Eliah Drinkwitz 'Can't Say Enough' About Defensive Effort in Tigers Week 1 Win

The Tigers' defense took a big step forward on Thursday from where they were last season.

© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Starting the season 1-0 and getting off to a strong start is the goal for every college football team kicking off their season this weekend. The Missouri Tigers were able to do just that on Thursday night, cruising to a 52-24 blowout win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Defensively, the Tigers looked like an entirely different team on the field. Last season the Tigers' defense allowed 227.8 rushing yards per game, but that was a far different story last night, which coach Eliah Drinkwitz mentioned in his post-game press conference. 

"What a difference a year makes," Drinkwitz said. "Holding a team like that to I think 11 yards rushing was pretty impressive. Three turnovers forced in the first half and a defensive touchdown."

"I can't say enough about the effort those guys had."

The Tigers didn't hold the Bulldogs to 11 yards rushing. Rather, they held them to eight, as they outgained Louisiana Tech on the ground 328-8. Simply put, the Missouri defense was dominant against the Bulldogs' rushing attack, stifling it all game long. 

However, while the Tigers' defense was dominant on the ground, that was not the case for the pass defense. Despite recording three interceptions in the first half, the Tigers' defense still allowed the Bulldogs to record 336 yards through the air. 

"Obviously it wasn't perfect," Drinkwitz said. "Too many explosive plays. I hate that we had those two long explosive plays to end the game on what would have been a really nice job."

Louisiana Tech quarterback Parker McNeil connected with receiver Cyrus Allen for a 37-yard touchdown strike with 58 seconds left in the game. While the touchdown had no impact on the game's outcome, the completion kept the Tigers from keeping Louisiana Tech under 300 yards passing. 

Starting your season 1-0 will always be the ultimate goal, especially if you can show areas of improvement. For the Tigers, the defensive effort was a vast improvement from where they were last season, which is a good sign for Drinkwitz and his staff. 

However, they are still looking to improve even more as they continue to work towards SEC play. If the Tigers can take yet another step on the defensive side of the ball it could be one of the biggest turnarounds for the team in 2022. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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