Everything Eli Drinkwitz Said After Music City Bowl Win Over Iowa

A full transcript from the head coach of the Missouri Tigers following a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl.

Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz watches the clock against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 19-ranked Missouri Tigers ended their 2024 season with a thrilling win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday, finishing with a 10-3 record.

It was the final game for the team with multiple key players crucial to the program's resurgence, including quarterback Brady Cook and defensive end Johnny Walker Jr.

Drinkwitz spoke to the media after the win to reflect on the game, and the legacy the departing group of players leaves behind. Here's a full transcript from his press conference following the game.

Opening Statement:
"Just congrats to Iowa. I mean, they're a really good football team and hard-fought. They made us earn every yard and every opportunity. They played a really good football game today, but the story really is our football team and these guys right here and their commitment to finishing the season.

Just so proud of the way they battled. Numerous players -- I think I saw where our top four pass catchers were out for the game. Theo Wease, what an unbelievable job he did in the first half. Took an injury and couldn't return in the game. He laid it all on the line for us.

Then other guys: Marquis, stepping up big-time, Blake Craig stepping up big-time making two unbelievable kicks, Johnny Walker, with the sack and pressuring the quarterback.

We knew at halftime if we could just contain the quarterback run, we would be okay, his scrambles. Obviously Toriano [Pride Jr.] with the big interception. Blake going in there and making the kick to tie the game. Then obviously Brady leading us back down there to get the other one.

Really, really proud of our team, and to finish the season, the win totals isn't important, but being ranked -- to start the season and finish the season ranked is a heck of an accomplishment for this senior class and something that they should take a lot of pride in. Back-to-back seasons finishing ranked is an unbelievable accomplishment for our program, and really, really proud of them."

On the hit to the head that Brady Cook took in the first quarter:

"Have you ever seen the movie "Tombstone" with Doc Holliday is laying and acting all sick, and then he gets up, and it's like, Yeah, I may not have been quite as injured as I appeared. That's pretty much Brady's entire story.

When he got hit I was, like, Nah, he's just faking it. He likes to play it up a little bit."

On why it was important for the team to finish the season with a win:

"Well, we got a quote -- I'm going to read it to you because I think it's a really powerful quote, if I can find it amongst all the text messages I have.

"All endeavors call for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour's toil. The fight-to-the-finish spirit is the one characteristic we must possess if we are to face the future as finishers," Henry David Thoreau.

It's just something I think speaks to us. There are a lot of people that start things in life, but they don't finish. If you're going to be a person of significance, if you're going to be the best at whatever you do, you have to have a finisher, fight-to-the-finish spirit.

It's just something that we talk about start fast, finish strong all the time as one of those things that's important in our program, and I just felt like these seniors had come this far.

We just needed to finish. We needed to finish. Boy, they did in the fourth quarter today."

On why Missouri has been able to win so many one-score games this season:

"I think you would have to talk to the players. I think it's belief in each other, belief in what we're doing. We prepare really hard for these moments. We truly believe in an elite EDGE. We truly believe in faster, stronger, tougher than you in the fourth quarter.

I think there's a big belief, and at the end of the day I think there's always belief in our quarterback, in Brady, because you look back a couple of years ago and maybe it didn't go our way, but he never flinched, he never changed. He just kept trying, and he kept going back out there.

Then you flip it on the other side of the ball, you look at a guy like Johnny Walker. You have to get to the quarterback, man, just call Johnny. He'll get there. I think there's just a lot of belief in both sides of the ball.

We practiced a two-minute drill on Thursday, good-on-good, just because we felt like it could come down to that scenario, and really proud of them. Fight-to-the-finish spirit."

On wide receiver Marquis Johnson's Performance:

"We've known Marquis has been a special player. I mean, we saw it last year, but the thing I'm the most proud of him about is it's always been about the team, and whatever the team has asked him to do, he's embraced that role.

He's been the best gunner on punt team that he can be. He's played on special teams. He's done everything we've asked him to do, and now it was his opportunity and really in the last four games we've needed some big-time plays down the field to open up. Brady put the ball on him, and he went up and made some spectacular catches.

As these other guys move on, it was awesome to see Luther appreciate him coming back today. Theo is moving on. As those guys move on, man, it's really about Marquis and Josh's turn next. We're really, really excited.

It was easy to recruit a quarterback when you can send them tape of Marquis and Josh[ua Manning]. So very appreciative of him and know that he's got a lot of work to continue to improve, but we know that the next year, hopefully two, but probably just one, is going to be really special."

On the legacy of the departing senior class:

"I talked about it in the locker room. When these guys showed up, it wasn't this way. It was really, really tough.

Then there was people leaving left and right, and I'm sure these guys had doubts, but they stayed, and they fought shoulder-to-shoulder every day to get to where we're at.

The underclassmen, man, they now know what it looks like, but they owe it to them every single day to keep fighting for the legacy that these guys built. I think it's the third time in school history to have back-to-back ten-win seasons. They've put us on a launching pad to keep going.

Our board, our Athletic Director, our boosters are all in right now on Mizzou football because of these young men. They're tearing down the north end zone because of these guys.

You saw the fans tonight again showing up in Mizzouville for us. It's awesome right now what we've got going. It's up to these guys and ourselves, our coaches to work our butts off every single day not to let them down, and we're going to."

On defensive end Johnny Walker Jr.:

"There was a point midway through the season where Johnny and I met, and he was just -- he was pressing so hard. He was trying to put so much into it.

It was really about just relaxing, trusting his training, and believing in himself.

I think he and [Edge] coach [Brian] Early spent some extra time. One of the things before the Alabama game -- and I don't remember exactly who told him, but somebody talked about practice the move you're going to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the scouting report -- practice that move on one-on-ones, even if it's not going to work against maybe the starting left tackle that you are going against for us.

He started applying that, and all of a sudden, man, he's just starting to break through. I mean, they were chipping him tonight. Every time I looked up, I'm like, Dag gum, they're trying to chip him, they're trying to do this. The sack he had on the goal line, he rushed right through that offensive tackle and got up underneath him and pushed him all the way into the quarterback, used his speed. Set him up thinking the speed got him off balance and then got his hands underneath and just drove him right into the quarterback. Hands inside wins.

Just really proud of him. Really excited for him to get invited to the East West Shrine Game. I'm going to tell everybody. He's got an injury, and I thought he wouldn't play. In fact, I told him if he was my son, I wouldn't let him play, but he said, No, I want to play. I'm going to play, and we'll get it fixed afterwards if we have to get it fixed. If not, we're going to keep going.

For him to play four quarters tonight on an injury when he could have said, No, I'm going to tap out and get ready for the draft and combine and East West Shrine Game, man, you just don't have this much anymore. I love you, buddy."

On Brady Cook:

"Honestly I figured the NCAA would just grant everybody eligibility, so I've been kind of kicking it down the road a little bit. I keep hoping that there's some sort of magic that will happen, but you know, we talked about core value number four is, "Enjoy the journey," and it's been a hell of a journey.

I'll always be indebted to him for what he's done for my family and what he's done for this program, but you know, journeys aren't always meant to be together forever. So he's going to go start his own path and his own career, and I have no doubt he'll be successful in the NFL. He's going to get a chance. Just like we all found out, don't ever count him out.

I'm sure he'll be a starting quarterback someday in the NFL, and hopefully he'll let me come watch him play. It's time for him to go chase his journey now.

What's that old weird saying? Don't cry because you're sad; be excited because it happened, or something like that? I'm fortunate that it happened. I'm fortunate that he stayed with us. I'm fortunate that him and Johnny chose to stay with us, yeah."

On the difference between Missouri's bowl game loss in 2022 to winning in 2024:

"In 2021, your first career start, right, he led us on a two-minute drive. We go up, and they drive it down, kick a field goal to beat us. How ironic is it for you on your last game in a college career we're down all game, you lead us on, and Blake kicks the game-winning field goal, and we send the defense back out there, and this time you all get a stop. How about that fourth and one stop. Just incredible the growth that the program has had. What a way to go out, man. That's pretty awesome."

More from the Music City Bowl:

Despite Early Exit, Wease Shines in Final Game of Mizzou Career

Mizzou Earns One Last Narrow Victory in the Music City Bowl to Close Out 2024