
Let’s close the notebook on Oklahoma, shall we?
Eli Drinkwitz: Football nerd or media whisperer?
It’s 2024. At this point we know, for the most part, how coaches are going to act: take blame during losses, praise the team in wins, credit the coordinators for game plans and their players for execution…etc.
We also know that they’re going to play the “NO BODY BELIEVES IN US” card at even the smallest iota of a slight, in any way they can skew it (and sometimes completely fabricated, in the cases of Saban and Smart). Again…this is known.
Still, it is still jarring to me to have a coach in a tremendous win come out and take shots at the media for how various outlets cover their teams, and tonight was no different. In praising Drew Pyne, Eli Drinkwitz couldn’t help but take a shot at the media scrum composed in front of him and mention how the stories and thoughts shared about his backup quarterback were overly negative and that he knew this entire time that Drew Pyne was the right guy for the job.
Coach… bravo. Masterclass work on using the media to talk to your team and remind them that you have all of their backs and the media doesn’t. That’s beautiful messaging, tip of the cap and thank you for saying the right things publicly.
At the same time, if you don’t let media watch practice and the only thing we have to go off of is a 50ish percent completion percentage in real games and three awful interceptions in a key game against Alabama… what does he want the media to write? That everything will be OK and it’s not that bad?
It’s less of a critique and more of a commentary of the modern kabuki dance that is known as “motivating a team of college kids”. College athletes seemingly won’t even brush their teeth unless someone says that they can’t, and however the media covers the team is a giant blemish to the respect and brotherhood of a team. We all just wink and nod and go along with the charade but, at its core, it is a very silly game we play.
Other spare thoughts…
- First things first: God, I hope Deion Burks is OK. I’ll be honest and say that I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of targeting to say whether or not it was — the broadcasters themselves seemed split on the matter — but the fact that it took all of 10 minutes to get him up and moving again was scary. Send all of your well wishes, prayers, good vibes his way after that nasty knock to the head.
- THEO WEASE REVENGE GAME, TAP IN. Would it interest you to know that, with this game, Wease surpassed his best receiving season at Oklahoma (again), meaning his two best years of production will have come in a Tiger uniform? I’m sure you would like to know that, and now you do!
- Luther Burden III’s third and likely final season at Mizzou hasn’t been what we envisioned, mostly because he’s been playing without a healthy, starting QB for most of it. But props to him, he’s always ready to step up in crunch time. His 33-yard catch and sideline tip toe on the tying drive was a thing of beauty, and not usually something you’d see from a player who had struggled to get into the game to that point. LB3 is special, and I’m glad we get to watch him play a few more games for the Tigers. Feels like he’s due for a big one soon.
- Is a Jamal Roberts coup d’état happening before our eyes? Nate Noel was back in action against the Sooners, but it was the St. Louis native who led in both carries and rushing yards on the night. Granted, Noel might still be working back to top form, but it seems to me that Roberts may have usurped Marcus Carroll on the depth chart. His pass blocking was crucial for Drew Pyne down the stretch, and he seems to get a stronger hold on the zone scheme every week.
- How can you not be happy for Zion Young? He’s been a great addition for a Mizzou team that desperately needed high level defensive end play. And while I had some questions about his production at Michigan State, he’s turning into a star for the Tigers. All he needed was a signature moment to become a “dude” at Mizzou, and now he has one.
- Props to Kirby Moore. I don’t think he had a particularly great game calling plays, but the first touchdown to Theo Wease was masterful design, and he opened things up at the end when the Tigers needed a spark. As Nate said last night, he still needs to do more, but this was a step in the right direction.
- Trouble in Norman? It doesn’t take much digging to read that Sooner fans are incredibly unhappy about the prospect of their bowl streak ending. Gary Pinkel survived a 5-7 first year in the SEC, and it stands to reason that Brent Venables will too, especially with some of the injuries Oklahoma has had. Then again, standards are high for the Crimson and Cream…
- Does Jackson Arnold have impossibly tiny or possibly very greasy hands? Both? How does a QB, much less a former blue-chipper, have this much trouble holding onto the ball?
- I’m sure Eli Drinkwitz’s “That’s right, I said playoffs,” moment will go over well with opposing fanbases this week. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Drink, troll that he is, stuck it to Bob Stoops of all people in the post-game presser.
“Yeah, this will be real disappointing to Bob Stoops, but OU doesn’t always whip Missouri’s a**.” #Mizzou FB coach Eli Drinkwitz says this rivalry felt good tonight, added that Sooner coaches (past and present) stirred it up good in the summer.
“Our guys were ready.” pic.twitter.com/nCMtlICR98
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) November 10, 2024
Oh, Eli. Never change, my friend.
- Checking in on the Sickos Committee and, oh look, they’re streaking
WEEEEEEEEEEE https://t.co/7cPNTVZpca pic.twitter.com/YXsTqPOK1X
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) November 10, 2024
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