Eli Drinkwitz urges Missouri to not let up despite massive lead vs. Murray State

Despite entering the fourth quarter with a 45-0 lead over Murray State, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz commanded his players to avoid complacency. Before the final frame of the season-opening showdown, Drinkwitz revealed his message to his team.

“We just talked to them about playing to a standard, making sure we’re playing with great speed,” Drinkwitz said. “Great technique, great fundamentals and and don’t let up on our opponent.”

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Missouri jumped on Murray State early, taking a 28-0 lead into the second quarter. However, the Tigers’ offense began to stagnate in the second period, only scoring seven points. It’s sudden decline in success was largely due to penalties.

After a flawless first quarter, Missouri committed five penalties in the second frame, knocking them back a combined 32 yards. Moreover, the team committed its lone turnover of the first half on a fumbled handoff between quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

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Evidently, Drinkwitz halftime message hit home with the Tigers. The team pieced together an excellent third quarter, not allowing Murray State’s offense to gain a single yard. Additionally, Missouri gave the Racers a taste of their own medicine, squeezing a turnover out of them.

Now, Missouri will look to add to its lead in the fourth quarter and walk away with a convincing Week 1 win. After all, expectations are high this year for No. 11 Missouri.

Nick Saban breaks down Missouri’s schedule

On Saturday, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban broke down Missouri’s schedule and how he expects the Tigers to excel.

“If you look at everybody’s schedule Missouri has the easiest path to get in the championship game,” Saban said. “So it’s not all equal in the way these schedules are kind of set up as hard as people tried to make them that way, which is difficult with all the change.”

Drinkwitz had an opportunity to respond to Saban’s statement, inferring he disagrees with him. Missouri will hit the road multiple times while also hosting a few big-time games in Columbia. But at the end of the day, Drinkwitz is not focused on the “rat poison” thrown out there by the originator of the term.

“If you consider going into (Texas) A&M, to Alabama, going to South Carolina, going to Mississippi State, playing home games vs. Auburn and home games vs. Oklahoma easy, sure,” Drinkwitz said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “But I don’t really get caught up in comparisons and I sure don’t get caught up in the rat poison out there.”