Eli Drinkwitz Reviews Mizzou's 'Poor' Special Teams Play Against Oklahoma

The Missouri Tigers were lucky its special teams unit didn't cost them the game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Joey Van Zummeren | Nov 12, 2024

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz walks on the sideline during the second half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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Missouri Tigers

Special teams almost cost the No.24-ranked Missouri Tigers against Oklahoma.

Between five penalties, a missed extra point and a 43-yard fake punt, the Tigers were lucky the errors didn't come to bite them in the 30-23, last-second win.

"It wasn't good," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesady of the special teams play. "We're not helping anybody in this building. We call special teams a team responsibility. We understand that as a team we let ourselves down"

Missouri was anticipating a fake punt during Oklahoma's third drive of the game late in the third quarter. They went into a "safe" formation, placing eight players in the box. Due to what Drinkwitz attributed to a miscommunication, Oklahoma tight end Bauer Sharp was left wide open with space to gain 34 yards after the catch.

"That's really disappointing when we knew, anticipated that they were gonna fake a punt right there, and should have had multiple players in the position to take care of that," Drinkwitz said.

Gotcha 😏@ElzingaLuke » @BauerSharp15 pic.twitter.com/5TAoYBrok4
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 10, 2024

The Missouri defense held Oklahoma to a field goal after the special teams error, sacking Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold on first and second down.

This was the second fake punt Missouri failed to stop this season. Against UMass in Week 7, the Tigers gave up 39 yards on a faked punt near the end of the first half. The run extended the UMass drive into the red zone, with the defense again stepping up in the form of a Corey Flagg Jr. interception on third-and-goal.

🚨 FAKE PUNT ALERT 🚨

39-yard run for Powell on the fake!#Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/83S2LNtzx1
— UMass Football (@UMassFootball) October 12, 2024

Missouri's special teams put extra work on its defense's plate before the end of the half, too. With the Tigers punting from their own 39, Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen returned it13 yards to the Sooners' 34. But a personal foul on Missouri linebacker Will Norris cost the Tigers 15 yards, making for a net of just 12 yards on Luke Bauer's punt.

"Really just a critical error in that penalty right there," Drinkwitz said.

Without the penalty, the Sooners would've faced a tough task to get into field goal range as just 10 seconds remained in the half. Thanks to the mistake from Missouri though, Oklahoma only needed one 14-yard reception from wide receiver Deion Burks to set up Zach Schmitt for a succesful 56-yard field goal.

The make from Schmitt made the score 9-3 ahead of halftime. The Tigers' special teams was a contributing factor for six of Oklahoma's points.

The errors continued for Missouri out of the gate in the second half. On Missouri's first drive, cornerback Ja'Marion Wayne gifted Oklahoma 15 more yards with a kick catch interference penalty on a punt. Again, the Missouri defense stepped up by forcing a turnover on downs from the Sooners.

When the Missouri offense began rolling in the second half on a 12-play, 59-yard touchdown drive to take a 10-9 lead, special teams errors struck again. Blake Craig's kick landed out of bounds, placing Oklahoma at their own 35.

The Missouri defense was able to hold the Sooners to just 16 yards following the penalty.

Two drives later, the Tigers put together a key touchdown drive to take a 16-9 lead after tight end Brett Norfleet's five-yard touchdown reception. All Missouri needed to make it an eight-point game was a successful extra-point from Craig. But after a false start on the protection unit from defensive tackle Marquis Gracial, Craig missed wide left.

The one-point changed the game for Oklahoma with eight minutes left. Now, the Sooners could not only tie the game with a touchdown and an extra-point, but could also take the lead with a two-point conversion.

By this point, special teams had cost Missouri 70 yards in field position on penalties, two of which led to six points for Oklahoma, left one crucial point on the field, and allowed the longest play of the game. These errors would doom most teams in one-possession games. It would've cost the Tigers if their other two units didn't rise to the occasion.

"For offense and defense to play so well, and for team responsibility not to get it done, it was a very challenging thing," Drinkwitz said.

Although the Missouri defense allowed a game-tying touchdown after the missed extra-point and the Tigers' offense fumbled a carry that led to a touchdown for Oklahoma, the final two minutes were filled with exhilarating plays from both sides.

Backup quarterback Drew Pyne led Missouri on a eight-play. 75-yard touchdown drive in just 57 seconds. The Missouri defense followed up by forcing a fumble of their own, with defensive end Zion Young returning the loose ball to the end zone for a game-winning touchdown.

Missouri was fortunate to overcome its special team errors. The Tigers are 8-0 in one-score games over the past two seasons. Mistakes that pile up like multiple penalties on special teams are often the deciding factor for those close games.

If Missouri plans to continue winning those nail-biters, it will need cleaner performances from its special teams.

"It starts with me," Drinkwitz said. "I've got to make team responsibility more of an emphasis, and that can't happen."

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