Missouri has quickly emerged as one of the best teams in the SEC East this season and is heading into November with 7 wins already.

With only one loss to LSU on their schedule, the Tigers are looking for a big upset this weekend over Georgia to potentially get into a place to win the SEC East.

Missouri’s sudden transformation into a contender may have come as a surprise to many, and Kirby Smart detailed how Eli Drinkwitz was able to turn the team into a contender ahead of the meeting between the 2.

Smart believes it starts the quarterback. Missouri’s Brady Cook has been outstanding this season with 2,259 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year.

“They’ve got good players. I’ll tell you it starts with good players,” Smart said in his press conference Monday. “It starts with quarterback play. When you look across the league and say, who’s playing good in the league, they’ve got good quarterbacks, and they’ve got a good quarterback. When you’ve got a good quarterback, you’ve got a chance. He makes too many decisions throughout the game that if he is not making the right decision, you’re not going to be in the game. And they’ve got a quarterback matched with great skill and a really aggressive, sound, tough defense. I mean that’s the recipe for winning.”

Smart also praised Drinkwitz’s recruiting abilities.

“He’s accumulated that talent, whether through the portal or through high school,” Smart said. “He’s a talent evaluator and trying to get guys on the team to buy in. Eli does a great job and I have a lot of respect for him.”