What Eli Drinkwitz Said About Kansas Football Ahead of Border Showdown

A day after Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold spoke with reporters during his weekly press conference, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz met with the media on Tuesday to preview the upcoming Border Showdown between KU and MU.

One of the first things Drinkwitz did was praise Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels, noting his talent under center.

On Jalon Daniels

"That's the conundrum that you're put in with with him (sending pressure but being aware of his mobility). Again, he's played a lot of football. He's seen a lot of different things, so there's not a whole lot of things that you're going to do that confuses him," Drinkwitz said. "He’s an excellent thrower of the football. They do a really good job of moving the pocket, which I think is really subtle, but really helps him because he’s already moving, now he decides to take off running, he's already got momentum."

"When he's in the pocket, going to have to really work to constrict the pocket, but you gotta stay in your rush lanes. I think we’ve played several of these styles of quarterbacks before. In the SEC, that's becoming more and more popular, but we've never played anyone like him, or maybe as good as him."

"He is a really, really dynamic, good player. And I think the toughest thing about a quarterback is a quarterback with maturity and experience, because they don't get rattled. If you look around college football this past weekend, it's guys who maybe haven't seen it before that have a little bit more growth. This guy's been through the highs and lows of college football," Drinkwitz continued.

"He's not going to be distraught about going on the road. He's done that several times. He’s not going to be distraught about playing a good defense, he’s played SEC defenses before. We're just going to have to do a really good job of tackling. We’re going to have to do a great job of covering, because at the end of the day, if wide receivers are open, he's going to throw it to them.”

He also highlighted KU’s defense, pinpointing several players he expects to be playmakers that Missouri must account for.

Kansas Football Defense

“Defensively, Dean Miller, Justice Finkley, Trey Lathan, Lyrik Rawls, D.J. Withers, all these guys are disruptive," Drinkwitz said. "I think their defensive line is the strength of their football team, between Dean Miller, Justice Finkley, and D.J., I think they do as good a job as anybody rushing the passer."

"They've got great length. They chase the ball. Lathan is a transfer from West Virginia. He does a really good job playing linebacker. He's a guy we looked at in the portal. He's a physical player and runs really well. Rawls, the safety, he had the interception against Fresno (State). He does a lot for them. They do a lot with their defensive scheme. They have four-down, they have three-safety, they have bear, they have six-man fronts. They're very disruptive."

When asked about the history of the rivalry, Drinkwitz said he was aware of it before taking the job, but now that the matchup is finally here, he understands its significance.

Border Showdown History

"I obviously understood the rivalry. You go back to probably the two biggest games, in '07 and '08, and I remember watching those games on TV. I wasn't in college coaching at that point. I was still a high school coach. I remember coach (Mark) Mangino and his ability to turn that program around, and obviously had a tremendous amount of respect for coach (Gary) Pinkel because Ashton Glaser was on the roster.

"So I was aware of what it was all about, and taking the job, I understood its importance. I've been to the home basketball games when we've hosted KU. I understand it, and our team and guys understand the importance of it."

This weekend’s contest could be the biggest regular-season game in recent Kansas football history. The Jayhawks and Tigers will kick off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.