Missouri Football Notebook: Stopping UF's Richardson, stars out with injury

It's arguable that Mizzou's last five to six quarters of play, especially defensively, could have the Tigers at 4-1 with a win over the No. 1 team in the nation. Alas, it was not meant to be. With a couple of self-inflicted wounds, the Tigers will go on the road to face Florida (3-2). Before they put week five completely behind him, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz made sure to say that the environment for week five was one that he hoped to have since he came over to Columbia in the 2020 season.

"I want to just say how much I appreciate the Mizzou fan base for Saturday night," Drinkwitz said. "What an awesome atmosphere. You know, everything that I believed and dreamed that this place can and will be as we continue to build our program moving forward."

Faurot Field (61,620) was nearly at compacity with 58,165 in attendance, and players such as safety Jaylon Carlies, who had a game-high 13 tackles and two tackles for loss, feel like the atmosphere contributed to the defense's fast start versus Georgia. Going into week five, Georgia had never trailed in a game this season.

"There was a lot of energy throughout the stadium from the start of the game to the end of the game," Carlies said. ... "That was probably the loudest I heard it since I've been here. I felt like the team fed into it. Coming out of the tunnel, just looking out there you could tell it was a different type of energy that night. We just knew we were going to play special and we ended up doing it."

Missouri won't host another home game until week eight when it hosts Vanderbilt. The Tigers have a bye in week seven.

Anthony Richardson is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the nation, and part of the reason Missouri can't harp on its two prior defeats too long is that Richardson and his 6-foot-4, 232-pound frame will literally run through and past the Tigers if they don't focus on defending him.

"He's very similar to KJ Jefferson, probably. As far as speed, athleticism, ability to throw, run an offense and make good decisions," Drinkwitz said. "You've really got to run your feet through the tackle. If you leave your feet before the tackle. You're gonna bounce off like a ping pong ball."

Richardson's passing stat line can be deceiving. He's completed 73 of 131 passes for 1,116 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. Richardson is the Southeastern Conference's 19th leading rusher with 241 yards on 42 rushes (5.74 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.

"Playing against him last year (as a linebackers coach at LSU) he's a big dude," Mizzou defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. "I mean he's the closest thing to Cam Newton in college football since Newton himself as far as his size and his speed. I think they do a good job schematically getting him in good situations running the football. I think their scheme fits what he does very nicely."

Richardson didn't throw a passing touchdown until week four against Tennessee, and while his dynamism can pose problems for Mizzou's defense, defensive end Darius Robinson made a good analogy as to how Missouri can force Richardson to beat them through the air instead of on the ground.

"Think about it like a well," Robinson said, "A guy with tremendous speed and whatnot, you don't want to let them get outside of the well. So, keep him inside and keep rushing and give a good effort when you're rushing because you never know you may catch him off the side. So, as long as we keep him in the well and make him a passer I'm real excited for that opportunity."

Wide receiver Dominic Lovett has been the team's breakout player through five weeks, and has found his groove in the slot for the Tigers.

In week five, he recorded six receptions for 84 yards in the first half and still leads the SEC in receiving yards with 460 (95 more than the next player) and receptions at 27.

Lovett suffered a lower leg injury towards the end of the first half versus Georgia and didn't return. Drinkwitz said that the East St. Louis product is day-to-day.

"It was really a tough blow for us offensively because he was playing so well and so fast out there and really was a mismatch in the game and for him to go down it was tough," Drinkwitz said. "It's tough when you lose one of your better players offensively if not your best player on offense."

Linebacker Chad Bailey was hurt during the first half of the week four matchup against Auburn and left that game with his arm in a harness. Bailey practiced in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, but Drinkwitz said that Bailey is doubtful. Dameon Wilson, who has taken over duties for Bailey in the MIKE (calling the defense and getting players aligned) has gotten the confidence of Baker, along with linebackers Devin Nicholson and Will Norris.

Wilson recorded five tackles versus Georgia, and Nicholson had a pass deflection.

"The experience Wilson has gotten the last two games and with Nicholson and Norris doing some good things, that was a big question mark once we lost Chuck Hicks going into the season," Baker said. "To see those guys step up and fill that void 一 my confidence in them is growing significantly based on what I've seen in the last two games."

Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine has made the transition from slot cornerback to the outside seem effortless this season.

Abrams-Draine has recorded 14 tackles and five pass deflections (second in the SEC).

Unfortunately, Abrams-Draine also suffered an undisclosed injury in the fourth quarter against Georgia and is day-to-day.

Dreyden Norwood replaced Abrams-Draine and had two tackles and allowed three receptions for 34 yards. Miami transfer Marcus Clarke joined the team before the week two matchup against Kansas State. Baker said the two players will split the snaps if Abrams-Draine is not available on Saturday.

"I think Norwood and Clarke (will replace Abrams-Draine)," Baker said. "I think he's (Clarke) really come a long way in a short period of time. He had a really good practice (on Tuesday)."

Saturday's matinee won't be the first time Drinkwitz and Florida head coach Billy Napier face off. The two faced off twice during the 2019 season when both were head coaches in the Sun Belt Conference. Drinkwitz was coaching Appalachian State and Napier was leading the University of Louisiana.

Drinkwitz and the Mountaineers got the best of Napier and the Ragin' Cajuns on both occasions, first in week six with a 17-7 road win and then again with a 45-38 win in the Sun Belt Championship. Ironically, the night after that game, Drinkwitz met with Mizzou officials and would take the head coaching job at Missouri soon after. In fact, reports came out Drinkwitz and Missouri were near a deal the very next day.

"(Napier's teams have been) fundamentally sound," Drinkwitz said. "They control the lines of scrimmage, don't beat themselves and are very sound tactically. Obviously, Coach Napier is very aggressive on fourth downs and he's been that way for a long time. I think there's a lot of similarities of what they (Florida) do scheme-wise (to what Napier's Louisiana team did)."

Drinkwitz has won just two road games since he became Missouri's coach, and the Tigers will be looking for their first road win of the season and first road win at Florida since 2018

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