Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz met with the media on Tuesday to discuss what the Tigers need to do to be better in the passing game, what the 3-1-7 quarters package does for the defense, and more.
On how to improve and be more efficient in the passing game:
What Drinkwitz said: "It starts with fundamentals, route depth, timing, the quarterback setting his feet when he makes a throw. Not drifting after he throws the ball to get ready to go do a celebration, finish the throw, (and) have your feet set in the pocket. Wide receivers have got to run their routes at the correct depth. They've got to explode out of them. The quarterback has got to make the throws."
What it means: Mizzou had nine penalties on Thursday with six of those penalties going against the offensive line. In the postgame presser, Drinkwitz wasn't nearly as bothered about the penalties and how the line played as he was during Tuesday's presser's about the offense's deep passing game inefficiency. Brady Cook had four deep throws that were all overthrown and could've been touchdowns. It didn't hurt the team versus Murray State, but it might in the next game.
Drinkwitz wasn't mad but seemed a bit annoyed at why the plays didn't result in better results and you could tell those self-inflicted errors fundamentally were something he wanted to get off tape.
Using the 3-1-7 quarters defense and what it provides:
What Drinkwitz said: "It's a carryover from the package we've had in the past. Obviously, we've got some new fingerprints to it, but it's something that our guys are familiar with. It was the base third down package that we carried the past two years and now, Corey (Batoon) and the rest of the defensive staff have added kind of their fingerprints to it. It's a way to utilize the most speed and versatility that we can get on the field, also with our pass rush."
What it means: Just like the offense wants to use as much of the talent and athleticism that it has at its disposal with the position players, the defense wants to do the same. This defense looks fast and having more cornerbacks on the field takes away the passing game. It leaves Missouri susceptible to the run game but Mizzou wouldn't be pulling this package out when the chance of the run is a high possibility. Also, this would indicate the team has faith in the secondary to be willing and physical tacklers on a short pass or the instance the opposing offense decides to run. They have to be willing to zoom over to where the ball is and make a play.
On planning to play the starters the entire game or not versus Buffalo:
What Drinkwitz said: "I didn't have any plan ( to play the starters 2 1/2 quarters in Week 1). I mean, I don't know what the opponent's going to do. The opponent has a say in everything that we do. We have a plan to win and until the game is in hand our starters are going to play. So, my anticipation is that this is a really good Buffalo team. They scored 30-something points and had 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing. (The game they played versus Lafayette) would have been a lot worse, but they had had two special teams miscues that allowed the other team back in the game. So, my anticipation is that it's going to be a dog fight, and we're going to have to prepare that way.
"As far as what ultimately led to the decision (to sub the starters out in Week 1), at halftime it was 35 to nothing. I felt like at that point I'd seen what we needed to see out of Brady, and then Theo (Wease) was already kind of dinged up. So, didn't want to put him in any more jeopardy, and Connor Tollison has had plenty of snaps. So, there wasn't anything we needed to see out of those guys."
What it means: Mizzou will play its starters as long as it feels it needs to in Week 2 versus Buffalo. Drinkwitz said he didn't have a preconceived snap count or time limit going into Week 1, but he likely had an idea that the game would be well in hand at some point to play his backups.
Drinkwitz said the starters will play the full game on Saturday, but earlier in his presser he said there were some players like freshmen Nic Rodriguez and Trajen Greco, who've earned more playing time.
Last year, entering Week 1, he planned to play Cook for a half and Sam Horn for the other half. He had the same plan going into Week 2 entering the Middle Tennessee State game, but that game was closer than expected and Cook and the starters played the whole game.
All of that to say he's planned to play certain players before. If this game goes similarly to Week 1, the Tigers should see the backups get more time. The game would have to go similarly to the MTSU game to keep the starters in, and that's probably how Mizzou should prepare, but that's unlikely to happen.
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