PowerMizzou looks at some thingsMissourifootball head coachEliah Drinkwitzsaid during his weekly Tuesday afternoon presser and breaks down the meaning of those comments.
What seniors mean to the program:
What Drinkwitz said: "It's a proud group, a very resilient group, a strong group, a tough, committed, determined group, and I look forward to sending them out at a sold-out Faurot Fieldthat they worked very hard to make our fans so proud that they're here for I think it's a 12th or 13th straight sellout. That's a tribute to the guys, like I said to the team after practice yesterday, the group who came here in a coaching transition. They didn't choose it because it sold out crowds. They didn't choose it because of what it is now. They chose it because they believed it would become that. And they worked really hard for five, six, seven years, all of them, to get it to this point so I'm really proud of this class."
What it means: Saturday isn't just the Battle Line rivalry game versus Arkansas it is also Senior Day for MU. Drinkwitzstarted his pressertalking about the 27 players who will be walking on Saturday and thanked all the different types of seniors on the team.
He thanked the ones who came in from high school, the ones who stayed during a coaching change and the ones who transferred in.
He even went as far as to say that sending the seniors off is a little more important than the rivalry game itself. Obviously, the team wants to win this game and keep the Battle Line trophy, but he was just showing gratitude for the group of players who helped build up the standard and the program to where it is today.
When Drinkwitz got hired, the program wasn't where it is now and it wasn't at any point during his first three years. But now it's to the point where the Tigers are always in the College Football Rankings, they've been ranked in every CFP poll since last season, and have elevated the floor of the program.
On if star receiver Luther Burden III is walking on Senior Day:
What Drinkwitz said: "I have had conversations with Luther. We are in those conversations. I'm never going to steal anybody's thunder or spotlight, but I would just say that we're very fortunate for Luther to have been here for three seasons. He will walk on Saturday. No decisions have been made, but that is an opportunity for him to make a decision without thinking that he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the fans. So, he will walk Saturday, similarly to how Nick Bolton walked in 2020.
What it means: Burden is a true junior so that's why this is a thing, but he's obviously one of the better players to come through MU and he's helped Mizzou in so many ways on and off the field. The team wants to give him his flowers since this is more than likely his last game at Faurot Field and possibly his last game in a Tigers uniform.
Most people have known since Burden's freshman year, probably even further than that, he'd likely play three years of college football before declaring for the NFL Draft. No one has revealed if Burden is going to the NFL, but he's likely to go since he's been projected to be a first-round pick for some time.
On possibly playing a snow game this weekend:
What Drinkwitz said: "Well, the first thing we do is we practice in the weather that we play in. So, we'll be outside all week instead of in the indoor (practice facility) and try to get used to the bodily temperature. There are two different types of snow. There's dry snow (and) wet snow. Wet snow sticks and compacts (and) makes it a little bit more difficult to throw, catch, make a slicker ball. You have to be more cognizant of the way that you're utilizing your cleats and running because the snow will clamp and be a factor in route running and slippage. So, there are some things as a staff that we've already put in place to prepare for, but the reality of it is, that's just part of the game.
What it means: It's pretty clear what Drinkwitz is saying here. The team is preparing to play in the snow because the forecast predicts that the high will be 31° F and the low will be 16° F with 50% of Columbia getting snow around kickoff about an hour and a half before kickoff. Drinkwitz hasn't coached in a snow game. So, he was just outlining what are some of the things the team may have to anticipate in Week 14.
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