On Saturday, Missouri will kick off the second season of the Eli Drinkwitz era under far more normal circumstances than the first. A year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Missouri to scrap its original schedule, instead opening the year three weeks later than originally planned against eventual national champion Alabama — the first of 10 games in an SEC-only schedule.
Yet even though Missouri saw its offseason return to something approaching the usual — spring practices, then summer workouts, then fall camp, all without interruption — Drinkwitz doesn't feel like he has a much better grasp of what to expect when his team takes the field against Central Michigan.
"I think any time you go into a Week One opponent, you’re never quite sure where you’re at," Drinkwitz said. "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."
The list of unknowns surrounding the matchup continues to grow. Will Missouri's defense experience growing pains under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks? Who will start at quarterback for Central Michigan? Will Jim McElwain be on the sidelines after undergoing surgery for an appendicitis on Wednesday?
We won't know the answers until Saturday afternoon. But in the meantime, here's everything we do know, and everything you need to know, to get you set for Missouri's season opener.
Kickoff Information
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, MO
TV: SEC Network (Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason, Lauren Sisler)
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Howard Richards, Chris Gervino)
Spread: Missouri -14
Series history: No previous meetings
By the Numbers
Mizzou Injury Report
* WR Mookie Cooper: Questionable
* WR Ja'Mori Maclin: Out
* DE Travion Ford: Out
Inside the Matchups
When Missouri has the ball:
A year ago, Shawn Robinson started Missouri's first game of the season at quarterback. Robinson now plays safety, the result of Connor Bazelak replacing him during the second game of the season. This matchup should provide a golden opportunity for Bazelak to show the strides he's made during the offseason. Central Michigan ranked No. 120 nationally out of 127 schools against the pass last season. Three of their six opponents in an all-MAC schedule threw for at least 360 yards.
The specific areas where Drinkwitz has talked about wanting to see more out of Bazelak are his downfield passing ability and red zone efficiency. Missouri's wide receiving corps, too, will get a chance to show whether it has improved from last season. The receivers struggled with drops early last season and struggled to create separation downfield throughout the year, but the addition of Ohio State transfer Mookie Cooper and true freshman Dominic Lovett coupled with the emergence of redshirt freshman Chance Luper and senior Keke Chism has inspired offseason optimism about the position group.
The fact that Central Michigan should be susceptible to the pass should be good for a Missouri offense replacing workhorse Larry Rountree III at running back. Rountree averaged nearly 21 rushing attempts per game last season. He will be replaced by Tyler Badie as the Tigers' feature back, and Elijah Young is expected to step into Badie's change-of-pace role. While the coaching staff has expressed optimism about what both Badie and Young can show in increased roles this season, there are some questions about what Missouri's offense will look like without its bell cow, particularly in the red zone.
ADVANTAGE: Missouri
When Central Michigan has the ball:
Saturday will provide the first real look at Missouri's defense under the direction of Wilks. The longtime NFL assistant and one-time head coach of the Arizona Cardinals replaced Ryan Walters, who left the staff to become the defensive coordinator at Illinois, in January. Wilks has said he will employ a base defense that features a four-man defensive front and three cornerbacks in the secondary. He hopes to mix in more zone coverage than the defensive backs played a season ago. There are still questions about the defense, however; namely, how much will the absence of all-American Nick Bolton hurt Missouri? Bolton racked up 198 tackles across the past two seasons. He will be replaced at weakside linebacker by Rice transfer Blaze Alldredge.
The Central Michigan offense enters the game shrouded in mystery, as well. Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, who was promoted from wide receivers coach during the offseason, will be fully in charge of the unit if McElwain isn't able to make the trip. Plus, the Chippewas haven't revealed who will start the game at quarterback. Three players are still in the mix for the top spot — Washington transfer Jacob Sirmon, returning starter Daniel Richardson and redshirt freshman Tyler Pape — and McElwain said multiple quarterbacks will play against Missouri.
Regardless of who lines up behind center for the Chippewas, the objectives for Missouri are clear: Stop the run and contain Kalil Pimpleton. Central Michgian ranked No. 16 nationally in rushing offense a season ago. The Chippewas did lose starting running back Kobe Lewis due to a knee injury during fall camp, but they still have Lew Nichols in the backfield. Nichols averaged 6.5 yards per carry while rushing for 508 yards and four touchdowns a season ago. Pimpleton, a wide receiver, will also be used as a runner — and a receiver, and a passer. Central Michigan lines Pimpleton up all over the field, including at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, and Drinkwitz cautioned this week that Pimpleton can actually throw the ball. He completed five of eight passes and threw a touchdown last year. He also caught 26 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns and ran the ball 16 times for 134 yards and three scores. The Missouri defense will need to identify where Pimpleton is lined up before every snap and be sure to wrap him up in order to keep him from breaking off a big play.
ADVANTAGE: Missouri
Special teams
Missouri brings back proven contributors at both placekicker and punter. Grant McKinniss, who transferred from Kentucky prior to last season, averaged 43.1 yards per punt. Harrison Mevis was a revelation as a true freshman, making all 28 of his extra point attempts and 17 of 20 field goals, including multiple kicks from 50-plus yards.
Central Michigan is solid in the kicking game, as well, and has a dynamic punt returner in Pimpleton. Chippewa kicker Marshall Meeder, himself a true freshman last season, made all eight of his field goal attempts and 16 of 17 extra points. Luke Elzinga narrowly outdid McKinniss, averaging 43.2 yards per punt. And while the return game was a major weakness for Missouri last season, Central Michigan uses Pimpleton as its punt returner. Pimpleton hasn't yet returned a punt for a touchdown in his college career, but he's averaged a respectable 8.2 yards per return across the past two seasons.
ADVANTAGE: Push
Missouri's keys to the game
1. Protect Bazelak.
While Central Michigan didn't cover opposing receivers very well last season, the Chippewas have shown an ability to pressure the quarterback. Defensive end Troy Hairston was named the MAC co-defensive player of the year last season after he recorded 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Fellow defensive end Laquan Johnson missed all of last season due to injury but had six sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2019. Missouri is expected to start a pair of tackles who have combined to start four career college games in Javon Foster and Hyrin White, and the two will be tested Saturday. If Central Michigan can generate a consistent pass rush, it would make Missouri more likely to turn the ball over, and the last thing the Tiger staff wants is for Bazelak to absorb more hits than he needs to in the season opener.
2. Stop the run.
Considering Central Michigan largely struggled to move the ball through the air last season, ranking No. 86 nationally in passing offense, and still hasn't identified its top quarterback this year, we would expect the Chippewas to lean heavily on its running game against Missouri. If the Tigers can contain Nichols and Pimpleton on the ground and make Central Michigan beat it through the air, they should be set up for success. The biggest key to doing so will be tackling. Tackling is always a question mark in the first game of the season, and missed tackles can allow an underdog to break off big, momentum-shifting gains without taking much risk (see Missouri-Wyoming 2019).
3. Don’t beat yourself.
Missouri should be the more talented team. But college football history is littered with examples of talent losing out to execution, particularly early in the season. If Missouri allows Central Michigan to score easy points and stay in the game due to mistakes like missed tackles, turnovers or special teams miscues, the Chippewas are certainly good enough to make the Tigers pay. Play a clean game, and we like the chances for the home team.
Numbers to Know
0: Number of non-conference opponents Drinkwitz has coached at Missouri.
5,768: Days since new Wilks last coached in a college football game. On Nov. 19, 2005, his Washington team finished its season with a loss to Washington State.
62,621: Capacity for Faurot Field now that attendance restrictions have been lifted. Missouri's largest home crowd last season was 11,738.
22.4: Touches per game handled by Rountree last season that Missouri will have to replace.
181: Receiving yards needed for Badie to become the first Missouri player ever to amass both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
PowerMizzou predictions
Mitchell Forde: Not very much would surprise me in this game. I could very easily envision Mizzou playing a little bit sloppy in a season opener and Central Michigan hanging around and keeping the game close until the end, and I could just as easily see the Tigers jumping out to a four-touchdown lead and putting in the backups during the third quarter. Ultimately, I think Central Michigan is going to be able to move the ball and put enough points on the board to make it interesting for most of the game, but Mizzou's talent wins out in the end. Missouri 37, Central Michigan 21.
Gabe DeArmond: I think this one will be closer than Missouri fans would like at halftime. First games are weird and I'm not sure what Missouri has right now. But I think they have enough to stretch it out a little bit in the second half and at least be comfortable in the final minutes. I don't think it's going to be a thing of beauty, but Missouri wins 33-20.
Talk about this story and more in The Tigers' Lair
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage
