Eli Drinkwitz provides injury update on Brady Cook, others

Missouri has gotten out to a 3-0 start, in no small part thanks to the excellent play of quarterback Brady Cook. But Cook was hurt in the win over No. 15 Kansas State this weekend, and coach Eli Drinkwitz provided an injury update on Monday.

In short, Cook will be back when he can be. So too will offensive lineman Marcellus Johnson, who suffered an ankle injury in the game.

“Brady Cook is still healing from his hyperextended knee that occurred in the game,” Drinkwitz said. “We did MRI it. There is no ligament damage or anything that, but he will be out today. He will not be at practice, and I know, I figured I’d just address that since most of y’all will be at practice today looking for him. He’ll be day to day.

“We’re monitoring the swelling and the bruising and when he can practice he’ll practice, and we’ll be day to day on that.”

Cook was vital down the stretch against Kansas State, even after landing on the injury update. He threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and he also added a rushing touchdown.

He showed some serious grittiness playing through the injury, which his teammates seemed to feed off of.

“I mean that just speaks to the toughness of the young man,” Drinkwitz said.

But with the adrenaline worn off now, Cook is left to deal with the full extent of his injury. Updates will likely be sparing the rest of the week, but Missouri will be trying to get him back in time for this weekend’s game against Memphis and it’ll depend on how the knee fares.

“Obviously when things settle then that’s when the swelling occurs and that’s going to be the bruising starts to formulate and the blood starts to happen,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s what a bone-on-bone knee bruise does. So I think while he was keeping it active and had the brace on and adrenaline, I don’t think he was quite as worried about it. But once you sleep on it and get still there’s obviously a lot of different work that has to be done.”

As for Johnson, the graduate transfer from Eastern Michigan, he will be day to day on the injury update while dealing with his ankle injury. He’s not likely to practice until later in the week, if at all.

“Marcellus Johnson also was injured in the game and really similar to Brady there is no structural damage in his ankle, but he will be out today from practice and will be re-evaluated Thursday to see what his status will be for the game,” Drinkwitz said.