A Fan’s Notes: A Culture Win

Nov 11, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri defensive end Zion Young (9) throws “L’s” up after his team defeated Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Some notes, thoughts, and observations from the other side of the country, after the Mizzou Tigers come together for a hard-fought victory over Oklahoma.

The Eli Drinkwitz tenure at Missouri is about to wrap up its first half decade, coming off a signature win in a rivalry renewed. Mizzou mounted comebacks from two different deficits in order to vanquish Oklahoma in front of a raucous Fausto Field. This win showed the resilient nature of Eli’s ballclub, and it was another victory delivered by a high character clubhouse.

Through the first five years of Drink’s tenure, his program has a few readily identifiable hallmarks. His high school recruiting and portal work are both masterful, perhaps the best in school history. He has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth when in front of a microphone. On the field, the search for a gamebreaker quarterback continues to shape the program.

But at this point in his tenure, his biggest trademark is the way he has reliably built outstanding locker room cultures. I have written about it before on these electronic pages, but I am not some infallible observer – the team’s brotherhood, togetherness, and resiliency is the front porch of this program. When his lesser teams (2021 and ‘22) suffered midseason losses, they could have quit; instead, they rallied around injured quarterbacks and earned those critical sixth wins. When his breakthrough team last year was on the ropes, time after time they came back and won close ballgames.

They showed that again on Saturday under the lights, earning a win delivered by culture. Sure, there were actual, tangible football reasons, like a passing game that sprung to life, a defensive line that dominated, and some good ol’ fashioned bounce-of-the-pointy-ball luck, too. But those lucky bounces would not have helped a team packing it in, and the second-half breakthrough in the passing game would not have been possible without world-class togetherness, toughness, and resiliency.

Drew Pyne, one of the stars of the moment, laid it all out in the postgame. The way the team encouraged him after the nightmare in Tuscaloosa. The way he and Brady Cook supported one another. The way the team believed in him, even if everyone in the stands and on social media did not. It takes intentionality in your roster building, and mindfulness in your leadership – both from coaches and player leaders – to craft a clubhouse ready to break down walls and fight for that win.

This is not just limited to the offense and how they fought for Drew Pyne and Theo Wease. The defense, which last year featured five NFL draft picks and some of the best player leaders to ever come through Columbia, has been remade overnight with a swarming, no-name approach. Every position plays a deep, extensive rotation, but there is no drop-off in chemistry or complaints about playing time. The team is healthier and fresher thanks to their all-hands-on-deck approach. Seemingly a different player steps up to stardom each week; this time, it was Triston Newson and Zion Young who commanded the headlines. And their brothers were thrilled for them.

Theo Wease said to the assembled postgame media, “I’m starting to believe that Faurot has some real magic to it.” No, Theo, it doesn’t work like that. And beside, anyone who lived through (insert all the classic examples here), would tell you they believe it is the opposite. The magic for this program does not come from one player, or a scheme, or some mysterious juju. The magic is a locker room with impeccable chemistry. Yet again, Eli Drinkwitz has built a resilient team of young men that trust, love, and fight for one another, and yet again, they earned the right to celebrate another tight victory.

Some other notes, from my desk in New York City…

  • So thrilled for Theo. The online and vocal portion of the Oklahoma fanbase has not handled this new era of player movement very well; some nasty things have been said about ex-Sooners Wease and Cayden Green. He made it known that it was personal for him, and he delivered in the biggest way.
  • Alright, not as thrilled about the special teams. After being fairly sound most of the year, there were multiple disasters, including, but not limited to, a missed extra point, a personal foul, and a kick off out of bounds. If you are going to be a ball control and defense team that plays and wins close contests, you have to be buttoned up on the little things. The Tigers special teams were not on Saturday, and they are lucky it did not cost them.
  • Add another one to the portfolio of clutch Luther Burden catches. 4th and 17 last year is the one that will live forever, but 3rd and 16 down the sideline on Saturday was damn impressive too.
  • Missouri’s defensive depth continues to show its benefits. Sterling Webb actually got the start over Chris McClellan, but that was just academic. McClellan was in before the first Sooner drive ended, and out-snapped Webb. Perhaps just a nod by the staff to a player who has been working hard and getting better each week. Nick DeLoach is also improving, and plaid a full game, perhaps his best of the year. The safety and linebacker rooms continue to thrive with long rotations. We love every-down warriors, but we like fresh legs in November even more.
  • Early in the game I said this one was going to look a lot like December in Dallas. A game dominated by the defensive lines, and would come down to who could capitalize just a few more times on their drives, or maybe pop a long pass. And that was true, for about 56 minutes before mayhem happened. That said, another reason it looked like Dallas: Daylan Carnell, Triston Newson, and Johnny Walker Jr were everywhere. Just like in the Cotton Bowl, 13, 14, and 15 came to play.

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