Eli Drinkwitz says Mizzou’s focus is on bowl prep ahead of OC search
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Eli Drinkwitz will need to hire a new offensive coordinator at Mizzou after Kirby Moore was hired as head coach at Washington State.
First, though, is the Tigers’ bowl game, as they face Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 27 in search of a ninth and final win on the season.
“Everybody who’s in this building’s focus has to be, what do we got to do to win the bowl game?” Drinkwitz, who will be the offensive playcaller during the game, said, via KMIZ-TV’s Nathalie Jones. “And with Kirby getting his opportunity, my entire focus for the last 72 hours has been preparing and getting this offense in the best position possible for us to win.”
From there, Drinkwitz said, the search for a new OC will begin in earnest. Whoever it is will need to have plenty of experience.
They’ll also need to help the Tigers put together a legitimate passing attack. While Mizzou’s 234.1 rushing yards per game led the conference and eighth in FBS — thanks to Ahmad Hardy — its 195.3 passing yards per game was at the bottom of the league.
“This league doesn’t allow for training wheels. There’s not a lot of first-time play callers having a lot of success in this league,” Drinkwitz said. “You’ve got to have some battle scars. You’ve got to have a level of toughness. You’ve got to have an understanding of who you are, what your identity is. For me, that’s going to be a priority in this thing.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
