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Eli Drinkwitz on challenge of facing No. 1 Georgia: ‘I’m excited as crap’
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At 4-4 on the year, Missouri’s toughest test yet is coming this weekend when it travels to Athens for a tilt with the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Kirby Smart’s bunch is unbeaten on the year at 8-0 and hasn’t played a particularly close game since a season-opening showdown with Clemson. Georgia is beating teams by more than 30 points a game and has already dispatched four top-20 opponents. The Bulldogs are the presumptive favorites to earn the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
Bring on the challenge, says Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz:
Drinkwitz on coaching against the No. 1 team in the country: "I'm excited as crap. … You kidding me? That's why we do it."
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) November 2, 2021
Speaking with the media Tuesday, Drinkwitz said he’d like to see his Tigers compete for a full 60 minutes with Georgia. They did exactly that last year, for a half, thanks to a 14-point second quarter that made it a 21-14 game at halftime. Then ranked 12th in the country, Georgia shut out Missouri in the second half, en route to a 49-14 win over the Tigers.
Drinkwitz on last year's Georgia game: "First half we freakin' matched up. Second half we didn't." Says he wants to see Missouri "stay in the fight" in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) November 2, 2021
It’s a tall task. The Tigers are just 1-3 in conference play this year and are giving up an average of 36 points a game, good for 119th nationally. Perhaps it found something in its most recent win, a 37-28 victory over Vanderbilt, with running back Tyler Badie. The senior back had 256 yards and 2 scores on 31 carries. Missouri will likely need a similar performance again Saturday.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on ESPN on Saturday.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
