Mizzou Football Notebook: Offensive changes, special team woes, UK offense

Missouri (4-4) will host Kentucky (5-3) in week 10 as it looks to earn its first three-game winning streak since 2019 when it won five straight games.

The Missouri team that defeated then-No. 25 South Carolina in week nine wasn't the same team that it had been all season in some respects. It wasn't even the same team that defeated Vanderbilt by three points in week eight.

Apparently, Mizzou gave itself a reality check over the bye week that included three significant changes. The biggest change was in mindset. Despite Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz being the offensive coordinator and wanting the offense to get produce a more efficient style of play, he realized the strength of his team is the defense.

"Everybody wants to be the star, right," Drinkwitz said. "But sometimes you just got to understand and recognize that on this team and this brotherhood our defense puts us in the best chance to win. So, offensively and on special teams we have to support that."

Drinkwitz is right. The defense is the best part of this team and has made a 180° turn from what it was a season ago. Last season's 106th-ranked defense is gone and fortunately for the Tigers, won't be coming back any time soon with first-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

The second significant change was in personnel. There were a couple of personnel changes in week eight like tight ends Ryan Hoerstkamp and Shawn Hendershot getting a few snaps, but in week nine there were a number of changes. EJ Ndoma-Ogar got the start over Mitchell Walters at right guard and played well despite committing a false start penalty. Hoerstkamp played 10 snaps. Running back Taj Butts got the start and played eight snaps while running back Elijah Young had three rushes for 20 yards and a reception for 11 yards on five snaps.

Drinkwitz said Ndoma-Ogar and the offense as a unit didn't have a spectacular game, but it didn't have the unforced and or undisciplined errors like it has had in previous weeks.

"If you do the same thing over and over again expecting different results that's the definition of insanity," Drinkwitz said. "So, at some point, you have to create some change and you have to evaluate whether or not it repeats the process and do it better or you need to give somebody else an opportunity to help us. It felt like EJ did that for us."

Ndoma-Ogar played all 70 snaps which was the most of any of the new contributors, but Drinkwitz said that Hoerstkamp and Young specifically have earned their reps and could be in line for more opportunities soon. Drinkwitz said what got Hoerstkamp snaps is his play in practice.

"I think Ryan’s been a very consistent player for us," Drinkwitz said. "I’m hesitant to say one way or the other because it can kind of throw shade on somebody else but you know, it was his opportunity and his time. We've given other players opportunities in the game and the results were not what they needed to be. I think Ryan did that and took advantage of his opportunity."

As for Young, who missed four games due to injury and returned versus Vanderbilt in week eight, Drinkwitz said he's trying to ease him back into the offense and that Young still has some things to work on.

"So, we're trying to work him back into the plan," Drinkwitz said. "I think the biggest thing for him is just consistency, specifically and picking up protections and blitzes. And in this league, if you're that size and they’re a blitz-heavy football team that's going to be a matchup issue for us. So, I definitely think he's got a more expanded role and we'll continue to see that."

The last change significant change the offense has made since the bye week is some of the play calls. The offense has seen quarterback Brady Cook get the ball into his playmakers' hands early as evidenced by wide receiver Luther Burden III's two touchdowns in week eight or Dominic Lovett's career day in week nine with 10 receptions on 10 targets for 148 yards.

The offense didn't start over from scratch, but made some minor changes. Whether it was more jet sweeps to Lovett or toss crack plays to Burden who was lining up at running back on some plays. Drinkwitz said some of that was scheme-specific for the opponent.

"We have a core DNA of what we run but how we get to it's a little bit different," Drinkwitz said. "Every scheme presents a little bit of a new window. But it wasn't like it was a new offense. It was just a style of attack. It was a good plan those guys put together and our kids were able to execute it pretty well."

In week eight, Harrison Mevis missed a 21-yard field goal for his fifth missed field goal of the season and on a kickoff, after Vanderbilt had scored off of a strip-sack returned for a touchdown, Mizzou's special team's unit let Vandy recover the kickoff in side Missouri's own 25-yard line. In week nine, there were still some struggles on special teams for the Tigers. Most notably, when Sean Koetting kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff which resulted in the Gamecocks' offense starting their drive on their own 35-yard line.

Fortunately for the Tigers, special teams didn't play too much of a factor against South Carolina, but Drinkwitz isn't happy with the unit for a number of reasons. With Kentucky's strength on returns this season, it's another area that will draw special attention this week.

"We're inconsistent at best," Drinkwitz said. "We kick one out of bounds and we kick one in the middle of the field. We've got to be better at that. And then our coverage, you can't rely on Sean kicking a touchback every time. They've got to take every approach like ‘Hey, we're going to have to go tackle this inside the 20.’ So, that's kind of a point of emphasis this week. And I think you'll also see some changes to the personnel on kickoffs to continue to create competition."

Kentucky is 14th in the FBS in return yards on kickoffs with an average of 23.88 and a touchdown. Despite Drinkwitz's objections, Missouri is ranked 13th in the FBS allowing 16.43 yards per return on seven returns.

Drinkwitz was complimentary of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops on Tuesday for building what was a down-trodded Southeastern Conference football team into one of the more competitive teams in the SEC.

"I think the continuity and stability of his vision and philosophy," Drinkwitz said. "I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him. Offensively, they do a really good job of playing to their players' strengths, whether it’s the quarterback, the wide receivers or the running back."

Although Kentucky was on the wrong side of a 44-6 loss at the hands of No. 1 Tennessee in week nine, which saw the Wildcats' offense be limited to 205 total yards, Drinkwitz expects Missouri to be in for one of its toughest games all season.

"We know that they're going to come in here and my anticipation is they're going play their best game of the year," Drinkwitz said. "They're going to want to atone for last week. I know they're all going to sit there and think that this is a game that they can come win and so it's going to be important for us to play our best game."

Someone who is probably going to be leading that atonement will be Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Levis had an abysmal game against the Vols, completing 16 of 27 passes for 98 yards and three interceptions. But he is not someone to be overlooked.

Levis is projected to be a potential first-round quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft with some draft experts predicting at one point he could be a top-five draft pick. He's completed 130 of 191 (68.1%) passes for 1,733 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

He's joined by running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who will likely join Levis in the NFL. The Preseason All-SEC first-team selection has rushed for 459 yards and four touchdowns on 87 rushes (5.3 yards per carry) in four games since returning from a four-game suspension to start the season.

"Offensively, they do a really good job of playing to their players' strengths, whether it’s the quarterback, the wide receivers or the running back," Drinkwitz said. Obviously, the running back is a really good player. He's back and the quarterback is one of the top quarterbacks in the country."

Kentucky's offense has been up and down all season and is ranked 100 in total offense at 352.6 yards per game, 109th in rushing offense at 114.9 yards per game, 68th in passing offense at 240 yards per game and 97th in scoring offense at 23.9 points per game. Like Missouri, Kentucky's offense will have to rely on its top-25 defense, but Baker said that he's not overlooking the offense or the intangibles it brings to the game.

"That's a physical group," Baker said. "The offensive line rolls off the ball, the running backs run downhill. I think that's what gets them going. I think it starts and stops with their run game. They are as physical as a team we've played all year."

There is no love lost between the Tigers and the Wildcats in safety Martez Manuel's eyes. At SEC Media Day in July, he said he thinks the Wildcats are more of a rival than Arkansas is. Manuel reiterated the comments on Tuesday as he tried to speak about what the Wildcats do well.

"Kentucky does a lot of stuff well," Manuel said. "They run the ball well. They probably have an NFL talent running back and quarterback and some offensive linemen. They're a really talented team. I don't like them though. Personally, I'm just ready for Saturday."

Kentucky has won eight of the 12 matchups between the schools including a 35-28 win last season.

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