Eli Drinkwitz Needs Mizzou to 'Put Feelings in a Box'

The Missouri Tigers head coach spoke about the need for accountability on the team.

Nov 25, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches play against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

With the Missouri Tigers, head coach Eli Drinkwitz has built a culture predicated on a culture of a mirage of personalities meshing together to form one connected unit.

As simple or cliche as it sounds, it is what can make or break a team.

The 'brotherhood' that Missouri forged in 2023 led to the program's best season in nearly a decade. The Tigers are looking to find a similar bond and greater success in 2024.

To assure that no cracks arise in this foundation, Drinkwitz had to send an important message to the team Monday.

After a 27-21 win over Boston College, the fifth-year head coach made sure his team was following its goals for emotional consistency.

"I challenged our staff and our players, 'put your feelings in a box,'" Drinkwitz said in a press conference Tuesday. "Don't come into this team room and thinking we're going to celebrate and party based off the film, because that's not what we did."

The close win was a triumphant one for Missouri. It faced adversity for the first time all season, quickly going down 14-3, but responded authoritatively with a 21-0 run. But the win also featured discipline issues that Drinkwitz wants to see fixed.

"We're going to challenge each other in here because the lack of discipline is a result of the lack of accountability and there's going to be accountability"

Missouri was called for three behavioral penalties in the week 3 game. Star wide receiver Luther Burden III was penelized for responding in two altercations following the whistle, placing the Tigers in a 2nd-and-59, a position he said post game that he never wanted to put his team in again.

"They (the TV broadcast_ caught me on tape getting on Luther between the third and fourth quarter. He deserved every bit of that, and he understood it. He looked me right in the eye and said, 'yes sir.'"

Drinkwitz called the penalties selfish, with Burden putting his emotion in the moment over the team's interests. The 20-year-old receiver realized the need to stay more composed in the future to avoid, what he admitted, were "nonsense" penalties.

“It’s a passionate game," quarterback Brady Cook recognized of the challenge to balance emotions. "We’re giving everything we have. When you make plays or someone gets under your skin, it’s pretty easy to fire back. But, at the same time, you got to have that balance of discipline and being able to tune it out and just move on.'"

The culture Drinkwitz and his staff instill has the challenge of overcoming the individual emotions of players. It's one thing for a player to buy in during practice. During summer workouts. When everything is going right. Its another for that buy in to be strong enough to overcome emotions that arise in the heat of the moment.

"The team's mission is way more important than anybody's individual hurt feelings," Drinkwitz said. "So 'put your feelings in a box, put your big boy pants on, take accountability for the things that we have to improve on.'”

The true character of a team is not found in easy moments. Rather the opposite.

Burden's two penalties, costing the Tigers 30-yards overall, were a pivotal opportunity for Drinkwitz to reinforce the standard that has held up the team since 2023.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Brady Cook Knows Mizzou Offense is Far From Peak

Defensive Tackle Kristian Williams Showing Growth as Leader During Senior Year

Eli Drinkwitz Thinks SEC Injury Reports are 'Overbearing'