'Defensive Competition': What Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz is Hoping For From Run Defense
The scorching sun found in Columbia might be viewed as a problem for folks walking from their cars into supermarkets and offices, but Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz sees it as a test for his football program.
"The heat provides a whole nother set of adversity," a sweat-stained Drinkwitz said Friday. "I've been pleased with how most of our guys have handled it with hydration and making sure they're available."
The impending season for the Tigers comes with their own challenges, one of which is Drinkwitz's seat reaming cool on the firing index scale. Missouri fired Barry Odom after four seasons despite finishing below .500 just once.
Entering Year 3, Drinkwitz has an 11-12 overall record and saw his team regress in all aspects except for rushing during the 2021 season. Tyler Badie, who finished top five among all FBS players, now is in Baltimore fighting for reps in the Ravens' backfield, so there's no chance of Drinkwitz hiding behind that notion.
One way to steer the ship in the proper direction could start with fixing Missouri's defensive line. Finishing in the bottom half of the SEC in run defense often can be forgiven. The same can't be said about the bottom 10 in the country.
The Tigers allowed 229.3 yards per game on the ground. Only Arkansas State, Kansas, Akron, Stanford, UMass and Florida International finished with a higher average. That, plus the loss of veterans Kobie Whiteside, Akial Byers and Mekhi Wingo factored into Missouri's attention to detail via the transfer portal.
"We wanted to create competition," Drinkwitz said of the defensive line. "It was a position that was very senior heavy, senior-laden, and we've had some injuries. We knew we needed to improve at the line of scrimmage."
Defensive lines often run a two-deep look for certain aspects. For Missouri, the additions of Josh Landry (Baylor) and Jayden Jernigan (Oklahoma State) provide that behind projected starters Darius Robinson and Realus George Jr.
Drinkwitz said depth was one of the biggest areas he hoped to improve on in terms of players in the trenches. Another thing he wanted was leadership. Veterans have followed his message in terms of keeping the younger players accountable.
"Guys like Isaiah McGuire, Chad Bailey, Devin Nicholson, (Manuel) Martez, JC (Jaylon Carlies), all of those guys that have had multiple years of experience have done a nice job."
Drinkwitz likely will learn on those five — plus others — in setting the tone defensively. The Tigers are on their third defensive coordinator in the same number of seasons following the departure of Steve Wilks.
New coordinator Blake Baker will be tasked with slowing down offenses such as Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky in conference play this fall. The Tigers also have one of the more under-the-radar matchups against Kansas State in Week 3.
Not much will change in terms of formation. Baker plans on running the same 4-2-5 system that Wilks installed last season. One positive for Baker in the new role is experience calling a defense. Before joining the Tigers, Baker served as defensive coordinator for two seasons at Miami.
Of course, that wasn't a factor in Drinkwitz's decision to hire him this offseason.
"We needed to improve," Drinkwitz joked about the constant turnover of coordinators. "It puts the pressure on him there."
Missouri opens the season at home against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 3.
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