Everything Eli Drinkwitz Said to Preview Louisiana

After taking time to review the tape from the Missouri Tigers' win over the Kansas Jayhawks, head coach Eli Drinkwitz found plenty of things to circle where improvement was needed.

He spoke about those areas that stood out to him, plus previewed the Tigers' matchup against Louisiana this weekend in a press conference Tuesday. Here's a full transcript of what Drinkwitz had to say.

Opening statement: 

“Just want to again say how much I appreciate the fans and the environment that was created on Saturday. The electric atmosphere for all four quarters, I thought  was really cool. And really the challenge for our fans and for our students, and for everybody associated with the program, is to keep that same energy level, same passion and enthusiasm for all of our home games, recreate that home field advantage.

That's the challenge for our team too, is to take what happened last week and move on and move forward and create a new standard of how we perform. And I would challenge the fan base to do the same thing. ULL is a really good football team. They got nine returning starters. They won 10 games last year, played for the Sunbelt Conference Championship. Last year, beat a Power 4 team (Wake Forest) in the regular season.

I think defensively, the strength of their team is with their defensive line. And with as much pressure as we allowed and sacks that we allowed on our quarterback, and our inability to gain short yardage and critical situations, I think it's going to be a real challenge for our team to improve in that way.

Their offense is led by their two running backs (Bill Davis and Zylan Perry). I think both of those guys are really good football players, and we know there's good running backs in the Sun Belt — we have one now that started his career there (Ahmad Hardy). So we know that those guys are really talented. I think they return both starters at tackle positions, so they do a really good job controlling the clock. We know defensively, that's something we must improve on, after allowing three really explosive long drives, one specifically, in the fourth quarter. So something that we have to improve on, and this team is absolutely a team that will test us in those ways.”

On his comment claiming he’s the ‘dorkiest guy in college football’, embracing authenticity:

“I’m just trying to beat ULL. That stuff is fun, and I realize with the glasses and the persona, that's just part of who it is. I think embracing who you are and being authentic is the key to being yourself, and if it works for you, it works.

But I'm really trying to figure out how to improve from our performance last week. Didn't feel like that as a team we did the things that we needed to do in critical moments when we really had a chance to put the game away. We have a chance at the start of the second half to go down. We have all the momentum and miss on a fourth down, don't get points there. And then in the fourth quarter, we get the ball back, it’'s third-and-1, can't convert. Pin them inside the five, and they go 96 yards.”

On the causes behind the coverage busts Missouri’s defensive secondary had against Kansas: 

“A lot of root causes. One, too much scheme. Their shifts and motions, combined with too much in the game plan, created a situation where we had confusion that's on us as a staff to get that fixed. That's where it starts. So when we played man to man, we were pretty good, we were attached to our players. When we got into our zone coverage, we had communication issues and eye issues and discipline issues and that stuff's got to get taken off the tape. (On the) first touchdown of the game, we have the tight end running right down the middle of the field on a play we practice multiple times in a week and don't carry over the execution to the game. So, we got to look at that. Last drive the game, we had a tight end run wide open right down the middle of the field, we busted coverage because we didn’t  get a communication call between the linebacker and the safety number pressure. So there's a lot of stuff that was really disappointing when we watched the tape, and I think all of us felt it and knew that we got to play better.”

On Jamal Roberts’ career so far:

“He came to campus the summer of his senior year to earn a scholarship. He’s been a guy that has contributed in a lot of different ways. You've always known he's been an explosive player, primarily a third-down back last year, but had the game-winning touchdown versus Auburn. So we've got a ton of trust in him and faith. And I think his balance with Ahmad works out really well. 

And that was a great run (the 63-yard touchdown), he trusted his path on the outside zone, I thought the wide receivers blocked really well. Cayden was able to get to the place like play-side backer, worked out good.”

On how Roberts and Hardy have worked in tandem:

“So far so good.”

On the last offensive drive of the first half, traveling 84 yards in four plays for a field goal:

“Well, I think it was an effective play call by coach (offensive coordinator Kirby) Moore to get us going, and the running back to break the big run. Obviously when you're backed up the way you are. And if you look at our drives before half, the ones we've really been able to excel at, it's usually pops by a good run to start moving. So it's usually the tailback getting it started. I think Tennessee, game K State game (in) ‘23, and then this one, obviously, those were runs that got us going right there.”

On former Tigers having recent success in the NFL:

“We talk about chasing two dreams and helping guys realize their dream is really the fulfillment of our jobs. Me specifically, wins and losses are going to come and they're going to go and they're going to be fleeting, and you can have a big win Saturday, but by Sunday, you're already mad, moving on to the next thing. But when you watch guys fulfill their dreams, and see all their hard work and perseverance pay off, I think that's really when you find satisfaction in the job.”

On the Big 12 officiating rule allowing Missouri to punt on a free kick:

“Just wanted to see if we could (laughs. It's like asking your parents if you can do something that you know they probably shouldn't let you do, but sometimes they get it wrong during the game. … We told them they'd screwed up a lot of stuff. Kudos to coach (special teams coordinator Erik) Link, he asked if we could do that, just because we had seen them (Kansas) in pregame really struggle with some the sun and the fielding punts, and knew that that was only allowable after a safety —That's the only time you get a free kick. Other than that, you can either drop kick it or use a tee. So they said yes.


On Donovan Olugbode’s first two performances:
“I think Donovan works really hard in practice. I think he's been able to carry over practice execution equals game day reality. We've seen those style of catches before. I think for Beau to have the confidence that throwing the ball in that spot, really when he's double covered, I think shows how the quarterbacks felt about his route running and his ability to make tough catches.”

On Louisiana’s starting quarterback dealing with a season-ending injury: 

“Unfortunate thing for Walker (Howard). Looked like he was playing some really good ball versus Rice, and was able to really throw the ball well and tuck it and run. They've been able to keep a similar style offense. I think the quarterback throws it pretty well. They have utilized some wildcat, I think to try to take the hits off him. But, he's been around, he understands their offense.

I think one of the things that makes them difficult is they have an offense and defensive identity that's been there, really, since 2019, last time I faced them. Same style, outside zone, multiple personnel, utilizing the tight ends, play action, vertical throws. Defensively, four-down and odd (fronts), utilize simulated pressure. So,  it'll be a challenge for us. Obviously, the quarterbacks got limited film, but I do think he's a good player, throws the ball well. nd obviously led him to a big victory against McNeese. 

I think the running backs are the guys that give me the most anxiety. They’ve got two different style of running backs, but their ability to get the ball on the perimeter, and they're really hard to tackle. I mean, they're built very similar to Ahmad, and we know that's a difficult style to get to the ground. 

On the blocking ability of the receivers so far: 

Honestly, I think when they saw Luther (Burden III) do it (in the NFL) preseason, I think it was something that they realized they could take pride in and be something that this group is known for.

Obviously, (wide receivers) coach (Jacob) Peeler has done a really good job. I thought Theo (Wease Jr.)  was an outstanding blocker. Josh (Manning) has always been somebody that we've gotten in to utilize some blocks there. So,for us, in that critical moment (Roberts’ 63-yard touchdown) — I mean, I was really nervous about Kevin (Coleman Jr.) making that block, but he did a really nice job. Josh overwhelmed his guy. And I'm going to say Marquis (Johnson) did just enough.”

On Dominick Giudice being named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week:

“Dom’s been very consistent. I think the game knows. I think the game rewards those guys who put in a lot of work. And he's been super consistent in leading the offensive line. He was a guy that had been doing extra in the summer and watching film together. I think he's a guy that people gravitate towards.

Obviously, he's been a guy who's done a lot of different things for us, played center in spring, right guard and fall camp, and now he's a left guard, settled in nicely. The first game he didn't particularly play as well as we know he could. So I think it was really good for him to settle in, regain his confidence. And now the trick is to not drink the rat poison.”

On kicker Robert Meyer’s range, if they’ll continue to be aggressive on fourth downs:

“I think that could change throughout the year. Robbie's probably got a pretty good accuracy — or I wouldn’t say accuracy — enough strength, probably 52 and in to kick it.

In fact, really, before that fourth-and-1, had we not gotten to the fourth-and-1, we were probably going to kick it and give him a shot if we hadn't got a completion there. But once we got on the left edge, fourth-and-two or less, felt really good about our play call there, so that's what decided to make us go. But we were planning on letting him kick it.

A young guy's confidence can get shaken really early. And I feel like the way our drives, especially against UCA, had stalled out in that mid 30s to 25, I didn't want to put that on him for his first couple of kicks. Sometimes you need to see that three-foot putt go in the hole before you back it up to a 12 footer.  So you want to see that ball go through the net before you back it up to that three-point shot. So that was the thought process. Now that he's got a couple of kicks under his belt, we'll see how practice goes this week. 

On the offensive line performances:

Well, I will say I was proud of the improvement that that group made from Week 1 to Week 2.

And there wasn't as much clear cut pressure as there was in Week 1. We didn't have just complete busts. I thought we did a decent job at the point of attack, but there was too many times on third downs, especially short yardage, where Ahmad and Jamal had to — you want to leave a safety unblocked, not a d-lineman unblocked, they had to be their own blocker. And that's just not, it's not how we're going to do it moving forward. And so, the pressure is on those guys to improve. So I'm not going to shy away from it. Those guys are old enough, veteran enough, and we got a fourth-year starting center. So all those guys got to be on the same page when it's third-and-1.

And then at the end of the game, we're up four with the ball at midfield, and it's third-and-1, and we run a Day-1 play and can't get a yard, like that ain't good enough. That ain't good enough versus anybody. So I'm not going to pretend and pat each other on the back, like we've got all this stuff figured out, like the name of the game is improvement, and those guys know it. They know I didn’t feel good about it.”

On what the root of the problems are on the offensive line: 

“It's not an effort thing. There's not anything that would make me question our efforts. It’s communication and execution, and we got to communicate better. Five's got to act as one if we're going to be an elite offensive line. And we've got two elite blockers at tight end, we've got a really good running back, and we've got five capable players. So we got to get on the same page, and they got to respond to the challenge. And like I said, they grew from Week 1 to Week 2. But winning doesn't negotiate. If you can't get third-and-1, you're not gonna win enough.”

On the top areas where he saw the team improve from Week 1 to Week 2: 

Well, I mean, obviously on the offensive side of the ball, I thought our execution on fourth down was critical. I thought our ability to respond in a challenging situation was good. David Cutcliffe has a line that says one fumble in a lifetime is one too many, so we can't fumble the football for a touchdown. That put the whole game out of whack and created a real negative sense with the defense.

Oh, you're asking for positives.

Defensively, I mean, we held them to three yards rushing. I mean, I don't know,if I've ever been a part of the game where we outrush somebody by 258 yards, and it was that close football game. But that was because, again, self-inflicted wounds, not able to affect the quarterback in the pocket, not able to cover in zone cover, not being able to finish in the fourth quarter, not be able to finish at the start of the second half. So they've gotten plenty of praise. They've gotten plenty of praise at the end of the day. There's a lot of things we got to get better at.”

On what traits they look for when recruiting transfers from the Sun Belt: 

“If they’re good enough to help us win. In 2019 when I was at App State, we had six guys that are still playing in the pros right now. That's a pretty good roster. I mean, it  took me to Year 3 to get that here. So it's just whether or not they're good enough to win. An, I think there's times where characteristics are important as far as physical traits. But in that league, it's usually they didn't have the physical traits, that's why they're there. And then they just prove how good of a football player there are, and there's something about their work ethic, toughness, desire to improve that gives them that opportunity.”

On the performance of the cornerbacks so far: 

“I mean, again, in man-to-man coverage, I thought we were pretty good. I don't think there was an issue. We had an issue on third-down communication, where we had two guys lined up over the tight end, instead of one of them getting over to get to the other side, which created the explosive play. So there's still some communication and settling down and making sure that again, 11 acting as one on the defensive side of the ball, and on the offensive side of ball. So, I don't want to be that coach that grades, that got one coach in trouble. So I’d just say there's stuff that we gotta improve on before we get that final exam.”