Eli Drinkwitz admits there are a couple of pleasant surprises with the Missouri program 3 games into the season as the Tigers get set for a game this week at Boston College.

Drinkwitz mentioned during a segment on “SEC This Morning” on the SEC Network that running back Tyler Badie and the defensive secondary are 2 of them.

“To be honest, I didn’t know how effective Tyler Badie was going to be. I knew he was a really skilled running back, but I didn’t really know his ability to handle that many touches in a game. I’ve always known he’s pretty — has a unique skillset in and out of the backfield. But he’s done a remarkable job handling everything that we’ve thrown on him.”

Badie is averaging 115 rushing yards per game, with 3 touchdowns this season. He also leads the Tigers in receiving with 142 yards on 15 catches and another 3 scores.

While run defense has had some issues that Drinkwitz admits Mizzou is working on, he’s been impressive with the back end of the defense.

“Defensively, I like the way our secondary is playing,” Drinkwitz said. “I think we’ve already got 4 interceptions, that’s how many interceptions we had the entire year last year. So we have been able to force turnovers, which is good. I think the biggest thing is there’s so much more room for improvement, which is exciting for our football program.”

In fact, 3 different players have an interception, led by Jaylon Carlies with a pair of them.