© Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY
Drinkwitz Thinks Missouri Tigers Offense Still Has Much to Improve
Most people would be more than satisfied after putting up 52 points in a blowout win to start the season, but Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz isn't most people. He told reporters during Thursday night's post-game press conference that he thinks this Mizzou offense still has a lot of room for improvement despite their high-scoring performance.
“Offensively, I thought we struggled early to find a rhythm. We really were not in sync, you know," said Drinkwitz after the 52-24 victory over LA Tech. "But we were able to capitalize on the momentum the defense created. We were able to establish the run a little bit in the second and third quarter.”
The Tigers did run the ball well, with five different players scoring on the ground. One of those touchdowns was scored by freshman phenom receiver Luther Burden III, who punched in the score on a direct snap out of the Wildcat formation. Burden was the standout player for the offense, scoring twice on the day, and reporters were quick to ask about Drinkwitz's future plans for the Wildcat formation.
“I just like direct snapping him the ball so I don’t have to worry about throwing it to him," replied Drinkwitz.
Whether that's confidence in his young playmaker or a lack thereof in his sophomore quarterback Brady Cook, it's safe to say Tigers fans will be seeing more of that Wildcat formation with Burden in the backfield as the season goes on.
“I thought he made some really great decisions in the pocket, specifically on third downs pulling and running," Drinkwitz said of Cook. "There’s some game management things that we’ve got to get in there and correct…There’s a lot of room to grow.”
Cook had a solid outing, throwing for 201 yards and rushing for 61 more while accounting for two touchdowns (1 pass, 1 rush). Besides a couple of missed throws, his lone mistake was an interception, the first of his career. And to his credit, the pass he threw hit Burden square in both hands before ricocheting upwards and into the arms of a Bulldogs defender.
Still, Drinkwitz is optimistic about what's to come for the Tigers saying, "I saw enough today out of Brady [Cook] and the explosiveness of our receiver corps that there’s a bright future ahead of us, but we’ve got to get out of our own way.”
"The turnovers, lack of execution in the red zone, third-and-shot, fourth down, and penalties. So, a lot of sloppiness there that’s got to get corrected…Just things that we’ve got to get corrected in a hurry.”
He knows that mistakes like that won't fly against a grueling SEC schedule and with only two more games until conference play, the Tigers have to clean it up quickly.
Expect a more disciplined and calm Mizzou team when they take on Kansas State next Saturday, Sept. 10, at Bill Snyder Stadium in Manhattan, KS.
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