Missouri and head coach Eli Drinkwitz really needed a win over an Auburn team that most experts think will fire their head coach before season’s end. Unfortunately, the Mizzou Crew lost in dramatic fashion in overtime, due to blunders which are impossible to forget.
By Matt Zemek
Follow @14powerscom
Missouri fell to a dysfunctional opponent with a backup quarterback because of atrocious endgame mistakes. Now the Tigers have to turn the page and get ready for No. 1 Georgia this weekend. Coach Eli Drinkwitz is sinking into a pit of quicksand and needs to inspire something special in his players.
Throw everything at Georgia
When you’re in the position Mizzou currently occupies, sometimes throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks is the best plan. It’s unlikely that Eli Drinkwitz is going to outcoach Kirby Smart anytime soon. It’s also unlikely that Mizzou will be able to line up man-for-man with a team like Georgia and establish physical parity, let alone superiority. Mizzou needs to go deep into the grab bag, study film, and see if it can find any tendencies it can exploit. Georgia did give up 22 points to Kent State. Let’s see if Missouri can score that many points and create a game which is far more interesting than most experts are expecting.
Brady Cook can’t be mediocre
Whatever you think of Brady Cook, one thing that isn’t up for debate is that he can’t continue to play at his current level if Mizzou hopes to get the win. Yes, he is only a sophomore and will theoretically get better, but Mizzou can’t wait too much longer for theory to become reality. Cook’s reality is a quarterback with a touchdown-interception ratio which isn’t making the cut. He also has yet to prove he can win a game against a high-end opponent with his arm. This is where he has to begin to show something special, something which gives the coaching staff and the rest of the offense a new level of belief and trust.
Start with an avoidance of disasters
It might seem like a generic “key to the game,” but when there are only two teams in the SEC with a worse turnover margin than the Tigers, it becomes a very important key. The Tigers currently sit at No. 106 in the nation in turnover margin. Only Auburn and South Carolina are worse, and those teams aren’t examples to emulate. If Mizzou wants to have a shot at beating Georgia, it must avoid turning the ball over as often as it has.
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