Everything Eli Drinkwitz Said to Preview No. 10 Vanderbilt

The No. 15 Missouri Tigers are hitting the road again in Week 9, this time for a ranked matchup against No. 10 Vanderbilt. This comes one week after the Tigers picked up an ugly 23-17 win over Auburn on the road.

In typical fashion, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz took to the media podium on Tuesday to recap Week 8's events, while also looking ahead to the Commodores.

Here's everything Drinkwitz had to say to preview the game.

Opening statement

“Great to be here. Really excited for this week's opportunity. To recap our win versus Auburn, I thought our team was very tough, very resilient, tough-minded, but as coaches, we got to do better. There's a lot of things that we have to clean up from that game. O-line, tight ends, they got to play way more physical. Quarterback’s got to continue to improve, take care of the football in critical situations, unnecessary sacks. Defense, too many explosive runs, penalties that were undisciplined. Then, coaching strategy, I got to do a better job at the end of the game, making sure we get an opportunity to go kick the field goal with the ball at the 30. So plenty of things for us to own as a group and focus on getting better.

Vanderbilt, awesome opportunity. Great week. Obviously, I think Clark’s [Lea] done an outstanding job. His team is very tough, very physical. They're a complete team. They work together, that you can tell. They're very complementary. He's built it with veteran players, great schemes, fundamentals, and obviously, the quarterback works in sync with that. It's going to be a great environment, sold-out crowd. ‘[College] GameDay’ is going to be there. So, really fun opportunity for us. Our team needs to work this week to improve, get better. We have to play with better pad level. We got to play with better footwork on the offensive line and tight ends to stay square. We have to be better with our second step. We have to be more accurate in our throws. We have to be better in pass protection at the running back position. Our defense has to take better tracking angles. You can't commit penalties that lead to extended drives.”

On Zion Young’s enthusiasm before overtime

“Great, positive, contagious energy. Love who Zion is as a competitor, love who he is as a teammate, love who he is as a captain. There's benefits and negatives to having microphones everywhere. This game is about people being ready to play, and he was obviously ready to play, and our guys fed off of it. And if you don't like it, don't listen.”

How Vanderbilt has improved from last season to this season

“They’ve been a tough out every year we played, except for my first year. In 2021, it was a one-possession game. 2022, [it] was a one-possession game. We needed a fourth-and-1 stop by D-Rob [Darius Robinson] to seal the game. 2023 was a 10-point game, they cut it to one possession in the fourth quarter. Last year was a double-overtime game. So it's always been a competitive, one-score game.

How have they improved? Obviously, I think the quarterback’s [Diego Pavia] one year better. They do a lot with him in the pass game. I think they're tight end, [Eli] Stowers is an excellent player who's just gotten better, and more chemistry. Their offensive line is physical. They brought in some transfers. Their size is better. The running backs are improved. Defensively, they're very physical and aggressive. I think No. 2, the nickel player [Randon Fontenette], is as good as anybody we've played against. I think he does an excellent job. Their defensive end, [Miles] Capers is really good. Martel Hight is an elite corner in this league. So they've got players with great experience coming back, but they're a veteran team. I mean, most of the transfers they took out of the portal had played a lot of reps, and so, they're on the upper end. I think 75% of their team is either a graduate player or a senior.”

On the challenges of going against Cover 0

‘If they're [in] zero, you got one or two options — we checked protections. We had a protection bust on one in the third quarter that should have been easily picked up, and you're gonna have to throw off of somebody, but didn't do it. We executed a couple of times on that last drive. We executed it that last third-down conversion, but [we] got to do a better job in protection, making sure all seven people are on the same page, and then the quarterbacks and wide receivers have to execute. The throws have got to be accurate. The interception in the second quarter really led to us not being able to extend the game the way we needed to, and that's an accuracy throw, [the] ball can't be left inside.”

On recruiting Zion Young out of the transfer portal

“It depends which time you're talking about. We recruited him out of high school, and he committed to us and then signed with Michigan State, so that was fun. Then obviously, out of the transfer portal — the young man's always had great energy. Always was great to be around.

Coach Russ [Ryan Russell] tells a great story of his first day here, when he got cleared, he literally got cleared from that physical stuff like four minutes before his group started the workout, so he got changed, went in there, puked three times during the workout. And every time he puked, he just came back and kept working, and we just knew he was going to be the right fit for our culture.

And I think his leadership has grown. Last year, I remember when we lost the [Texas] A&M game, and I was worried about the locker room, and I pulled him aside, and he said, ‘Coach, I haven't won four games in my college career, like we're fine, we'll be good. I love this stuff.’ So he's always just been really positive. I mean, he's a great young man and he's got a side to him, that's the way he plays.”

On Young balancing that intensity

“Bill Parcells said it best: ‘If you’re gonna play with an edge, you're probably going to live with an edge.’

He's got an edge.

I'm so tired of hearing about that penalty [the taunting call on Young against Alabama] costing us the game. That was the second play of the game. It didn't cost us anything. Is it something that we got to correct? Absolutely. Is it a self-inflicted wound? 100%. But that narrative needs to go in the trash can, because that didn't cost us jack squat.”

On Diego Pavia’s unique running style, if he’s gotten smarter as a thrower

“I don't know that he's 'smarter,' — I think he's just improved his accuracy. He's got a lot of weapons. He's another year into the system with the cohesion of that group. He's a very headsy runner. He knows how to attack angles. He knows how to utilize pump fakes with the quarterback position. He knows how to eliminate angles, which is really just a savviness. He can get skinny and he can lower his shoulder. He's got all the traits you want of a really tough, physical runner.”

On Josiah Trotter’s play for Missouri this season

“Obviously, that last play was extremely impressive, not only by him, but Damon Wilson obviously was held and makes the sack. Trot leaps the running back. I showed that to the team as an outstanding play.

I think Trot’s getting better and better with his blitz path. There was the one in Kansas where he could have been a free hitter and he kinda slowed up, and I think D Nick's [linebackers coach Derek Nicholson] just been really continuing to work with him on his blitz path, and running through people. He's a big, physical player who has been awesome. Another guy who [we’re] very, very pleased that he's on our team.”

On recent opportunities for Santana Banner

“He plays in on our sub packages, and then rotates, obviously, with the safety group. Does a really good job of man-to-man coverage, which is going to be something that has to continue to evolve when we bring pressure. But he's an instinctual player, and a physical player, that's got great size, length, and can run and can hit.”

On issues in the run game against Auburn

“If you're going to win on the road, you’re going to need to be able to run football. Like I said, I think we have to be better at pad level. I didn't think our pad level was right. Didn't think our footwork was very good. We weren’t staying square, we were crossing over, so our second step wasn't where it needed to be. Our hands weren't in the right placements. We looked timid, like we weren't sure why we were running certain plays.

The plays we came downhill, I thought our counter scheme popped for us. For whatever reason, we didn't get back to it enough. So I think it's a combination of making sure that we come back to plays that work, and it's a combination of making sure that our offensive line and tight ends are playing aggressive and they aren't overthinking it, playing with better fundamentals. That's on our coaching staff to get corrected.”

On the development and maturation of Marquis Gracial

“We had a chance to spend some time together in Harmons, Jamaica, on a work site, and I think it was great for me to get a chance to just spend some quality time, and I think it was great for him just to be around me in a different way, instead of always calling him into the office and challenging him on grades or challenging him on effort. It was just two dudes being in a foreign country, working their butt off, wishing we had a cold shower or a hot shower at some point or a hot meal.

But I think it also kinda shifted his perspective, I think he can speak more about it, but he got up and shared with the whole group about how his perspective changed. Instead of a ‘woe-is-me’ attitude, into more of an attitude of gratitude about the blessings that he does have in his life and the blessings of being able to play college football. I think when your mindset shifts from blame to gratitude, it can change a lot of things. And mindsets the number one indicator of success. So for him, I think being able to change that perspective and shift that perspective has been able to help him grow as a football player. He takes coaching better, takes challenges better. It's been awesome to see. I think he's established a new standard for himself that now it's our job to continue to reinforce and make sure he lives up to that standard continually.”

On what makes Donovan Olugbode a good contested catch wide receiver

“I think he just got really good ball skills. He is a natural hand catcher, and so he has great hand-eye coordination, and he's a very good route runner. Does a really good job re-stemming, creating separation at the top of his routes, and then Beau [Pribula] has a lot of confidence in him as a pass catcher, so he's not afraid to give him opportunities.”

On the challenges Vanderbilt’s tight ends present

“One is their size. They both have great length and size and speed and can run. Then obviously, they get you in a lot of 12 p[ersonnel] or heavy 12, run the football. You try to stop it man-to-man, and then you're putting your linebackers in conflict and your safeties in conflict. Are you fitting the C area, or are you playing man? So that's a challenge. They do a really good job with it. I think their offensive coordinators are as good as anybody in the country at creating opportunities to get six yards, six yards, six yards, and stay ahead of the chains.”

His thoughts on the ‘College GameDay’ show being on-set for the game

“We're the road team, so we'll show up, we'll go to the visitors' locker room, we'll walk out on the field and play the game. Whatever else they got for their fans there, good for them, but doesn’t affect us. I don't think they even want to talk to us.”

On what the team does on what he calls ‘Mindset Monday’

“I think ‘Mindset Monday’ is when you have an opportunity to come in and get to learn and grow from the previous game — the mistakes, the successes, you learn from it. And then set your jaw on what lies ahead. And every week's got a unique challenge, and we talk very specifically about what our plan to win is, and that goes into Monday. And so, you got to start planning it. You got to start visualizing it. You have to start understanding what lies ahead for each and every day moving forward.

For us, we got to really improve. And the only way we're going to improve in stopping the run or running football is to have a great ‘Toughness Tuesday,’ starting in inside drill and moving onto dirty show [one-on-ones between defensive and offensive linemen].

And so you got to set your jaw on Monday, knowing, ‘Alright, we got to improve. Coaches clearly pointed out these are the areas that we were deficient on the road, and if we don't get those fixed, then we're destined to live in the past and that's a great recipe for failure.’

So, you got a choice, just like Marquis, you have an attitude that you get to choose. Do you try to improve, or do you think you've already arrived? So, there's a lot of great things about winning, but football teams either continue to get better each week, or they get stagnant. And there's a great Sean McVay quote about ‘The best teams don't have to be the best at everything, they just have to be the best at what they do.’ So the challenge for us is figuring out what exactly we feel like we're really good at, keep improving at it, and set that mindset on Monday.”

On how Pavia’s running style differs from other mobile quarterbacks Missouri has faced this season

“I do think that's [mobile quarterbacks] kind of a theme for college football right now, and specifically for the quarterbacks that we've played. You speak about [Jalon] Daniels and [LaNorris] Sellers, and even Jackson Arnold I thought did a nice job scrambling. And so, our guys have some experience. I don't know that any of them are as good at the improvisation as Diego. I think he is — I mean, there's a third-down play, where LSU has everybody taken away, they have a D-end with a free runner on him, and he's able to make him miss with a three move in the backfield, and then throw it to the tailback who's not even in the play. I mean, he's [the runningback] really not even an option, but he's eligible, and he [Pavia] found him. So, I mean, that kind of stuff, it's hard to replicate. And again, I think he's the best that I've seen doing that. He's a magician back there. I mean, there are plays like that against us last year. So we got to be really disciplined in how we tackle. Got to be disciplined in our angles, and it'll be a real challenge. But so far, he's the best that we've seen. And those other two guys are really, really good players.”

On what made Keagen Trost a valuable target in the transfer portal

“Keagan has probably been — he was the offensive lineman of the game this last week — been our most consistent offensive lineman.To be able to fill in at the right tackle position, behind the to fill in for the No. 7 pick in the whole draft [Armand Membou] and really not have us fall off at all has been very impressive.

I think the thing that held him back from the portal was that the style of play that he was in in the previous year, you weren't sure how that would translate. But for us, we saw his athleticism, we knew some of the people who he worked with in the past, and felt good about who he was. I think the Brotherhood — Keagan has been at four different schools in four years, and so, I think it took us a while to break down those walls, but now that he's totally invested in the Brotherhood.

He's another great story from the mission trip and being a part of the team, I think he's really grown. I think that group of five is really, there's really about eight of them to hang out all the time that really gelled.

He's been impressive. He's done an excellent job. We went into the matchup, and obviously they got some pressure on us and they did some good stuff, but I thought we held up against their defensive ends pretty well. And I thought Keegan and Cayden did an excellent job with those guys.”

On why fundamental things like pad level and footwork are not being executed

“We call it ‘every damn day’ drills. You have to do those drills every damn day. The reality of it is, it's how you do those drills that matter. Like I can go every day and read a book, but if I'm not in tune to trying to read and grow and get better — if I'm not intentional about the work — and I think we have to be more intentional about the work. And then, obviously, as a coaching staff, we have to take the gray out so that we can play faster. I think when you watch, there's some timidness, like we're not firing off the ball confident in this is our target, this is our landmark, we're resetting the line of scrimmage. We were like, timid on what they were going to do. We have to eliminate that gray.

And then we have to do a better job of coming back to plays that are working and not getting away from it. When you hit the counter for eight yards and you don't call it again, that ain’t good, period. And that's on me. Hell, I knew it was a good call. I got to reinforce that we got to get back to it. So, that's everybody. And I think more than anything, I'm taking ownership of it's got to improve.

And it's not fair, I think, as coaches, to get up here and illustrate and push all the blame to the players. At the end of the day, it's my job, it's our coaches’ job. We get paid a hell of a lot of money to put these guys in the right positions, and we got to do it.”

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