Missouri's Drinkwitz Shares Key Observations in Week 1 Win, Where Missouri Needs to Improve

The Missouri Tigers head coach shared some of his key observations from the team's 51-0 win over Murray State in week 1.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz on the sidelines during a time out against the Murray State Racers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / denny medley-usa today sports

Week one of the college football season went as smoothly as the Missouri Tigers could've hoped for.

Missouri gained its first shutout win in a season-opener since defeating Bowling Green 37-0 in 1998, routing Murray State in a 51-point display. It jumped out to a 28-0 lead alone in the first quarter, which dedicated the eventual outcome. Along with that, it received a No. 9 placement in the latest AP rankings.

"Defensively, we played very well with a fast start," Drinkwitz said in his weekly press conference Tuesday. "We're always trying to create takeaways and be consistent at stopping the run. I thought we were consistently physical all night."

Even though the Tigers completed a shutout victory, there's always improvements to be made every week. Especially as the opponents get more tough, focusing on the issues for the present will help them be fully prepared once conference play begins.

"There's plenty for us to work on," Drinkwitz said in his weekly press conference Tuesday, "plenty for us to be concerned with that we need to correct and we need to really do a good job.” 

The next team paying Faurot Field a visit is the Buffalo Bulls, who are coming off a 30-13 win over Lafayette. Led by head coach Pete Lembo, its a team and coach that Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz holds in high regard.

"(Lembo is) one of the great program rebuilders and builders," Drinkwitz said. "He does just an excellent job of building culture, evaluating talent, getting the most out of his players. Does an excellent job recruiting. He has a tremendous staff."

Missouri was able to score early on in both the pass and run game against Murray State, but its lead truly got out of hand after cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. picked off the Racers at the 09:41 mark, bringing home a touchdown to make the score 21-0 after a successful field goal.

The offense did experience somewhat of a lull though in the second quarter, having three straight drives end in either a punt or a turnover. The passing attack also flailed in some crucial points.

"I liked being able to score points after the turnovers, but we do need to be more consistent in the throw game," Drinkwitz said. "The third downs that we missed were concerning for me."

Out of the seven third downs which Missouri passed on, only three of them resulted in first downs. These drives may not have been needed given the shutout circumstances, but later in the season, letting those opportunities slide could be costly.

Aside from third downs, Missouri's offensive line also had areas needing of improvement. Though it didn't give up a single sack and opened up holes for running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll early on, its execution wasn't perfect in the run game.

"We didn't sustain blocks as well as we wanted to on the outside zone," Drinkwitz. "I don't think our counter scheme was clean as we wanted it to, as far as our kick out. I think we were a light a little bit on our inside zone double teams."

The outside zone run concepts are a cruical part of the Misssouri offense that the group will have to refine throughout the season. It wasn't all bad for the offensive line Thursday night, but Drinkwitz will hope to see improvement in the three areas he mentioned.

Missouri will host Buffalo Saturday at 6 p.m. for week 2 of the college football season.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Brady Cook has Chance to Climb Missouri Leaderboards in Week 2

Missouri Enters Top 10 in AP Poll After Week 1

How to Watch: Buffalo at Missouri; Full Week 2 College Football Schedule