Everything Eliah Drinkwitz said Tuesday: "There's a lot of room for improvement in our passing game."
Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz had a lot to say when he met with media Tuesday ahead of the Tigers’ regular-season finale against Arkansas.
Here is the full video and a transcript.
Opening statement
Drinkwitz: “Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be the head football coach at the University of Missouri. And blessed to coach with a great group of players and staff and fans and so really appreciative this week. And hope everybody has a great holiday time with their family friends and loved ones.
“Obviously very disappointed in the result in Norman on Saturday. Didn’t play our best in all three phases. Had things that we could have done, specific things that we talked about needing to do in order to win that game, and we didn’t get it done. I thought our defense played with great effort and tenacity and kept us in the game all game. But the other two phases didn’t do nearly enough to give us that chance. But we have moved on.
“We are on to Arkansas prep in the final game of this season. And preparing for our bowl game. We are not discouraged. We know that we’re a good football team and we know that we’ve got a lot left to play for. You know, Arkansas has really faced a lot of adversity this, this year. But they are a very dangerous team as, as being able to tell through the point differential, the number of close games that they’ve played, the style of offense that Coach (Bobby) Petrino has put together. And so it’s going to be a real challenge. Obviously, for them, it’s senior night, and it’s an opportunity to win a trophy. And so we know we’re going to get their best.
“I would like to say, you know, I have a lot of respect for Coach (Sam) Pittman, and believe that he did a really nice job at the University of Arkansas. I believe he deserves a lot of praise for the job he did there. When he took over that job, it was in a really tough spot. And Coach Pittman went in there and got some really good results. I think he was 3-0 in bowl games. You know, I remember specifically in ’21 beating, him beating Texas, Texas A&M and us all in the same season, and LSU all in the same season.
“He had some highs, and obviously did not end the way he wanted it to. But I do believe he left that job in much better shape than we found it. I think Coach Petrino has performed admirably in a very difficult situation. I think he has done a really good job holding that team together.
“That team fights, that team plays really hard, and they are very explosive on offense. I think their quarterback is as good a quarterback as there is in the country, I believe he leads the SEC in total yardage. I think he is a tremendous player, I think their running back is an excellent player at pro. They did a great job in their scouting department, getting him, recruiting him, and finding him from New Mexico State. And I think they’ve got some dangerous weapons at both the tight end and the wide receiver room.
“Defensively, Quincy Rhodes is a real problem. He’s as good a defensive end as there is in this league. I think they do an excellent job of featuring him, utilizing him in a lot of different ways. And then on special teams, Coach (Scott) Fountain does an excellent job, consistent as always, in that phase.
“So, you know, it’s an opportunity to compete for the Battle Line Rivalry, something that we take very seriously around here. And we look forward to traveling down to Fayetteville on Saturday and competing at 2:30 so that I’ll open up the questions.”
Question: Eliah, when you look at the passing game this year. Have you gotten out of that part of your offense what you expected or hoped to get out of it?
Drinkwitz: “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement in our passing game, obviously, at critical moments. I shouldn’t say critical moments. During the moments in the game where we need to be able to rely on that, I don’t think it’s come through for us the way we wanted it to. But we still got an opportunity in the last two games to get that fixed. And so that’s what we’re working on. And so that’s something that we’ll continue to push. I think there’s been some some highs, and then there’s been some lows. I think the inconsistency and injuries at quarterback have played some effect on that, but not consistent enough.”
Question: Is there anything specific in that, can you point to any particular thing that’s led to that? Or is it a variety of issues?
Drinkwitz: “You know, I’m not into reflection and all that stuff. We’re into week-to-week, what do we got to do to win this week? What do we have to do to improve? Where are the things that we can improve? You know, at the end of the season, we’ll look holistically at, ‘Hey, what is it? What is the exact root cause of this, and how do we fix it?’ But that’s not where we’re at right now.”
Question: Similar thing with the offense. When you talk about it lacking creativity at times, what is it that you want to see injected tangibly? And also, what is it that you see from the way other teams play you that kind of tells you that that’s lacking sometimes?
Drinkwitz: “I think there’s a style of defense that has been played against us the last four games that’s carried over. And if somebody’s gonna play extra hat in the box and play man-to-man, if you can’t figure out how to stop, you know, get people open or create explosive plays, then that lacks, you know, what we need to do in order to be successful. So, and hopefully that’s what I judge it on.
“And, you know, we were able to create enough movement at the line of scrimmage versus Mississippi State to allow our running backs to get free. The first two drives of the game, we were creating, you know, enough movement for our running backs to get movement. But you know, for whatever reason, they were able to fix that, and we really didn’t have a counter punch. And ultimately as, you know, coaches, we got to have a counter punch. And that’s what we’re working to make sure we have, and didn’t get it done. Yeah.”
Question: It seems that field goal protection has been a bit of a recurring issue of late. What in your eyes is happening on that side and is it solvable over the next couple of games?
Drinkwitz: “Yeah, it’s called operation time. We had some issues in field goal protection early in the season, on internal pressure. That was fixed, not been a problem since. We have had issues on edge protection. There’s only so many people that you can have on the line of scrimmage. And then it becomes a matter of time. How much time does it take somebody to get from point A to point B?
“And our timing mechanism is just not been fast enough. And that is the responsibility of
everybody involved to get that fixed, and we made an adjustment with a different kicker, and the timing was easily made. So that’s something we got to continue to work on. It’s been a point of emphasis. And it’s just, you know, when you’re dealing with, with young players in the moment and they want to make it, other things slow down. And that can’t happen. It’s all got to work together at the right speed in order for us to be effective.”
Question: On the offensive creativity point. What have conversations looked like this week as you’re trying to get the offense to look more the way you want it to look?
Drinkwitz: “Yeah. I mean, look, everybody’s disappointed with the result. Everybody’s been disappointed with our inability to score specifically in that game and other games like it. So we got to do a better job of having answers, being able to create explosives in the pass game and not become one dimensional. So that’s what we’re working on.
“You know, it’s, it’s, at the end of all of the conversation about creativity, blah, blah, blah, three-of-15 does not keep you on the field enough to call plays and develop a rhythm. So it comes down to whether we’re talking about Vanderbilt, whether we’re talking about A&M, whether we’re talking about Alabama, whether we’re talking about Oklahoma, third downs. That’s it.
“You know, you can’t give Ahmad Hardy the ball enough if on third down you can’t convert. Bottom line. So we have to do a better job of winning situational football in order to be successful. And that’s something that we’ve done really well in the games that we win. And it’s a point, you know, it’s a point of issue in the games that we haven’t won.”
Question: You referenced Arkansas having been in a lot of tight games, especially over the last six to seven weeks. What are some of the things that you’ve seen from (Taylen) Green that have allowed him to take that next step this year and which will test your defense Saturday?
Drinkwitz: “Yeah, he’s a really difficult test for our defense. Does an excellent job, I think understanding the system. Two years in Coach Petrino’s offensive system, you always see a jump at the quarterback position. I think it’s the effectiveness of which Coach Petrino teaches. They start thinking like him.
“You know, Coach Petrino has been awesome to me, I was a high school football coach in Arkansas. Got a chance to go down to Arkansas and spend time with their staff, watch practice, work the camp. When he was here, we had him come speak at our clinic. I went down and spent an afternoon down there just learning. I mean, he does an unbelievable job with his offensive system.
“And I think when a quarterback knows the, ‘Hey, if they do this, then we’re going to do this. This is, these are the plays that attack this coverage.’ And then the issue with, with with Green is that when you play man-to-man, his scramble ability is as good as anybody in the country. He has a reminder of me as a growing up, as an Arkansas fan. He reminds me a lot of Matt Jones. You know, Matt Jones was this big, couldn’t really throw, but you always didn’t know how fast he was. And then he would take off running, nobody would catch him. That’s very similar to Green.”
Question: After looking back. What did you like about the way Beau kind of handled coming back in after that injury? What do you think the next step is?
Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I thought he was courageous. Didn’t have any issues taking off running. I thought he did a nice job of understanding the environment and the system and putting us in the right situation. You know, we knew we needed to be in the game in the fourth quarter with a chance to win it. Ultimately, we didn’t do enough in the third quarter.
“I thought our defense kept giving us opportunities. Didn’t get any type of movement there. But we have the, you know, we have the play. The fourth down that if that gets connected between Beau and Cam, not Cam, Beau and Kev (Coleman), then you’re sitting in a situation where it’s a one-score game, we have all our timeouts, and I think there was 6 minutes left. And you’re right where you need to be.
“So we just, we didn’t make it, we didn’t make that connection. And ultimately that’s on me to find that 2 yards. And so that’s what we’re going to be working on. But, but I was proud of the way he played.”
Question: Just wondering if you had any thoughts on the changing of the transfer portal dates and the removal of the spring portal. If that makes anything, if that changes anything to clear the calendar?
Drinkwitz: “Well, I mean, I don’t know if. That’s crazy question, because I’ve been working on this all morning. It, in one sense it’s going to be really good because you only have to deal with the madness and the negotiations and all that one time.
“In another sense, it’s terrible. You know, nobody wants to hear coaches complain, and I totally understand that. But at some point we have to value our input enough to figure out this calendar that makes it worthwhile for everybody in the ability for both student athletes, fans, coaches, administration, to not be placed under all this stress at the same time. You know the issue is going to be now, is we’re going to have to sign an 85-man roster in a two week window. And that’s it.
“And so you have spring practice. Somebody gets injured or dinged up, you can’t replace them. Somebody you know screws up, and all of a sudden you have to remove them from your team for whatever reason. You are dealing with young men, can’t replace them. And in the pro model, the pro system, they have free agency, they have waiver wires. You can go sign players at any point. That’s why they can have a roster of 42 and then practice squad players. And there’s an NFL team having kicking tryouts this weekend.
“Crud, Harrison Mevis was hanging out getting ready to be on the sideline for the Texas A&M game, the next day he’s at the Rams. So there’s all ways to replenish your roster. We have not, we don’t have that. And so that’s a long time to go from January to August with any inability to fix or change or manage a roster. And I understand it because it’s, its progress. It’s better than it was because it was the day after your season. Now we’ve pushed some time so you can retain your roster, but it’s still a long, long way from perfect.
“Ultimately, and we are still based off of an academic calendar. Rightfully so. But that academic calendar is really restrictive to the fundamental way that college football is being run. And whether we’re talking about the playoffs being jacked up, or the portal or coaching transitions, all of this stuff. Man, there ain’t, there is not a better sport in the country than college football. And for whatever reason, we just keep shooting ourselves in the foot with how we manage it. It’s mind blowing to me.”
Question: I’ll switch to the defensive line. What kind of growth have you seen in the leadership of Chris McClellan this year? And just what kind of impact have you seen out of him over the last two years?
Drinkwitz: “Man, you want to talk about a guy who’s really transformed his career. Even from last year to this year. Being consistent in his approach, being a very reliable football player, being a guy who, you know, we were really worried about with Kristiann Williams leaving that room, who was undoubtedly the leader, who was going to replace that leadership? Chris, texts everybody, makes sure they’re weights on time. Make sure they’re in the meetings on time. Holds those other guys accountable.
“He’s one of the reasons we bounce back so well as a football team. Because he sets the tone for being consistent, and really proud of him. Think he’s had a heck of a year.”
Question: Different big-picture topic. It starts here next week, sports betting becomes legalized next week. Just curious how do you talk about that with your players? And just what have you noticed in your role of the last few years as this has become more prevalent?
Drinkwitz: “Yeah, you know, we have tried to educate our players as best we can about sports betting. Obviously, a couple of weeks ago, it was legal for NCAA players to bet on pro sports. That’s been retracted. I hope everybody got the memo on that. But then it’s opening up and legal.
“You know, betting has become a very important part of society. I shouldn’t say important, very, very prevalent part of society. And in fact, I think that’s become more, to some fans, more important than the actual result of the game. Which I think is a little bit dangerous.
“And I think it’s just got to be very conscious and careful with this, the, I don’t know if sanctity is the right word, but the purity of the game. Because it’s being interfered with. And probably always has at some point, you know, professional sports. But now it’s, it’s creeping into college sports, and it’s becoming very dangerous situation for people to get caught up in. And now, with more and more money within the system, it’s going to be something, it’s going to be challenging for everybody to handle responsibly.”
Question: I’ll take us back to the portal question. Not asking you to have a solution right now. But do you think there is a way that, on an academic timeline, this can move more toward perfect? When you need to have guys enrolled, you need to worry about all of that with a playoff that runs into second semester. Is there a way with that timeline that you believe this can move to a situation that could be close to perfect? Or would it have to go to more of the pro setup like you were talking about with consistent open free agency?
Drinkwitz: “The only way is there for to be a spring waiver opportunity. You know, in the summer, there’s a summer waiver opportunity where players can work out and not attend class as long as they’re in good academic standing. I think there would be a way to do that where the transfer opportunity was from February 1 to February 15. And then there would be no academic restrictions.
“The issue with that right now is that some people are on quarter systems, and so there would be an advantage for people on quarter systems to get people in, in March. But if you had a system that said, hey, you know you had, as long as you’re in good academic standing, which would again promote academics, you could sit out potentially one semester for your transfer. You would have to enroll in the summer, and you’d have to make sure your hours were where they needed to be, progress towards degree, or some, some version of that, so that, yeah, you could be in a situation.
“Again, one of the things that is occurring with all the transfers is inability to get progress towards degree, and people graduate within the four-year cycle. Again, if you had, had to have this many hours, had to have this many credits, you’re in academic standing, and you decide that, hey, it’s best for your interest to transfer. You could sit out this semester, be able to be a part of the program, get involved, participate in spring practice.
“No, you got to realize education isn’t, for us, it’s Chase Two Dreams. Education is as an important part of our process and program as anything, but it doesn’t at the cost of their football skills. If you can play football at an elite level in the SEC you have a chance to go pro until you want to be able to go pro in two sports, NCAA, right? That’s what the whole thing was in those commercials. Like, so there has to be some give and take, some flexibility.
“You know, if it ends up being that you have to wait until the end of spring, well, you’ve got players sitting out an entire five-month cycle, which is not good for player development and really inhibits their ability to maximize their potential as a player. And so, you know, there’s a lot of issues. I think there could be solutions, but we get caught up in this game of telephone where coaches come up with solutions, and then they have to pass it along to the commissioners, but by way of athletic directors and presidents, and by the time you get all the different aspects, the original message is convoluted. I think there’s a way to do it, but they’re going to have to form a committee.”