Eli Drinkwitz is 'not going to blame the officials' in Mizzou vs. Texas

No. 18 Missouri football lost a crucial game to No. 7 Texas on Saturday. The Tigers' didn't bring their A-game, struggled with the same issues they have throughout many parts of the season and blew a second-half lead in a game that looked like they could've actually won.

The turning point of it all: an 18-yard forward fumble on third-and-10 from Texas quarterback Arch Manning that was recovered by Longhorn receiver Emmett Mosely V for a first down. Yes, you read that right. Read it again. Watch it, if you need to.

The 25-yard Texas touchdown three plays later marked the first 6 of an unanswered 21 points scored by the Longhorns that eventually put Missouri to bed. Missouri fans at Memorial Stadium were livid, raining down boos directed at the officials on the field. Gauging the activity on social media, most Missouri fans there seemed angry, too.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz kept it classy in the postgame press conference, but his frustration wasn't hard to pick up on — understandably.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

"I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I don't. I don't," he said. "If I say what I want to say, I'm going to get fined until I don't have any retirement, and I'm not going to do that because I'm not going to blame the officials. That'd be disrespectful to Coach Sarkisian and his team."

Regardless, there were a plethora of calls that were reviewed by officials in the game that could be argued either way. A pair of almost-receptions by Cayden Lee were ruled as incompletions, the second of which certainly appeared to be a catch. A touchdown from Naeshaun Montgomery was also ruled incomplete, but a pass-intereference flag or holding penalty could've been welcomed, too.

Those may have accounted for some of the loss, but Drinkwitz doesn't think they — or any other questionable call — account for the entire loss.

"They made the plays when they needed to in order to win the game, and ultimately we did not," Drinkwitz said. "And that's what it came down to. Didn't come down to officials. Didn't come down to reviews. Came down to the opportunities that we had as a team. And ultimately, that's on me as the head coach. My job is to make sure that our guys take advantage of the opportunities."

And his closing message to his players, which may resonate with some fans, too: “I told them absolutely they could be disappointed today, and when you put your whole heart and and work as hard as you did, the results aren't guaranteed, but it surely hurts, and it's OK to be hurt."

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google