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One timing note for today's chat — Eli will be stepping away at noon but return later this afternoon to ensure submitted questions are answered. So ask away and check back for responses!

Transcript

Eli ±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýGood morning, everyone, and welcome to this week's Mizzou chat. Plenty to talk about as always, and thanks for being here.

As noted above, I need to duck out for a few hours at noon, so if you submit a question after that point, check back this evening for a response! 

Tom O: For what it is worth I think Drink should have given our freshman quarterback the needed experience he could have got by throwing more than two passes. He is one play away from being the starting quarterback if a injury happens to Beau.I think this far outweighs being concerned about running up the score.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýIt's a fair point, Tom. Zollers still has an average depth of target that is behind the line of scrimmage this season. As you alluded to, Drinkwitz said he didn't feel comfortable unleashing Zollers' arm because he didn't want to run up the score — and everyone seemed content with running the clock out to get off a 176-degree playing surface. 

Still, there might've been some value to letting him air it out a little bit. Maybe that'll come against UMass, which should be another blowout. The question is whether that would have/would make much of a difference. Let's say he got five legit throwing opportunities. Would that make him/you/Mizzou much more confident in him? It probably depends what happens on those, right? But even then, I'm not sure how much of a read it really gives. To me, it's more about getting him in to feel out reading a defense, playing with a crowd, etc. Should he be called upon, the offense would need to change in what it asks of the QB anyway.

´³´Ç³ó²Ô³¢:ÌýGood morning Eli-What's your 'Vibe" around the team this week prepping for Carolina? I'm a little concerned about the team being a little over-confident about Saturday. Remember, Carolina is a hungry bunch coming off an embarrassing home loss and very talented.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýWell, I have to preface this with a note of the access we get. Four players talked to reporters this week from a podium for about five minutes apiece. We watched 10 minutes — literally 10 minutes — of practice. Hard to feel much of a vibe from that.

The players (and Drinkwitz) said the right things. They understand SEC play is different from getting to play around with a Sun Belt team. The players who've been in the SEC before know that. Those who haven't have heard what it takes. So in that sense, it seems more business-like. 

The only entity that seems to be overconfident about MU's chances, I'd say, is the sportsbooks. Everyone else rates this South Carolina team highly and understands that a win is far from guaranteed. 

³¢³Ü:ÌýWhere do you fall on the S. Carolina bad/Vandy very good debate?

Vandy is in such an interesting spot. They could be a very good football team and still go 8-4. They look dynamic on offense, but i'm not sure they can hold up against Bama, LSU, and Tennessee.

I think people are jumping the gun a bit with S. Carolina. The game was 14-7 when Sellers had to be removed. I think that game was a lot closer for a longer period of time than most folks are realizing.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýCan I get away with saying it's a little bit of both?

Vanderbilt is definitely good. Pavia is Pavia. They've really improved that defense. I think Vandy could push for CFP contention. Or at least has the talent to. The schedule is just brutal: two noncon gimmes, then at Alabama, LSU, Mizzou, at Texas, Auburn, Kentucky, at Tennessee. If the 'Dores are really CFP caliber, they'll make it through that with a good record — that's how this works. But it's a real test.

I'm not ready to write South Carolina off yet. We know what they can be, and all saw it last year. They're not a national title contender. But they are in the CFP-tier mix. That means it's OK to lose games to good teams. It's worth noting, the Gamecocks are going into a season that's a lot like what the Tigers had last year... it's the year after a breakout, they're trying to sustain, etc. Given that we know how 2024 turned out for MU, we can use that lens and I think it puts South Carolina in a better and more favorable context. 

³¢³Ü:ÌýWill Stewart move around his alignment? In other words do you think Trost or Green will take the majority of snaps against him?

I'm eager to see the battle between each of these guys. This will be a huge test of Green's pedigree. He's got NFL aspirations, it would be helpful to those if he can put some good reps on tape against this guy. IIRC, Membou had a game like this last year that sort of put him on the map in that way.

Thanks for all your coverage! cannot wait for SEC play!

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI'd have to think South Carolina is going to move Stewart all over. A lot of scheme in college is hunting out mismatches. So if he's winning more against Trost than Green or vice versa, that's who he'll target. But at the same time, I'd be shocked if they don't use stunts to get him going against Peagler at times. Or one of the tight ends. Make Mizzou double-team him and get the other still quite good pass-rushers one-on-one with other linemen. The individual battle between Green and Stewart should be fun when it happens, but if that's all that happens, it's a win for Mizzou. Gotta leverage your weapons by pitting them against the opponent's weakness.

Fly Man: Adding to Tom's question above--- Beau running the ball in the 3rd Qtr seems a little crazy, too. I know you can't baby him but wow! Also, I see no benefit for a 9 game conference schedule for SEC teams. Just beat each other up and then get to the league championship game to beat each other up again. Much prefer more games vs Clemson, Ohio St, Kansas, Wisconsin, Miami that give you a measuring stick vs other conferences. Your take?

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI'm not going to pretend I know how quarterbacks' minds work, but I think it's difficult to ask them to turn off an instinct mid-game, which is what telling Beau not to run would be. You're absolutely correct, and it's what I'd try to do as a coach, but he's wired how he's wired and that might be why it keeps happening.

There are couple of benefits to the 9-game schedule. First, you take a blah nonconference game and make it into a meaningful, quality league game. Even if that ninth game is against, say, Kentucky, it's better than playing a generic Sun Belt team. SEC teams still are required to schedule another power conference game, so this doesn't need to come at the expense of playing those opponents you mention.

The other benefit is money. Mizzou-Louisiana was buried on ESPN+. The game against UMass has not sold out yet, despite it being homecoming. That's not happening to an SEC game. So ditching one of those contests for a league game is more eyeballs and fans, which means more money. 

LT Tiger Fan: Thanks for taking time for the chat. I apologize as I’m positive you probably addressed my concern weeks ago but I often cannot jump in on your weekly chat. I still feel absolutely HORRIBLE for Sam Horn. I completely understand that any football player can be injured on any given play and they know the risks going in. BUT, has Coach Drink ever given a plausible explanation on why they called a gadget play for Sam Horn (competing for starting job) to run the ball straight up the gut like he was Barry Sanders or somebody especially considering it was literally his first play from scrimmage this season? I’m assuming the OC called the play but Coach Drink had to sign off on it as it was know doubt practiced in game prep. I think it was foolhardy regardless whether he was injured or not as he had no opportunity to get into the flow of the game. Thanks!!

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýJust absolutely brutal for Horn. Really, really unlucky. Happy to outline this again, though. Drinkwitz has talked about this a little bit and I have some football context to offer.

First, that play was called because Mizzou was hoping it could throw out a two-QB look at times this season. We'll never know how much or how effective it would've been, but Drinkwitz wanted that on tape in Week 1 — probably so that Kansas would've had to devote time to dealing with it. So that's why Horn came in for that play. It's reasonable to assume that had he not gotten hurt, there might've been one or two more like that in the first half and maybe even some where Pribula came in alongside Horn in the second. 

The other part of this: Horn would have been asked to run the ball as Mizzou's starter. Whether in the second half of that game or beyond, that was always the expectation. Horn's an athletic guy — not as fast as Pribula, but he can move. So it's not like calling a designed run for Horn is some blasphemous misuse of him. 

And in this case, the hit he took was a matter of bad luck. Would've done the same damage if it was his second play from scrimmage, his 20th or his 200th. I don't think there's a way a quarterback can get his tibia loose to avoid breaking it on the wrong angle of contact. 

I don't mean this to you, directly, but I'll be blunt here for others reading this. There seems to be a weird conspiracy-mind thought that Drinkwitz intentionally got Horn hurt with this play. That is not true and cannot be true. Any time a quarterback (or any player) takes contact, there is a small but non-zero chance that comes in a way that injures them. In this case, that came on Horn's first touch. It's horribly unlucky for a player who's been unlucky. Better to wish him well for his baseball career than over-think the play call.

¶Ù°ä³Ò:ÌýThe counter to that, as has been mentioned before, would have been for the SEC to require teams to play at least two power 4 school in their non-con games. To me, that works more to the benefit of the league as it can flex its power against other conferences rather than adding a guaranteed loss to half the league. On a similar note, at some point, Mizzou needs to get more ambitious with its schedule. I feel like the school will typically not get the preseason benefit of the doubt, so if you're going to have to climb a long ladder to get into the playoff conversation, the easiest way is to skip a few rungs is by playing someone (and beating them) that earns national respect. The way they do it now, as we've seen, has required winning three games by a combined 155-47 just sneak into the rankings.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýTrue. And maybe this is all heading toward SEC teams only playing power conference games as these leagues separate from the Group of Six. 

I'm all for schools making more ambitious nonconference schedules, but just for the sake of that. But if you're Mizzou, you can make the CFP (or get realllll close) by winning 10 games. Sure, some bigger noncon games might boost the resume there, but that record will generally get in. Winning games with the current strength of schedule should be enough. Doesn't mean MU shouldn't schedule tougher, just means the school doesn't necessarily ²Ô±ð±ð»åÌýto.

³¢³Ü:ÌýI know we should be talking about Mizzou, but if it slows down could you give your take on the Pablo Torre Finds Out Balmer investigation? As a non-journalist fan of sports journalism I think its one of the most enthralling stories I've read about/listened to in recent memory.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI haven't actually listened to it, but have it downloaded for when I'm on the road later this season. I'm a big fan of Pablo taking the medium and using it to accomplish the kind of journalism we need in sports — digging, actual reporting, a critical and curious eye. I'm especially glad that people engage with it.

¶Ù°ä³Ò:ÌýAre you sure about that? I think perception matters--LSU has no business being ranked third because their offense is putrid. But they're LSU. They get the benefit of perception. Mizzou got knocked by something like 6 or 7 spots in the rankings last year for winning against BC and Vandy because they were not seen as teams that Mizzou should be playing close games with (as it turned out, Vandy was really good, BC was better than anticipated). So, I think a school like Mizzou has a way harder time getting into the playoff with 10 wins (which means 2 losses) because they are going to get hammered harder for those losses unless, like two years ago, those losses are super close against perceived quality teams. If you play can beat a perceived good team in your non-con, that, I think, changes the perception about your team if you're a Mizzou, i.e., a non-blue blood.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýBut the AP Poll this week can only have so much influence on the final CFP rankings. And program quality changes so much year to year. If 10 years ago Mizzou had scheduled Clemson, we would've thought that'd be a game against one of the best teams in the country. But things change. They could schedule Oregon for 2030 and who knows what the Ducks will look like then. Yes, it helps with stature early in seasons, but only if that team is as quality as you think they well be. I'd rather see Mizzou get Kansas and Illinois on the schedule every single year. Those games mean more to engage fans, and sometimes they'll turn out to be really decent quality wins for whoever comes out of them.

LT Tiger Fan: Thanks for responding to my question. I didn’t understand that it was a hot button topic. And of course I never thought for a second that it was some conspiracy to hand the starting job to Pribula. That sounds ridiculous to me. Even understanding he’s a football player and would occasionally be called upon to run the ball, bad luck or not, I think it was a needless play call AT THAT TIME. I feel bad for the kid because he came to Mizzou with quite a bit of fanfare and never once had a true opportunity to showcase his talents. You mentioned his baseball career. I just hope there’s no carryover causing that to be delayed. I’m now finished with the subject. Thanks for the explanation and allowing me to say my piece!

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýYeah, that's why I didn't want to direct that last comment to you — just to put that out into the world for the people who need to hear it.

The hard part about games against Central Arkansas, for Mizzou, is that every play call is needless. They could probably just run outside zone 45 times and win that game. So is trying two-QB stuff to get it on tape for KU's prep needless? Maybe, but so was (arguably) airing it out to Johnson for the first touchdown, then. It's tough.

Yes, the hope for Horn is that this doesn't set back baseball too much. I haven't heard a concrete timeline for him yet, but obviously he, the Dodgers and all of us hope he can pitch for their farm system next summer.

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