Eli Drinkwitz gives candid assessment of Week 1 win: ‘I’ve got a lot of things to coach on’
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The Missouri Tigers opened the newly-renovated Faurot Field with a 54-14 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night. In itself, that’s a good thing. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz, however, knows there’s plenty of work to be done.
Following Mizzou’s win, Drinkwitz admitted he loved the Tigers’ first half performance. He was immensely displeased with their second half showing, though.
“There were some really good things in the first half. We ended up pulling some guys pretty quickly,” Drinkwitz said. “[I’m] very disappointed in the third quarter, from an overall intensity standpoint [and] coaching standpoint. So, it was a perfect night for me… I’ve got a lot of things to coach on. I promise you the staff meeting tomorrow will not be a lot of fun.”
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Mizzou led 40-0 at halftime versus the Golden Lions, but tied the FCS school 14-14 in the second half. Arkansas-Pine Bluff won the third quarter 7-0, courtesy of Za’Marion Webber’s 27-yard touchdown run. But to Drinkwitz, self-inflicted mistakes were a bigger issue than the scoreboard.
“We don’t have multiple numbers on the field. We don’t run into kickers; we don’t do that stuff,” Drinkwitz said. “That was really disappointing for me. But we will work really hard to improve it.”
The Tigers return to the field next Friday, Sept. 11th, for a Border War matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks. The rivalry battle kicks off at 8:00 p.m. E.T. (FOX).
