Eli Drinkwitz and Mike Kelly returned to Harpo’s Tuesday for Tiger Talk ahead of a historic matchup against Alabama.
The last time Mizzou beat Alabama? 1975.
Here’s what Drinkwitz, Brett Norfleet and Santana
Banner had to say:
Eli Drinkwitz
On the opportunity of this week:
“I told the guys after practice today, we needed to have a lot better practice than we had today. Didn’t like the concentration and focus specifically the last five periods of practice. But I told our guys, we worked really hard to put ourselves in this position. We need to take advantage of it. And you take advantage of it by making sure that in your preparation and focus. You can’t wish for Saturday to be here. We know Saturday is going to be an awesome environment. We know the crowd’s going to do their thing. We got to make sure that our preparation and our concentration is the right way. Just didn’t feel like that was what we needed it to be today.”
On the timing of the bye week:
“Yah the bye week was awesome. I thought they attacked the bye week really, really well. I thought we had three really good practices. Used Tuesday as a developmental practice and then a preview of the upcoming opponent. Used Wednesday as an improvement practice and focus on an upcoming opponent. Then Thursday was all Alabama. So we got a jump start on that. Obviously Friday the staff went on the road recruiting. Our players got a chance to get some rest. Then we were back Sunday night for academics and Monday we hit the ground running with a lifting practice. Then today was Toughness Tuesday. I thought our inside drill was really competitive. I thought our dirty show, which is our blitz pickup, was really good. But it just didn’t feel like our last real four or five periods was what we wanted it to be.”
On priorities entering the bye week:
“I think one of the things you can’t do is that you can’t relax during your bye week. You’ve got to sharpen your edge. So you’ve got to figure out what are those things that we have to continue to improve. Iron sharpens iron. Holistically what were some things? Obviously, defensively, zone cover needs to improve. Containment of the quarterback needs to improve. Each position group had specific things. Each player had one specific thing we wanted to improve. Offensively, we need to be better at third downs in the red zone, specifically and goal situations. There was a lot of targeted areas that we wanted to work and I thought we got the reps we needed, but we got a real test coming up here, seven straight weeks in this league. Every team is ready to go, every away environment is going to be incredibly difficult to play in. We have to be at our best and I think those first five games gave us a real good test of where we’re at. We passed that test, but now it’s time to improve our focus and keep getting better. The best teams find a way to improve.”
On an injury report:
“Jordon’s fine, should be no limitations, he’s been at practice full go. Drey was fine, unless something comes up in the next couple of practices, he should be fine. Cayden did some rehab work yesterday. Was good to see him coming out there today and continuing to get his rehab going and moving in the right direction. That injury is going to be one that we’re not really sure of until Thursday or Friday just because of the nature of how practice goes and how sore he’s going to be and some other things. I know I said it today and it was kind of jokingly but true, you know SEC media availability and then just stay tuned for Pete Thamel to tweet out who’s available or not available on Saturday morning.”
On Jayven Richardson:
“I think the South Carolina game he played really well, did a nice job. I think there were some good plays and bad plays in UMass. We went back and watched that. There was a lack of consistency for what we wanted to try to accomplish offensively that needs to continue to improve, but overall a really solid player. Again, the level of competition each week continues to increase, but so has his focus and concentration. I have full confidence. I know our team has full confidence. Our quarterback has full confidence that if he ends up being the guy that starts again, well then let’s rock and roll.”
On Pribula’s tendency to advance into the pocket and create turnovers:
“Well when you think of a pocket for a quarterback, you know great quarterbacks move slightly vertically in the pocket. They set their depth at nine yards. The tackles push the width of the pocket and the interior set the depth. So what was happening for us is we’re doing a good job of widening the rush, but then sometimes we’re going too far in the pocket. So we just have a phrase, ‘take the space you need, but only the space you need. I think that again just comes with experience. The more times you experience that kind of pocket pressure and movement, you kind of get a feel for it. So not anything that we’re overly concerned about. That dude’s done a really good job of creating space, taking space when he needs to create with his legs. He’s completing over 75% of his passes. He set a record for most completions in a game or consecutive completions in a game and I’ve been really proud of the way Beau has attacked being the quarterback here. And I think the best thing about Beau has been his mindset. I said it today, but he’s one of the most coachable quarterbacks I’ve had. He’s very eager to figure out waht we want him to do on a play and he works really hard to master that concept. I think he’s a really good leader with the team because they love his work ethic, they know he’s putting in the time to be great.”
On putting together effective, sustained drives:
“That’s a tribute. One, I think it’s good play calling. Kirby and the boys have done a really good job of designing scheme and then two, that’s all 11 players doing their job, executing at a really high level and maintaining the focus and concentration to do it. I mean that’s a really hard thing to do. Just for everybody to sustain that, to have 11 people on the top of their game that well, we need to continue to create more explosive plays in order to kind of reduce those number of plays we have to stay on the field. The only other thing I would add is that means we’ve been really good on third down. You have to execute on third down in order to sustain drives.”
On Brett Norfleet:
“I think we’ve always felt like Brett was a very physical player. He’s done a tremendous job of embracing the physicality that it requires to play tight end in the SEC and he’s done an excellent job at continuing to do that. You look at our biggest runs, especially on the outside zone, Brett and Jordon are the guys leading the way. But he’s been an added weapon in the pass game. I think he’s done a really good job and I think our coaching staff’s done a really good job of finding ways to utilize him in our bootleg pass game and our play action stuff. He embraces his role. One of the things I’m really proud of him is he’s just continued to develop a different mindset and he’s always trying to improve. I got to spend some time with him on a mall hall crew on the Monday in Jamaica and it was a good time, he’s a good worker.”
On Santana Banner:
“You know from a guy being from Michigan, he’s a heck of a fisherman. Him and Ahmad have been fishing all over the place in the summer. Don’t ask him about getting kicked out of my HOA, that’s a whole other story. He does a tremendous job. I’ve been really impressed with him just embracing his role and the brotherhood. He’s another guy that went to Harmon, Jamaica with us. An excellent worker. A guy who plays the position very well. Very physical player and keeps getting better every time we go out there.”
On the benefits of the Jamaica team trip:
“I refer to it just because it gave me a different sense of who these guys were outside of football. I got to see them in a different way. They got to see me. I mean, we were tested, we were mentally tested. I think there’s times when we can refer back to these memories and continue to push forward as a team.”
On what impresses him about Kalen DeBoer’s team:
“I think first off they’ve adopted his personality. You can tell it’s his fingerprints over this year’s team. They do an excellent job of playing physical on the offensive side of the ball, taking care of the football. They’ve only got one turnover in five games. They’re very explosive down the field. They’re a good football team. I think their quarterback is playing at a really, really high level. I’ve been very impressed with his ability to play off schedule. Now, the reality is we’ve played some really good quarterbacks who have played off schedule too, so it’s not something that’s unfamiliar to us. We played Jaylen Daniels and LaNorris Sellers and those two guys are really good quarterbacks in their own right. So I think that’s a positive going into the game. Defensively, very multiple, very disguise oriented, very physical. We got our hands full. The reality of it is if we want to be the team that we want to be, these are the games you have to take advantage of. You have to take advantage of being able to play in front of your crowd. Being able to be in a routine that you’re comfortable with. Then again, sustaining concentration and execution for four quarters. You just don’t ever know. It may be the fifth play of the game that’s a tide turner or it may be the last play of the game, but you go to sustain that focus and drive in execution for four quarters.”
On the ‘heavyweight fight’ of this matchup:
“I think as long as your mindset is right, you understand not to get too high or too low in any type of situation. You just try to stay consistent and coach the situation, coach the players, coach the coaches, try to make the right decisions at the right time to keep yourself going. I think the reality of it is fro me, every year you grow and learn a little bit. Wisdom is the accumulation of making mistakes, but surviving them and learning from them. And we’ve had our fair share. I think last year the Oklahoma game, that was a heavyweight fight. And the emotional sways of that fourth quarter, I mean, I lost a lot of hair. But you learn through it to stay steady and just figure out, what do I do? I think I ask our players to kind of do the same thing. We talk about all the time the most important play in football is this play. It’s not the final score and it’s not the previous play. Everything is determined based off of this play. So once this play occurs, you got to learn from it, move on, and focus on this play. You can’t worry about the final score of the previous playoff.”
On finding ways to attack Alabama’s run defense:
“And so, I think for us, it’s about finding rhythm. You know, last last year, we had a little bit of rhythm early. We were not very good on third downs. We end up punting way too much, not taking advantage of good field position. You know, if that’s the case, we’re going to be in trouble. But, we got to find ways to to stay on rhythm, get Hardy going and Brett will block for Hardy. We’ll be just fine.”
On the fans:
“We need everybody Saturday night or Sunday morning. It’s a morning game so if you got to get those fireball shots going or Bloody Mary’s early, whatever you got to do, but at 11:00 it’s got to be the best atmosphere in college football. That’s what it’s got to be. And you know, we’ve sold this thing out. Y’all been an incredible uh part of the reason why we’ve been undefeated at home for however many of the last games. This streak ain’t dying Saturday. So, let’s make sure we’re ready to roll. Y’all be ready to go. Our team will be ready to roll.”
Brett Norfleet
On the bye week:
“I feel like it did show up at the right time. Um, five games in a row, playing a lot of snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Um, so it it was good to get that little week off. We weren’t really off, but just get, you know, a few days off here and there.”
On what an off day over the bye week looks like:
“I did I just watched a lot of football and uh did some homework.”
On how different this season is for him:
“You know, last year was rough for me getting hurt literally on my first catch of the year. Um and then I was in the training room every day just to stay on the field. It’s been fun to go out there and just play free and fast and not have to worry about what I had going on.”
On supporting Sam Horn through injury:
“Yeah, I mean it’s it’s it’s been tough for Sam, going on that play and having a leg injury. I see him every day and I’m there to brighten his day, make him laugh, and just let him know that there is a light at the end for him.”
On what football has taught him about life:
“I think um you know, Santana kind of hit it all on the head there. Overcoming adversity, you know whether it’s a loss or an injury, I think that plays a big part of it, and then just having some mental toughness I think it really teaches you.”
On how focus ties into that:
“I think to the day, you know, near the end of practice, we kind of lost sight of things and we were kind of going through the motions. It just wasn’t to the standard that we hold ourselves to and Drink let us know at the end. So we’re definitely going to pick it up tomorrow. But I think it plays a big part.”
On his parents influence in his life:
“Like you said, my family’s played a big role in the success I’ve had up to this point. They’ve sacrificed a lot of things fro me since day one, whether that be during when I was playing baseball or football. They would always be there for me. They didn’t hesitate to drop everything that they had right then and there to help me out. I’m very thankful for them. And grandma’s been pretty important, too.”
On when Mizzou became the desired destination in terms of going to college:
“I think going through like the recruiting process, I think I always had it in the back of my head that I was going to come here. Then my parents kind of made me, you know, take a look at my other options. I’m kind of glad that they did because all those road trips and that and everything, those sucked. And in order to be an hour and a half away and come to the University of Missouri and go to a football game and then be able to go back home the same day was huge for me. I also have a lot of family around here. I think at the end of the day I always knew I was going to come here.”
On the growth of the culture:
“I feel like not every year has been the same. For me, there’s new leaders every year. I think we got 40 new guys or something. So you don’t know how the team’s going to look until we’re all there. We’re all there during fall camp. And I I think one one thing that’s kind of stood out to me throughout all the years is we’re all super close. You know all offensive guys are friends with defensive guys. Um and I think that’s one one thing that’s really helped us.”
On NIL:
“I have the same answer. It’s just learning how to make my money grow and what to do with it so it can set me up long term.”
On the North End Zone construction:
“You get to see what they’ve done in a short amount amount of time and they they’ve really done a lot. They’ve done a great job, but like they put the scoreboard things up of where it’s gonna go and that thing’s huge.
On the offensive preparation:
“ feel like, you know, Santana kind of hit it on the head. I think we’re going to do what we do, which is obviously run the ball. I think we’ve done a great job in our first five games at handing the ball off to Ahmad and Jamal. So I think it’s just going out there, getting the play from Coach Moore and then going out there and executing it.”
On Ahmad Hardy against South Carolina:
“No, I have never seen a running back or anybody of that matter do something like that. And I’m just glad that he kept those feet going and and scored.”
On something fans probably don’t know about Mizzou’s football program:
“I feel like, you know, we spent so much time in the football facility. I feel like maybe we didn’t have it, you know, the first two years that I was here, but we got a lot of guys hanging out outside of the football place. I think that just shows a lot of where this team is going and what the Mizzou brotherhood mean means to us.”
On the relationship Coach has with players:
“I feel like, you know, um I would describe him as a leader, but also kind of a friend. Every time I see him, he always cracks a joke, whether it be about me or about somebody else, and I just have to sit there and laugh and I can’t really say a joke back to him. But um yeah, I’m super happy with the choice that I made and playing for him and yeah, I just can’t wait to see where where it goes.”
On what must happen this weekend:
“We got to score.”
Santana Banner
On the bye week:
“I feel like it arrived at a pretty good time. We had five games, 5-0. Get beat up a little bit after game or two. So, you know, good time to rest your body, get your mental right.”
On what an off day over the bye week looks like:
“To be honest, I should have went fishing again, but I didn’t really have time to do that. End up taking a little trip with my girlfriend, but besides that, I really just laid back, caught up on a little bit of a couple games.”
On joining the portal after Northern Illinois:
“So when I hopped in the portal to begin with, I had a conversation with a with multiple coaches. Um what really struck me with Coach Batoon, I asked him like as a player where do you see I could develop on and he gave me a play-by-play on everything that he’s seen that he felt like could lead me to become the best player I am. I felt like I could really appreciate that because you know a lot of a lot of coaches will call you and be like oh we think you’re a great player this that. I’m like, how how can I be a better like how can I be a better me for for these people?”
On what Coach Batoon mentioned:
“Um, mostly it was my eyes, you know, I coming out of high school, you know, playing in the MAC, I’m I’m just looking to make as many plays as I can, you know, and sometimes that that can lead to you being out of place. He really, we really stress here like doing your 1 in 11, do your job and that’s going to lead you to making plays, like how I made last week against UMass. I feel like that’s you know put me in a better position.”
On what football has taught him about life:
“ I think the two biggest things you really pick up from football or um you know how to overcome adversity. No matter like if you’re 5-0 or 0-5, there’s still going to be some adversity that you have to face. Whether that be getting complacent or you know, just getting lazy, like you’ve got to learn how to really shut off the talk in your head and just know what you have to do each day. Handle your business. And secondly, I would probably say teamwork. I mean, you know, in pretty much any job you do, you’re going to have to work with somebody. You have to figure out like you may not like them, but you have to learn how to respect them.”
On his influences in his life:
“I would definitely say my parents. Growing up, your parents will yell at your and everything and you don’t realize it as a kid on why they’re doing that. They really shaped me into who I am, being disciplined and really pushing myself. Besides that, I would probably say when I first got to college, Coach Hammock, he was a guy that really believed in me. I was under-recruited in high school. I actually, I was committed to Murray State 3 days before signing day and he ended up, you know, calling me saying he he he seen the potential in me and, you know, help develop me.”
On the brotherhood:
“I feel like there’s no animosity in the locker room at all. Like everybody looks at each other like a genuine brother. I felt like that the the trip we took to Jamaica that really brought us together. That’s why coach keeps bringing it up. Everybody went there. We faced adversity like I said and it either you bought in or you you just you suffered. We had two rooms and about 15 bunk beds in each one. So we’re all in there together cracking jokes, you know just enjoying each other and I felt like that really brought us closer together. We even do this thing like every practice, daps, coming on-off the field around the facility, you know fist bump.”
On NIL:
“I feel like NIL probably helped me the most and realizing that, you know, money doesn’t last forever. So, it’s really like forced me to find better ways to keep my money. You know, I don’t want to just get the money I have and just spend it. I want to find another way to, you know, it can benefit me in the long run.”
On first stepping out on the field as a Mizzou Tiger:
“I couldn’t even explain it. It felt unreal. You know, coming from the MAC to an SEC school. The atmosphere is completely different. It was just, you know, all everybody yelling. It’s a night game. You see the lights everywhere. You know, the whole team on the sideline, hype. It was, it was something you you can’t even.”
On the North End Zone construction:
“It was pretty amazing. You’re in the middle of summer workouts fighting for your life and you just look up and you’re like, you know, it’s going to be something to look forward to next year. It was nice.”
On the defensive preparation:
“Pretty much we’re just preaching, you know, do what we do. We’re playing a team right now that, you know, everybody looks as pretty much as a superhero, you know, because of their track record. But we’re really preaching, you know, play to our standard. Don’t think of it as any other game. Do what we do. You know, everybody has to make adjustments for certain game, but you know, play play Mizzou football.”
On Ahmad Hardy against South Carolina:
“So, I think the best way I can describe it is just imagine you sitting on the sideline with your position group looking at iPad like, “Okay, what do we need to fix this drive?” And you look up at the big board right there and see him roll off a whole pile and just score. It’s I don’t even know how to describe it.”
On something fans probably don’t know about Mizzou’s football program:
“I feel like we really like love each other like actually like we really take care of each other outside of football. You know, you can if you have a problem or something, you know, you feel like you can’t talk to anybody too. Like everybody on the team is there for each other and that’s not something you see often.”
On the relationship Coach has with players:
“I don’t even really look at Coach Drink as a coach. He’s more like a uncle. Like he he comes in cracking jokes, you know, he got great energy. He’s serious but in like a family way, if you get what I’m saying. It’s not just strictly business, you know? It’s football. It’s college football. It’s business obviously, but it’s like, you know, he can crack jokes. You can be yourself around him.”
On what must happen this weekend:
“Be ourselves, pretty much it.”
On what role the fans can play to help:
“Scream every play. Just yell.”
