Mizzou Football Notebook: Reviewing UK, personnel changes, UT offense

Missouri (4-5) will be looking to rebound from a 21-17 loss to Kentucky in week 10 with an upset win over No. 5 Tennessee (8-1). The loss to Kentucky still lingers in Columbia after a few questionable calls didn't go the Tigers' way most notably the roughing the punter called on Will Norris in the final minutes.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told the media on Tuesday that he spoke to Southeastern Conference officials about some of the calls that happened in week 10, but that he's looking toward the future since the rulings won't change the results.

"It doesn't change the outcome," Drinkwitz said. "So, it's really not anything worth discussing in my opinion and it can only cost me money. So, it doesn't have any effect on this next game. It doesn't change the results."

While the roughing the punter call may have technically been correct Drinkwitz wasn't necessarily seeking out an explanation from SEC officials for that one play. He said there were two other plays he considered challenging during the game: punter Jack Stonehouse's muffed snap that he picked up and tried to run for a first down and then a converted third and one call that favored Kentucky and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who appeared to not only be short of the line to gain for a first down, but may have lost yardage in the process.

"So, what happens on those things is you tell the official I want to challenge that," Drinkwitz said. "They tell you they're looking at it. They don't have an angle. So, they kind of give you the feedback that you can but it's going to be a wasted challenge because they're already looking at it."

Right guard EJ Ndoma-Ogar was injured in the first half against Kentucky and was replaced by Mitchell Walters in the lineup. Drinkwitz said that Ndoma-Ogar is out for this week and the team will re-evaluate him next week. Ndoma-Ogar had gotten the start in the last two games over Walters in what has been musical chairs along the offensive line due to performance and injury issues.

"It's sad for EJ because he was really playing well," Drinkwitz said. "His best game so far through that first quarter before he got dinged up."

Drinkwitz said due to his injury there will be a chance we see new players in the lineup this week.

"We're in a unique situation where our right tackle started the season at right guard and we lost two starting right tackles," Drinkwitz said.

Connor Wood made the switch over to starting right tackle in week five after Zeke Powell had a season-ending injury against Auburn. Powell was replacing Hyrin White, who hasn't played this season due to what is believed to be an Achilles injury. Drinkwitz officially announced on Tuesday White would not be available for the season.

Left guard Xavier Delgado was shaken up during last week's game, but finished the game. He missed week three versus Abilene Christian. Left tackle Javon Foster and center Connor Tollison are the only two offensive linemen who haven't missed a game this season.

Where fans will likely not see any personnel changes is at quarterback. Despite Brady Cook's inconsistent play and the massive hits he's taken this season, Drinkwitz said he's sticking with Cook as the quarterback and doesn't plan to play another quarterback this week.

"I'm really focused on this game and this opportunity," Drinkwitz said. "If the opportunity presents itself for us to get another quarterback in a situation that we're in control of, we would do that, but I'm not making that plan for this game. He still gives us our best chance moving forward and he's going to continue to grow and get better as well as the guys behind him."

Cook has completed 162 of 247 passes for 1,790 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's also rushed for 284 yards and five touchdowns.

After the Tigers held on to a 17-14 win over Vanderbilt in week eight Drinkwitz said that running back Cody Schrader would be the team's feature back going forward. Part of that is because of how consistent Schrader had been up to that point and the other part is because of how inconsistent Nathaniel Peat had been and his struggles with ball security.

Since then Taj Butts and Elijah Young have seen limited snaps and touches in place of Peat while Schrader had rushed the ball 43 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Prior to week nine Schrader had rushed the ball 68 times all season.

This week, Drinkwitz changed his tone from a couple of weeks ago and said that he is open to having another running back come in and help shoulder the load with Schrader again.

"We've got to get more out of our run game, whether that's blocking or creating yards," Drinkwitz said. "So, all of those things are on the table. I do want to see how Nate and Elijah respond in practice this week and see if those guys can provide us with some more depth. I do think Cody has given us all he’s got, but I felt like last game, for the first time, we played him too much."

It's not a secret that Missouri has one of the best defenses in the nation and that the defense can hang with some of the best offenses in the country. Mizzou held Georgia, which is now the No. 11 scoring offense in the FBS, to four field goals and a season-low 26 points. It held Florida to 17 points in the 24-17 loss (the Gators had an interception returned for a touchdown). But facing this Tennessee offense will be a much different challenge.

The Volunteers have a much more potent offense and have shown that by scoring 34 points in every game except last week against No. 1 Georgia and the FBS' second-ranked scoring defense.

Entering week 11, Tennessee has the second-best scoring offense and passing offense in the nation at 45.3 points per game and 335.8 yards per game, respectively. The Volunteers are also eighth in red zone offense converting 45 of 48 red zone attempts with 27 of them being touchdowns.

An interesting stat is that they rank 127th in time of possession at 26 minutes per game while Missouri ranks eighth in the nation at 34 minutes. Missouri fans are well aware of the relationship between time of possession and Josh Heupel's offense. But Tennessee's lack of time of possession is obviously because of its ability to score points quickly.

"They score fast and they go fast," Missouri safety Joseph Charleston said. "That's the two things that I see. They have an up-tempo, up-paced offense. They are explosive and make a lot of plays."

Leading the explosive offense is Heisman hopeful Hendon Hooker, who has completed 179 of 252 pass attempts for 2,533 yards 21 touchdowns and an interception.

"He's playing at a Heisman trophy level," Drinkwitz said. "Hendon has really developed tremendously as a passer and then uses his athleticism and speed. He doesn't rely on it. He utilizes it as an extra benefit. He's a very strong and physical runner. The first guy very rarely tackles him. So, we got to do a great job of getting into the thigh boards to bring him down."

The receiver on the other end of 51 of those receptions for 970 yards and 14 touchdowns is Jalin Hyatt.

"Hyatt might be the best wide receiver in the country," Drinkwitz said. "He's obviously got great vertical speed. He creates explosive plays and they utilize them in great schemes. So, I think it's a combination of his speed, route running and catching ability."

Plain and simple Hyatt's best ability is stretching the field which was evident in week seven versus Alabama when he recorded six receptions for 207 yards and five touchdowns.

When Drinkwitz mentioned the Volunteers using the width of the field to their advantage, Hyatt factors into that equation because he can be on the receiving end on passes thrown over the top while receivers like Cedric Tillman can be more of a possession receiver on intermediate and underneath routes.

Despite Hyatt's production this season, Tillman is actually the better draft prospect. The 6-3, 215-pounder, had over 1,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns a season ago. He returned in week nine in the 44-6 rout over Kentucky after missing four games with a leg injury he sustained in week three.

"We all know Hyatt can take the top off 一 they said he runs a 4.3 (40-yard dash) and he has some really good game speed," Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw said. "Tillman is a bigger receiver who uses his hands well. I saw both of those guys my freshman year and they've developed into really good players."

It's not just the position players that have made an impact for the Volunteers; it's also the offensive line.

"They are probably the most complete offensive line that we've faced," Missouri defensive tackle Kristian Williams said.

Statistically, Georgia actually ranks fourth in the FBS in sacks allowed with seven and eighth in tackles for loss allowed at 3.78 per game and 34 for the season. Nonetheless, Tennessee is fairly decent up front, as it ranks tied for 17th in tackles for loss allowed at 4.11 per game and 37 for the season.

When it comes to the speed, Williams hinted that defensive players don't love tempo offenses--especially defensive linemen--but that the team will have to rely on each other to push each other through.

"Tempo is always a challenge because you have to have the endurance and longevity in order to endure that much of a pace of the game, but it goes back to preparation," he said. "We all fall back on each other when someone is getting tired or we motivate them to achieve the goals they want to achieve whenever they are down and out."

That may be more important now than it has been in other games this season since it may be hard to make substitutions if the offense doesn't also sub in between plays.

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

Follow our entire staff on Twitter