Missouri Coach Eli Drinkwitz Dismisses Concern Over Ole Miss Familiarity

Ole Miss is playing Missouri and multiple former Rebels this week.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz reacts to a call against the Troy Trojans during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At 2:30 p.m. CT this Saturday, Oct. 17, the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels will host the No. 13 Missouri Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Two of Missouri's key offensive players are quarterback Austin Simmons and wide receiver Cayden Lee, both of whom transferred in from Ole Miss last January.

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding brought up this week that Ole Miss is familiar with the two players and knows what affected them in practice, as well as knowing their personalities, demeanors and mentalities.

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn't seem to think the Rebels' familiarity with his players will benefit Ole Miss much.

What Both Coaches Said

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons celebrates with wide receiver Cayden Lee after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This week, Pete Golding said it was "scary to know how good he is and how talented he is" when referring to Simmons. He also praised Simmons' development throughout the season.

"You see him get better week in and week out," Golding said. "Relating it back to when he's here, there's certain things you gotta go back on from a scrimmage standpoint and all those things. What affected him? What didn't?"

When referring to Cayden Lee, Golding said the pass game "goes through" him and that Lee's a guy that Ole Miss is "going to have to know where he is on every snap he's in the game."

When asked whether Missouri would have to do anything different from normal in game planning for Ole Miss because of Ole Miss' familiarity with Simmons and Lee, Drinkwitz turned the question around.

"I mean, I'd be more concerned with what we know about them. Austin's been going against that defense for three years. Cayden Lee went against that defense for three years," Drinkwitz said. "So the difference is what they know against those guys was based off a system that they ran while they were there; we don't run anything like they ran, so we have our own system."

Drinkwitz wasn't dismissive of the emotions the returning Rebels will face on Saturday.

"I mean, there's always going to be emotions. I think you got to have emotional consistency," Drinkwitz said. "So it's going to be new for them. I think they're gonna have to rely on teammates who have gone through this before."

Drinkwitz, Simmons, Lee and the rest of the Tigers will travel to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, for the first matchup between Missouri and Ole Miss since 2019 and the first in Oxford since 2013.

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