Eli Drinkwitz addresses free kick punt which got referees suspended: ‘Wanted to see if we could’

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the free kick punt which got Big 12 referees suspended and the Tigers simply just got away with it. Following a touchdown, which had a post-play unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Missouri’s foul was to be assessed on the kickoff per the Kansas sideline.

So while leading 6-0, the extra point was blocked and then Missouri was set to kickoff. Instead, Drinkwitz and special teams coordinator Eric Link decided to go with a free kick, i.e. a punt, from where they were backed up. The Tigers had to punt from the 20 yard line due to the previous penalty.

But, that free kick is not allowed per Rule 2 Section 16 Article 6 of the NCAA Football rules. Drinkwitz had a sly smile when asked about it Tuesday.

“Just wanted to see if we could,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s like asking your parents to do something that you know they probably shouldn’t let you do … We told (the officials) they’d screwed up a lot of stuff. But yeah, no, I mean that kudos the coach (Eric) Link. He asked if we could do that, just because we had seen (some struggles) with 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 have to use, you can either drop kick or use a tee. So they said, yes. What were we supposed to say?”

Missouri went on to win 42-31 in the Border War vs. Kansas. And that Big 12 officiating crew ended up being removed from their Week 3 assignment.

Eli Drinkwitz gets away with free kick punt

In that release, a Big 12 official said they felt that this crew did not meet the standard set by their league with this error in CoMo. That’s why they went with this action to pull them off of their next duties in week three.

“We believe we have one of the best officiating programs in college football,” Big 12 Chief Football & Competition Officer Scott Draper said in the statement. “When the Conference’s high standard for officiating is not met, the Big 12 will take action.”

In the first edition of the Border War since 2011, Missouri won 42-31 over Kansas in Columbia on Saturday. The Jayhawks got off to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter, but the Tigers came back from there as they more than doubled them in yardage with 595 overall.

QB Beau Pribula played well in his first full start as he was 30-39 (76.9%) for 334 yards and three touchdowns, but Mizzou really out-gained them in the run game. RBs Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy combined for 255 yards and two touchdowns to create a 261-28 edge in rushing yardage.