"One of the Great Traditions in College Football": Eli Drinkwitz Previews Missouri's Cotton Bowl Matchup vs Ohio State

Following a 10-2 finish to the 2023 regular season, the No. 9 Missouri Tigers earned a bid in the Cotton Bowl Classic against No. 7 Ohio State.

Missouri was mostly considered a non-factor in the SEC ahead of the 2023 season. The Tigers had provided very little tangible reason to believe, however. Regardless of the exciting potential shown by star wide receiver Luther Burden or of a defense on the rise, Missouri had finished at or below a .500 winning percentage in each of the previous three seasons under head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

But the Tigers maintained a unique belief in themselves. A chip on their shoulder that they formed into the motto; 'something to prove.' Initially, the team aimed to prove everyone outside wrong for doubting them. Eventually, they turned the focus to the inside, wanting to prove each other right for believing in themselves. 

A 10-2 finish in 2023 certainly proved a lot for Missouri. It earned them a selection in the Cotton Bowl Classic against Ohio State, one of college football's most iconic programs.

"Man, when you see your name up against Ohio State, that's a blue-blood, national brand," Drinkwitz said. "To have an opportunity to play them is very special."

Drinkwitz recognized the challenge his team will face against the No. 7 Buckeyes, while also relishing the valuable opportunity for his team to play in one of college football's New Year's Six bowl games.

"It's just one of the great traditions of college football. An outstanding venue to play in. A tremendous opponent in the Ohio State Buckeyes coached by an outstanding coach in Ryan Day with a bunch of tremendous players."

Following a loss to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl and a 6-7 2022 season Missouri had to make changes somewhere. The changes started with Drinkwitz; his approach and his responsibilities. In January, Drinkwitz hired former Fresno State offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to be his offensive coordinator, forfeiting Drinkwitz's play-calling abilities.

"When you face challenges in life, you can decide whether or not you want to grow and learn from them, or what we call BCD — blame, complain, and defend — poor performance. And I think, me personally,I had to choose to grow and say, Hey, what's best for our team is for me to no longer call plays... It's best for me to hire this person as the offensive coordinator," Drinkwitz said.

The decision allowed Drinkwitz to focus on his relationship with players and the mental aspect of coaching a young locker room.

"We had a couple of coaches come and talk to our team, and I was picking their brains about them being head coaches," Drinkwitz said. "And one of them told me, reminded me, that college football, coaching 18 to 22-year-olds is 90% having your team motivated. And I think for the previous two years, I spent so much time worried about X's and O's that I forgot about the mindset of our players." 

The shift in approach for Drinkwitz has brought him and his team to a stage that he never expected to reach.

"I know for me as the head football coach, in my wildest dreams, I don't know that I ever thought about being able to coach in the Cotton Bowl versus Ohio State," Drinkwitz said. "It's something I'm going to be very present in and really enjoy the moment."

Missouri will face off against face off against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, December 29th, in Arlington, Texas. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Speaks on Cotton Bowl Matchup vs. Missouri: Transcript