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November 26, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver T.J. Moe (28) is tackled by Kansas Jayhawks cornerback Tyler Patmon (33) and defensive end A.J. Stewart (11) in the second half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium. Missouri won 24-10.Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Mizzou Players Understand the Significance of Kansas Matchup

Originally posted on Missouri Tigers on SI
By Joey Van Zummeren | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 7:00 AM ET

There's plenty of theatrics to set the stage for the Missouri Tigers' Week 2 matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks. The term "rivalry" feels like an understatement considering how deep-seeded the passion from both fanbases lies.

"I had no idea about the whole Civil War history," quarterback Beau Pribula said in a press conference Tuesday. "I thought it was just a sports rivalry, but I guess it goes beyond that."

But Eli Drinkwitz knows that once the curtains rise and it's showtime, none of that pre-show production will matter. The lights will be on and Drinkwitz's Tigers will have to hit their marks.

"The biggest thing that I'm telling our team is you gotta understand it (the history)," Drinkwitz said. "But once the ball is kicked, you gotta play the game. You gotta play the game of execution, of fundamentals and technique."

Dating back to the early days of summer practices, the Missouri coaching staff has made it an emphasis to educate its players on the significance of this matchup. How the history off the field bled into the legacy for both programs on it.

"It's an important game to a lot of people, and our team fully is aware of the importance of this game to our fans and this state and what it represents nationally and what it represents in historical significance," Drinkwitz said. "We've embraced it, we understand it, we've taught about it."

The memories are still fresh for fans, but ultimately, the two teams haven't met on the football field in 13 years. All of Missouri's roster was younger than 10 years old at the time of that last match up. Drinkwitz felt it was a responsibility to the fanbase to educate his players on the history.

Especially for newcomers who had yet to see how ingrained the hatred is into the fanbase. Or hear it in between the third and fourth quarter of every game when "Mr. Brightside" is played.

"I think that was pretty important," Pribula said of the education on the rivalry. "One, a lot of the guys are new. They're freshmen, they're transfers. And two, we haven't played this game in a while, so just informing us on what that rivalry used to be, think it was good to know."

But in the same way no game is won in the film room, no game is won in the history classroom with a former player or coach as the teacher.

"At the end of the day man, in a two-minute drive or in the swing 8 or money downs, ain't nobody thinking about 'Coach Drink said this', or 'this guest speaker said this,'" Drinkwitz said.

The implications of the matchup are obvious. Missouri has spent all offseason informing its players that this isn't a normal game. But the week of preparation has been the same as any other week for the Tigers.

"During the week, it's pretty much all football," center Connor Tollison said. "You really don't think much about the fans or the crowd until you run out the tunnel at 2:30. So you're pretty much just locked in on this game and what they're going to do as a team more than anything else."

There's an appreciation for the rareness of the moment though. Especially considering they'll be the first Missouri team in over a decade able to participate in the game.

"This is what college football is all about," safety Jalen Catalon said. "So just enjoy it and have fun and just be where your feet are because you won't get too many opportunities to play in games like this."

There's plenty of outside commotion for players to get caught up in. The specialty of the moment has to be appreciated. But that can't derail what happens on the field.

“That’s why you play. That’s why you want to come to schools like Mizzou, to play in big time atmospheres," Pribula said. "But at the same time, you’ve got to have the same process.”

There'll undoubtedly be an overflow of emotions from the crowd Saturday. But Drinkwitz doesn't want that to spill into his team's mindset. Few great decisions are made under the guise of emotion, after all.

"We're not overlooking or undervaluing this game. We know it's an important thing to our team," Drinkwitz said. "But during the week, you have to focus on execution of your assignments because you don't want to be emotional. You want to execute."

This article first appeared on Missouri Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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