First-year Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is one of the more energetic coaches in the SEC. And he let loose in the locker room following the upset win over LSU on Saturday.

“Your will to play every play,” he told the players. “Fourth and goal didn’t matter, first and goal didn’t matter. Down three didn’t matter. Turnovers didn’t matter. You did it!”

This was a win he won’t soon forget as it was his first as Missouri’s coach. Connor Bazelak threw for 406 yards and four touchdowns even though Missouri was without three of their top receiving targets because of COVID-19 protocols. But the key stretch may have been holding LSU four times at the the 1-yard line in the final minute to escape with a 45-41 victory in a game moved from Baton Rouge because of Hurricane Delta.

It was a largely balanced attack as Larry Rountree ran for 119 yards for Mizzou. Meanwhile, the defending national champions, who were 0 for 10 on third down, fell to 1-2 for the first time since 1994. Questions about the defense and coordinator Bo Pelini dominated the postgame discussion among fans and media.

Missouri returns to action next week against Vanderbilt.