WATCH: Eli Drinkwitz hilariously trolls Dan Mullen in postgame interview
Following a thrilling overtime victory against Florida on Saturday, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had some fun with Gators coach Dan Mullen. At the conclusion of his postgame press conference, Drintwitz flipped up his hood, pulled a lightsaber out of nowhere and declared, “May the force be with you.”
The coach then turned without saying another word and exited the room.
The move was a callback to when Dan Mullen showed up to last year’s press conference following a win against Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers dressed as Darth Vader. That happened after an on-field brawl between the two teams, though Mullen claimed it was simply a pre-planned Halloween costume.
Florida kicked a field goal with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 16 on Saturday. After neither team could put it away in regulation, it went to overtime. The Gators got the ball first, scoring on an Emory Jones touchdown pass.
Missouri answered with a score of its own, then opted to go for two to end the game. Connor Bazelak found Daniel Parker Jr. to convert the two-point conversion and clinch the victory.
With the win, the Tigers are now bowl eligible at 6-5. Meanwhile, Florida’s last chance to reach six wins will come next Saturday against rival Florida State.
Tyler Badie was the star of the show down to the end, finishing with 146 yards rushing on 27 carries. The Missouri senior came away with his only touchdown of the day in overtime to clinch the win.
As Florida continues to fall, the job security of Dan Mullen has come into question. The Gators have now lost four of their past five games, with the lone victory coming against Samford. Even in that one, the defense allowed 52 points, the most ever from an FCS school against an SEC opponent.
Prior to the Samford game, Florida announced it was parting ways with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy, the latter of whom has been on Mullen’s staff for roughly two decades.
Should Florida miss out on bowl competition, it will be interesting to see how things are ultimately handled in Gainesville.