Podcast: What to Watch from Mizzou in Week 1

The Missouri Tigers are set to open their 2025 season against Central Arkansas on Thursday.

With multiple lingering offseason questions for Missouri, such as who will be the starting quarterback, carrying over into the season, the game is shaping up to be a much more important one than originally expected for the Tigers.

To give their thoughts on the top storylines for the Week 1 game, Missouri football reporters Joey Van Zummeren and Michael Stamps previewed the game in the latest episode of the "All Things Mizzou" podcast.

You can watch the episode via YouTube with the link below or through Spotify, Apple Podcasts orAmazon.

The "All Things Mizzou" podcast is presented by MissouriOnSI. Tune in every week as reporters of various sports provide news, analysis and opinions on everything going on in the world of Mizzou athletics.

Past the top position battles, Missouri will have a new look overall, bringing in 21 transfers looking to assimilate to the program.

"It's really important for us this week, as a football team, to establish and bring our identity to life," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference Saturday. "We want to be a tough football team and a team that plays well under pressure, executes in tough moments."

The Week 1 game also has an added importance to it as the Tigers look to get settled before a cruical Week 2 game against rival Kansas on Sept. 6.

"That's our message to our team this week, make our identity come to life," Drinkwitz said. "You get one shot at your first impression. What impression are we going to have as Team NO. 136 and this brotherhood?"

Drinkwitz is also looking for the team to establish a routine in the week and hours leading up to the game.

"We've talked a lot throughout the fall camp about establishing a process, whether you're a senior or you're a freshman, you gotta establish a process for how you prepare for the game," Drinkwitz said. "So, it's going to be an opportunity for everybody."

When it comes to preparing for Central Arkansas, Drinkwitz and his staff have had the challenge of preparing for a team that will have two new coordinators. But, there's a few staples that are always a part of the scheme for head coach Nathan Brown, who has been with the program as a coach in some capacity since 2010.

"They're always going to establish the run," Drinkwitz said. "They've got two really good guards that will allow them to try to establish the line of scrimmage. They've always been a gap scheme."

Whether it's with the quarterbacks or anywhere else, Thursday's season opener will be revealing of some of the answers to questions Missouri has looked to solve during fall camp

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