Eli Drinkwitz raves about unique story of Cody Schrader, lasting impact

As Missouri puts the finishing touches on what should be a historic season, the Tigers can thank one man for helping it all really click on the offensive side of the football: running back Cody Schrader.

The former walk-on turned superstar has been electric throughout the season, turning in one of his best games yet in a 36-7 win over Tennessee.

“Cody’s story’s going to be a story of Mizzou football,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “And quite honestly it’s going to be a story of the University of Missouri for a long, long time.”

Schrader turned in his most productive day yet on Saturday in the win over the Volunteers. He ran 35 times for 205 yards and a score, while also catching five passes for 116 yards.

He became only the 10th player in FBS history to go for 200 yards on the ground and 100 yards through the air in the same game.

To Drinkwitz, that kind of performance epitomizes who Schrader is and makes him the ideal fit for the program he’s at.

“I know that this place has a bunch of great history, but when I think of Midwest, I think of a place like the University of Missouri, we’ve always talked about you’ve got St. Louis and Kansas City, but rural Missouri is kind of the spirit of this state,” Drinkwitz said. “You’ve got a guy who really embodies the spirit of the state, the hard work and determination, self-made people.

“There’s a lot of farmers in this state. There’s a lot of cattle ranchers. Those people are self-made. They show up every day, work extremely hard. Unsure of what the future always holds but they bet on themselves. That’s kind of the story of Cody Schrader.”

Missouri has a very real chance to get to 10 wins in the regular season, capping a remarkable campaign. Only games against Florida and at Arkansas remain and both are very winnable.

Of course, a healthy dose of Cody Schrader never hurt.

The talented tailback has amassed 1,124 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns this season, and he’ll be looking for more down the home stretch. That’s just who Shrader has evolved into as a player.

“He talks about in a video that our creatives released today, of when he came here his confidence in himself became stronger the more he was elevated on the depth chart,” Drinkwitz said. “And now after the game he talks about his mindset is who’s going to quit first, and he’s not ever planning on quitting. It’s a pretty awesome story. I think it probably resonates with the city of St. Louis, too. And I think Kansas City can probably get on board with that.”