Eli Drinkwitz has no issue adding Alabama and LSU to Mizzou's schedule: 'I came to Missouri to play against the best'
Following the SEC’s Friday evening schedule release of two additional matchup for every league team, many Missouri fans were quick to bemoan the additions of Alabama and LSU to the team’s upcoming football schedule.
That’s not the way Eli Drinkwitz views Mizzou’s updated schedule.
The first-year Missouri coach already had his hands full dealing with a shortened offseason in his first year in the Southeastern Conference but the league’s decision to shift to a conference-only, 10-game schedule was only going to make things more difficult for the league’s first-year coaches.
While it would have been somewhat understandable if the Mizzou coach issued his displeasure over the additions of Alabama and LSU during a recent appearance on 101 ESPN radio show “Karraker & Smallmon,” Drinkwitz instead said the team’s updated schedule will provide his team with a better opportunity to test itself this fall.
“I came to Missouri to play against the best. You come to the SEC to go against the best,” Drinkwitz said on the show. “I mean, who are you going to shy away from, you know? It ain’t like there was anybody else. I mean, we were going to get a good opponent, you know, I mean, Auburn and A&M ain’t no slouches, they are both in the top 25, too.
“So, you know, if you’re coming to play in this league, you know you’re gonna play against great competition and great coaches. We have a tremendous amount of respect for our opponents but we knew it was going to be a good football team. You know what, they are going to get a good football team in return too and so it’ll be a great matchup. That’s why you come play the SEC.”
That’s the best answer Drinkwitz could have given. The SEC isn’t going to change the schedule, so the only option for Mizzou is to deal with it and try and pull off a big upset or two in those new matchups set to take place this fall.
Tee it up and play. All of the SEC teams have to play the games…whatever the schedule holds. Great viewpoint Drink !
I just want them to play. I hope to goodness they don’t cancel.
agree but there is a small grain of salt there. He has next to no expectations for this seasons record. If this was 3 years in it might be just a little different reaction. Maybe not and maybe I shouldn’t say that but come on…
I think his original expectations were to win 7 games. After this covid deal, I’d imagine his expectations are to go for it. Mizzou’s plans have been upset as well as everybody elses. Lack of practicing, keeping players focused and getting them on page will be crucial. Considering some of the Butch Jones recruiting classes, well you know what I’m saying. If he can get his team more cohesive than his opponent of the week and the talent is equatable, who’s to say what will happen. He’s tactician and a battlefield commander. He’s Lt. Spears in Band of Brothers Baby!
Look forward to playing you guys.
I like this guy. Nice hire Mizzou.
Its really hard not to like Drink. Certainly charismatic and sure of himself, which hopefully can carry through what will be a difficult season if played. His character alone would give him an extra year if three years from now we aren’t seeing great results. Certinaly excited for the future, but patience is the most important virtue here for us Mizzou fans.
It’s not so much patience but to see him establish his baseline and how he raises the program each year after that. And to have his successor picked out each year in case he bolts. He is a runaway bride with programs.
I like his attitude.
I really haven’t heard too many people complain other than some immediate reactions which are always just off the cuff. Honestly, I’d much rather play LSU this year than last year and after Bama would Auburn or aTm really be that much different? Not imo. It’s such a wacky year I figured getting Bama twice for the two add-ons wasn’t at all out of the question so at least it wasn’t that.
It is hard not to like Drinkwitz to this point. He can be funny and he wants to play against the best. Let’s hope that translates successfully when games are allowed to be played.
He knows that Divine reached top-ranked team in the nation and he knows Pinkel made it as high as number 4. He is already recruiting as well as Pinkel and over a wider part of the USA. What else is he going to say? He’s off to a great start and he knows it.
Why do you constantly feel the need to reference ancient history as if it’s relevant to what’s happening in 2020? No one cares about Dan Devine or Gary Pinkel. I’m darn glad Pinkel is not the coach anymore and getting aroused over his mediocrity is just silly.
You are who your history says you are. And though not claimed as I mentioned below we have 2 NCs according to NCAA.so nyah!
Drink’s slogan is NewZou, and I’m all for it. Take this program in a new direction, please.
Recognizing success in the past does not tell a program where to go in the future. It just shows that 130 other D1 programs couldn’t stop Missouri in those years with… those coaches. So it’s fine if you are hoping for a new kind of program. Here is some of the “new” you should be watching for:
1. huge better work ethic at practice
2. wider and more staff demanding recruiting footprint for recruiting
3. smart head coach who is going to recognize when assistant coaches are not cutting it
4. complete game plans with contingencies
5. the ability to look at opponents video and choose strategy quickly
Maybe because before Pinkel, Mizzou’s last real success was in the 60s and 70s. Smith had a modicum, but our fan’s reach into history is the last 20 years. Pinkel built our program to where it was and when we should have been transitioning to the next coach, 2015 hit. There is no reason to disrespect GP.
Not disrespecting GP, but he served his purpose and took us as far as he was capable of. He did some good things, had 3 or 4 great seasons.
I care about Gary Pinkel and what he did for Mizzou. He was a winner and brought Mizzou into the SEC. Try shutting your pie hole once in a while.
4 in most polls wolf but official poll that year of the NCAA picked us.that why though unclaimed Mizzou is listed as NC. Just like 69 we also have an NC listed along with minnesota and ol miss.
Ask the last two Arkansas coaches how such a schedule worked out for them. The SEC had the opportunity to give Mizzou and Arkansas a chance to compete. But they evidently wanted to protect their Bell Cows and give them guaranteed wins. Drink is saying the right things, but this is not going to go well.
Chad Morris could barely compete against Portland State, which is basically a community College.
I’m not going to judge drinkwitz by his performance against bama and LSU, those are losses for 98% of the country. He’ll be judged by how he competes in the East.
When recruiting falls off because disgruntled fans become vocal and cause recruits to avoid coming to a place where the coaching staff is probably going to be fired sooner than later. Chad Morris had no veteran talent at all due to what I stated above. The Arkansas fans helped cause Beliema’s demise by being so impatient he could not recruit any talent. That was the talent Morris had to deal with. His recruits would have gotten the program back on track but he had to redshirt for the future which the idiot fans in ArKansas would not give him.
Totally agree with your assessment there.
Arkansas dodged a bullet by being able to fire him so quickly. From what I’ve heard, he was clueless.
Well he really hasn’t had his ass handed to him yet. So why wouldn’t he be full of bravado. But I have no fear of Bama. They’ve been upset by teams that the odds were way against them, similar to the situation mizzou faces. And twice it’s been Mizzou. And for the record Missouri has played a schedule like this before. In 2007 I know we talk about this year a lot but here are the facts. Out of the 14 games we’ve played that year seven games were against Bowl teams 4 of those games were against teams that went to the BCS bowls. Kansas went to the orange, illini to the rose and Oklahoma twice and I believe they went to fiesta. And nearly all of them ended the season in the top 25. Now with that said “we ain’t skeered”!! Here’s why . we got a chance. Not much of one but more than if we didn’t play. Also fight now IS the time to be full of bravado and put on a determined face. Because chances are we aint playing. So we really have a bigger shot of not losing to them them we have of getting beat.
It’s coming. Wait until he can’t even beat Arkansas because of the lack of confidence and/or injuries caused by playing such a schedule. Fans can understand losing to LSU and Alabama but they won’t when they can’t beat Arkansas and Vandy.
And that’s where I disagree with you. If Drink’s not the real deal, you’ll see it soon. Our main problem last year was an O line that could not open up run lanes and a QB who couldn’t really pass. If KB was in fact injured to where he couldn’t play our HC didn’t have a backup QB who could complete successfully. And Odom couldn’t figure out to get the team cohesive (there are rumors as to why, poisoned locker room). We will not lose to Vandy and we should break Odom’s streak of winning the MU-ARK game :). But if we don’t, it will be apparent by the time we play you assuming it’s at the end of the season.
Odom’s problem was not being a good enough mind with the football to help Dooley who was himself way too inexperienced. Also Odom’s limited coaching assignments on defense left him far short of having the stuff to stop SEC OC’s for 4 quarters.
Losing to Vandy and Wyoming are what caused Odom to lose his job.
That’s the right attitude. Improvement requires playing the best competition. It’ll take time, but he’s the right man for the job.