Eli Drinkwitz and Missouri are trying to bounce back from a disappointing loss at Kansas State, and shared the message to his team this week.

“The conversation we had yesterday as a team, it’s all about our response,” Drinkwitz said on the SEC coaches media teleconference. “We can’t control the event that happened Saturday, all we can control is our response to it. … It’s our turn to channel that energy into our response, and that’s what I think our team is doing.”

As a former coach in the Sun Belt at Appalachian State, Drinkwitz is well aware of the brand of football played in that conference, and reacted to the 3 big wins by Sun Belt members last week.

“There’s a certain level of purity to the game at the Sun Belt level,” he said. “Players are so appreciative of the opportunity and play every game in that manner. And there’s really good players there, too. … There’s been a lot of really good football players, now more than ever, there’s a great amount of players all through the country.”