There is no shortage of storylines in this week’s Arkansas Missouri game, but the biggest is former Mizzou coach Barry Odom returning to his alma mater as Arkansas’ defensive coordinator.

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the issue with his team on Sunday and with the media on Tuesday at a press conference.

“There’s no hiding it,” Drinkwitz said. “There’s plenty of storylines however you want to create them, but the bottom line is this is a player’s game. We talked about it on Sunday. But again, this is a player’s game. When the kickoff starts, it’s going to be about the men on that field and the jobs they do.”

As he prepared for the Arkansas defense, Drinkwitz noted that Odom’s defense is more like the one he ran at Memphis than what the Tigers run this season.

An Arkansas native, Drinkwitz is facing his own history with the Razorbacks similar to Odom with the Tigers. But the former Auburn assistant said this isn’t the first time.

“I’ve got some really good memories of the Arkansas football program,” Drinkwitz said. “Obviously, I’m the head coach of Mizzou now. … When we were at Auburn, I had to go up against them twice.”

While Mizzou has a remaining home game against Georgia, the Tigers will celebrate Senior Day this week. Drinkwitz said Mizzou is doing it this way in case there are COVID-related changes that cause the Georgia game to not be played.