What Eli Drinkwitz Wants to See From Mizzou in Week 1

Despite being their first game of the season, Drinkwitz has high expectations for his squad against Central Arkansas.

Oct 22, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz on the sidelines against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In a typical Week 1 game, there would only be so much a head coach and his staff could take away. That might not be the case for Missouri Tigers lead man Eli Drinkwitz, who is in a unique situation compared to recent years.

Drinkwitz has a brand-new team with plenty of new faces, many of whom are still looking to gain significant college football experience. That makes Week 1 of the 2025-26 season important for one major reason: to establish their identity as a team.

"We want to be a tough football team and a team that plays well under pressure, executes in tough moments," Drinkwitz said August 23. "So that's going to be really important for us. That's our message to our team this week: make our identity come to life."

A lot can go right in the first game of the season, but plenty can also go wrong. Expecting the opening week to be perfect would be a little extreme, but there are certain things Drinkwitz is expecting.

One of those priorities in Drinkwitz's eyes is how they respond to the gameplan going off-script. The Tigers will have a clear gameplan heading into kickoff, but that's something that can be derailed farily quick.

"So there's a lot of things to figure out," Drinkwitz said. "I think we know going into it what we want to try to establish, but everybody goes in with a plan. You're going to have to react to the different things that occur."

This first week may not be the full-force Missouri team that comes along in the middle or end of this coming season, but the team that comes out against Central Arkansas could be a precursor to what this squad looks like later on.

"You get one shot at your first impression," Drinkwitz said. "What impression are we going to have as team 136 and this brotherhood?"

READ: 3 Things to Watch in Mizzou's Season Opener Against Central Arkansas

Despite having plenty of talent at multiple positions, Drinkwitz has plenty he wants to see on the defensive side of the ball. The identity of the team as a whole is important, but the physicality and effort portion of that identity directly applies to the defense.

There are specifics that he hopes to see in order for the unit to be as well-rounded as possible. From getting into the backfield to stopping the run, there are certain boxes Drinkwitz wants to cross off after Week 1.

"All of it," Drinkwitz said. "It all starts with us stopping the runs. I think we want to make sure we can establish the ability to stop the run."

Creating pressure on the quarterback is an area the Tigers have thrived in recent years, with the talent on the defensive line to carry on that trend. It still is something he wants to see that unit prove.

"I think we want to see if we can rush the passer without having to be too exotic in our pressures," Drinkwitz said. "We want to see if we can establish the ability to affect the passer."

In the secondary, Drinkwitz wants his defensive backs to show the simple ability to cover and prevent opposing points from appearing on the scoreboard. Getting the ball back into the hands of his offense will also be important.

"Can we be a team that denies the ball, or do we have to be a team that has a touchdown group defense and just trying to keep everything in front of us," Drinkwitz asked. "Can we force takeaways and do we tackle well?"

Week 1 doesn't have to be perfect, but there's a lot, and reasonably so, that Drinkwitz wants to see from his team.