, Jaylan is an instinctual safety. I think he leaves the team with five interceptions, right? He's always around the ball. Does a great job in both a free safety position and a coverage position, and really does a great job of tracking the quarterback’s eyes to play overlap, which is where he gets most of his interceptions. So he’s having a really good season.”

Are you still searching for a No. 2 back?

“Yeah, we’re looking for consistency. And it's not just the consistency of performance. It's a consistency in your day to day activities and how you go about your business in the weight room, in your preparation, in practice habits, in taking care of your body. If you can consistently do those things, then you can be the No. 2 tailback. But you can't show up one week and then not show up the next week or have different things play out like that. So I think that's really, for us, the biggest thing is the consistency with their preparation. You know, who can pick up blitzes? Who can catch the ball out of the backfield and run? And who can manage the easy stuff, which is showing up on time, being where you're supposed to be at the time you’re supposed to be here.”

True freshman BJ Harris operated behind Tyler Badie at tailback during Missouri's loss to Georgia. (Cheyenne Thurman)

How much of a benefit is it to have a guy like Harrison Mevis, and does that influence your offensive philosophy at all having a guy who’s almost automatic?

“You all asked me that question last week and he hit the upright. Yeah, really proud of Harrison. He does a great job of providing us points, and that's the name of the game, to have more points than your opponent at the end of the game. So, it doesn't really change how I call the plays or anything like that, it's just nice knowing when you get inside the 30 or inside the 35, you’ve got the opportunity to go for it or you’ve got the opportunity to kick it, which isn't always the case. It puts you in the position, a couple times like we did against Vanderbilt, where instead of having to try to throw the football to get the first down, you just knew, hey, I’ll hand this off and get four yards and be able to get points.”

I know last year you said you called him Sebastian Janimisski or something like that. Do you ramp that up at any point with how well he’s doing?

“Nah, I’m not messing with the flow right now. Did I call him Sebastian Janimisski? I think you made that one up. I need to hear that.”

It seems like at all levels of football now offenses are more aggressive in going for it on fourth down than they ever have been. Is it simply a case by case decision for you, or are there certain rules for you?

“I mean, we do have an analytics deal. Obviously there’s some of that to where, hey, we’re in four-down territory, we’re in this or that. We’re right on the edge of field goal range, or it’s going to be close. You know, the percentages say you’re probably better off going for it than you are trying to kick it. But at the end of the day, it mostly comes down to feel. What do you feel like is the right opportunity, the right thing for your team at that time in the game?”

You mentioned Blaze getting his starting job back. Does that send kind of a message to your team? Guy comes in, starts, loses his job, you go back to him. Is that a positive thing?

“Yeah, I think it reflects the number one core value of always compete, and how do you respond to any given situation. I talk about it all the time, losses can be lessons and failures are not final if you learn from them and grow from them. And I think that's the thing that we're trying to teach young men that are 18 to 22 years old, like, there's more scrutiny in college football and college athletics than there ever has been. And it's not anybody's fault, it's just the reality of the world. Ten years ago, 12 years ago, 15 years ago, if you didn't play good, you didn't hear about it ‘til the next day, when it was in the newspaper. If you don't play good or miss a play, it’s immediately advertised on every social media account, and you may not see it until after the game, but your parents are seeing it, so then as soon as you attach to your phone, you’re immediately attached to the result. What we’ve got to be able to do is detach from the result and engage in the process. How do I become the best version of myself? By continually competing to improve. It's the quest for constant improvement to be the best version of myself, and understanding that, again, lessons are losses and failures are not final if you learn from them and grow from them. That’s life. I think everybody in here has faced adversity and challenges, and how do you respond to them and how do you grow from them? In this business, it is what it is. You’ve got to win or lose, and you got to face the music of that. But for these young men, they get an opportunity to continue to grow and develop as players and as people through these experiences, and that's really what we’ve got to continue to preach. And we’ve got to continue to get buy in from that. And so I do think that that shows that, and that's a good thing.”

With Blaze, after the win over Vanderbilt some players mentioned a speech he gave the team about momentum plays. What kind of leadership has he provided even when when he hasn’t been seeing as much time on the field?

“Yeah, I think that's that's been one of his key attributes is the leadership that he's shown. He's been through so many ups and downs from junior college to being at Rice and here, and understanding a little bit more of the ways of the world and battling through some tough times and circumstances, and I think he’s been vocal about it. I think our guys have responded well to it. And it's something that we're really proud of, and why he's a great representation of our football team.”

“Just wanted to clarify one thing. At the end of the game, we did have offensive players available. Tyler (Badie) was late getting out of the game, out of the shower and out of medical, and by the time we were ready to go, I think we had to cut the Zoom short. There was no intent to prevent any offensive players from being made available. We don't hide from anything. We weren't disappointed in any of those guys’ performance. It was just we wanted Tyler to have that opportunity because he had rushed for 1,000 yards, and it just didn't work out. So I apologize for that. At the end of the day, that is always on me, and we will do better next time making sure that we have more players available. I would also like to add it's been my policy and is my policy that true freshmen don't visit with the media until they're either not redshirting or have contributed significantly enough to our program that they have earned the opportunity to speak for the team. As of right now, I think Mekhi Wingo is the only freshman that has spoken, and maybe Dominic Lovett, because those two guys, clearly, are not redshirting. They’ve played more games than they would be able to. Until that is the case with anybody else, you guys will not be able to meet them. That's just a personal policy. I'll be happy to discuss with you further if you think that's something that we need to look at changing in the future. But as of right now, I feel like that’s the message that I want to send. I'd rather focus on the seniors and juniors and sophomores who have done more on the field to contribute, because when you recruit highly-recruited freshmen or whatever, they're always going to be natural, hey, we want those guys to speak. But they've got to earn that opportunity. And there's plenty of guys who are performing at a high level that can speak better about where we're at with the football team. Has nothing to do with a lack of trust or lack of transparency within our program. It's just a personal protocol that I have in place. And so just wanted to address that. And, again, if there's anything that I'm doing that y’all feel like needs to be changed or addressed, please visit with Molly or myself and we would love to make ourselves more accessible. I understand that y’all have a job to do and need to do it well, and we have a job to do that we need to do well. We need to work together to do that. It's definitely not us versus you all, and definitely don't have a distrust or anything like that with that media. We're not trying to keep anything away from you. You know, last week, as far as closing the practices, that was just because of the speculation with Connor, was trying to give our team a competitive advantage. You know, this week, you'll still have your speculation opportunity, but he's gonna be out there, and I knew he wasn't gonna be out there last Tuesday, so I didn't want that to be the featured story. So, just wanted to clear the air there. If there's anything that you want me to follow up with, feel free to let me know or let Molly know and we’ll answer those questions.”