An “ambush” aptly describes a group of Tigers. Before the Cotton Bowl confetti flew in December, the sun heated up debates in early September, and many Tiger fans and journalists ambushed Eli Drinkwitz and Co. with doubts. Could an injury-free Brady really Cook? Would Blake Baker’s defense rebound after roster shifts? Was the pre-season sixth seed SEC East ranking reasonable? Could they defeat Georgia? …Ohio State?
(YES, sort of, nope, No. Yes!)
The KCOU Sports editors revised each story asking and answering these questions this season. They – We? This illeism, which is fancy word we just learned about on Google, feels strange but also kind of fun. We’re the editors, so we’re rolling with it – are ready to add their own voices to the page for a moment. Please sit back, relax and enjoy their thoughts on the the 2023 football season:
-Happy New Year!
Abigail Klapatauskas, Vijay Viswanathan, Quentin Corpuel, Megan Dorr and Noa Chen
The Missouri Tigers played with a chip on their shoulder pads this season. They claimed they had “Something to Prove.” What (if anything) did they prove this year?
AK: In the era of the transfer portal tornado, the 2023 Tigers proved something refreshing: teams can improve without overhauling their lineups. Missouri’s 2022 and 2023 rosters look similar. Swap Theo Wease Jr. for Dominic Lovett and Barrett Banister. Replace Isaiah McGuire with Johnny Walker Jr…ish. There were other changes at the line of scrimmage and the ever-expanding receiving core, but, at the end of the day, the star playmakers of 2023 wore black and gold in 2022. The 11-2 2023 team reached their potential by refining their plays and defining their positions. Luther Burden more than tripled his average receiving yards per game (98 in ‘23 compared to 28 in ‘22) because new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore targeted him at midfield and protected him with strategic blocks. Cody Schrader doubled his rushing yardage because Moore affirmed his spot as the leading rusher and stopped trying to balance his carries with Nathaniel Peat’s. Missouri proved 6-7 teams don’t always deserve a one-year expiration date; they reimagined each player’s potential from within before reaching beyond.
QC: That not giving up can be extremely rewarding. It’s a common cliche, it’s the subject of Jim Valvano’s most famous quote, and it’s something that defined the 2023 iteration of Mizzou football. They were faced with major in-game adversity several times this season – against Kansas State, Kentucky, Florida and Ohio State, folding seemed very easy…except they never did. The mantra also applied to many players that helped the Tigers to 11 wins. Whether it was injury, being buried on the depth chart, enduring a lot of losing or starting college in Division II, a handful of guys could’ve given up. Instead, they used their visits to the bottom as motivation and never stopped climbing. Their reward? An 11-win season, a Cotton Bowl victory and, for some, future employment in the NFL.
VV: The Tigers proved they can win, they aren’t mediocre and they deserve the national attention that they received. This year was basically the reverse version of the 2022 schedule, in who was home and away. Many of the 2022 games resulted in heartbreaking losses for the Tigers. Those same games in 2023 resulted in some of the most exciting wins of the 2023 season.
MD: This season the Tigers proved that Mizzou firmly belongs in the SEC. Picked to finish sixth in the east, Mizzou had often been thought of as the team that doesn’t belong in the conference. That’s not the case. Mizzou gave Georgia their toughest test the last two seasons. This season showed that although Texas and Oklahoma might be joining the conference, Mizzou is a real threat for fellow SEC teams to watch out for.
This was Missouri’s first 11-win season since 2013/14. Who or what catalyzed Missouri’s ninth, tenth and eleventh wins this year?
VV: This seemed to be all of Cody Schrader and Brady Cook. It was all Cook against Florida and Schrader against every other SEC team. To be completely honest, this is a very hard question to answer, as one could argue that the entire team was the catalyst for the latter part of the Tigers’ season, as they did beat No. 7 Ohio State without players like Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
QC: Most everyone was involved in at least one of the wins over Florida, Arkansas and Ohio State, but the lone constant was Cody Schrader. The Shredder tore up the Gators and Razorbacks for a combined 365 rushing yards on 7.2 yards per carry, and when the Tigers couldn’t get anything going against the Buckeyes, Schrader kept pounding. I’m going to miss watching him bowling ball through defenses in black and gold.
MD: I think you have to give Cody Schrader credit for getting the Tiger’s those last few wins. His ability to run through opposing defenses and get those few extra yards once tacklers reached him made such a huge difference. His leadership off the field was just as important. It was obvious Schrader was a rock for this Tiger’s team no matter what was happening on the field.
AK: Ditto what my brilliant co-editors said. No. 7 was the No. 1 RB in the SEC, and top 5 in the nation, for a reason. (By the way…did you know he was a D-II transfer?)
If I had to add a second answer, I’d say the fans. They were loud and proud at home and away. Hearing the MIZ chants on television while the Tigers played IN ARKANSAS was a testament to how the Missouri faithful bought into this team’s dreams.
College football is a kaleidoscope of thrills and heartbreak. What were the most magical or painful moments this season?
QC: I’ll get the most painful one out of the way first: Brady Cook’s interception against Georgia was the lone heart-sinker this season. Down six with 8:59 left in regulation against the top-ranked Bulldogs, the Tigers were about to embark on their most important offensive drive in at least a decade…and Cook had the most costly brain fart of the season, tossing a game-changing lollipop to UGA defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse.
Now, the thriller. There are a few strong candidates, but I’ll have to go with the one that nearly made me pass out from sudden elation. When Harrison Mevis’ game-winning, buzzer-beating 61-yard kick against Kansas State cleared the crossbar, I got smacked with an invisible wave of euphoria. Faurot Field exploded. Fans stormed the field. All civility was lost in favor of celebration. It’s a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life and will recall to my children and grandchildren (hopefully) with .
VV: Honestly, the most painful one in my view was the pick-six that Brady Cook threw against LSU that seemed to put that game out of reach for the Tigers. In full honesty, that whole LSU game was the most painful part of the season, for the fact that the Tigers led 22-7 at one point in time and still lost. Now, the two most magical moments of this season for me would be Cody Schrader’s performance against Tennessee and the magical 61-yarder by Harrison Mevis against Kansas State. Just like QC, I’ll remember exactly what I was doing at that exact moment. For those wondering, I was cleaning my apartment.
MD: I think the highest my heart rate got the entire year was seconds before the fourth-and-17 conversion by Luther Burden in the Florida game. Playing a struggling Florida team, this game seemed like an easy step on the way to a New Year’s Six Bowl. Credit to Florida, they came into Faurot Field and put up a fight, almost knocking off the Tigers. The fourth down conversion in the come-from-behind win to set up the Harrison Mevis game-winning field goal to let the seniors get that last home win was a play I won’t forget for a long time.
While that specific play was my most magical of the season, it was up there with Mevis’ record-setting 61-yard field goal. I can’t overstate how instrumental the win over Kansas State was in setting the tone for the season. To be able to storm the field with my friends is a core college memory I won’t forget.
AK: The 61-yard Mevis Magic will rein in fame. As I recovered from shock in the press box, I watched the streak (another name for a group of Tigers), of students sprint onto the field. There was no hesitation. This was a rush-the-field-because-wow-they-could-really-be-undefeated–headed–into-LSU moment.
It was a magical…runner-up. The most meaningful moments are those which materialize after disappointment. Losing to LSU ended the Tigers’ playoff hopes. Cook’s offense needed to renew their rhythm in Kentucky. Down 14-0 in the second quarter, things looked…bleak. Then, Missouri punter Luke Bauer connected with Marquis Johnson to turn a fourth-and-10 from the 50 into a 39-yard touchdown completion. The momentum shifted. The Tigers scored 20 unanswered points before eventually winning the game. I’m not sure if I believe in season-defining moments. But, if I did, Bauer’s thrilling fake punt deserves the honor.
Missouri finally defined its football brand this season; how would you describe “Missouri football?”
MD: After hearing endless bowl game post game interviews, I don’t know if I will ever hear the word “brotherhood” that much again. Every coach preaches it. However, I think it is very alive at Mizzou. The players care about each other and about representing Missouri. It’s not a team of the highest ranked players (well, ignore Burden), but they play hard, and they play together, a formula that has proven to work.
QC: Succeeding at a high level together. All season long, not only did the Tigers consistently play at a high level, but everyone always seemed to be on the same page.
VV: I’m from St. Louis, so I’ve heard names like Brady Cook when I was in high school. Missouri football was defined as a team that had an explosive offense and a defense that didn’t allow much past it. And a lot of it was because of the St. Louis-area kids, whether it be Brady Cook or Luther Burden III.
AK: There’s something contagious about the Missouri Tigers’ brand. They’re not as nearly
“perfect” as the Georgia and Alabama giants of the past decade, but they’re almost better because they make mistakes. They make magic out of their mistakes and keep fans on the edge of their seats. They pack opponents’ stadiums and sell-out home crowds. They win and lose together and demand to be paid attention to.
Let’s discuss Missouri’s future: Where does Drinkwitz go from here? Who’s most likely to get drafted the earliest?
QC: The arrow certainly seems to be pointing up. For the first time in a long time, Mizzou is a very attractive destination for a multitude of reasons. The coaching staff is strong and in lockstep. More in-state talent is headed to Columbia. Also, seven Tigers could hear their name called in April, which is kind of a big deal from a plate development standpoint, as all four of those players (Abrams-Draine, Carlies, Foster, Rakestraw, Robinson) have been with the program since 2020 or earlier.
VV: I’ll agree with my fellow web editor here. QC hit it on the head. Coach Drinkwitz is starting to land recruits left and right. I mean, it seems like everyday he posts his little recruiting video on his X account. In my view, the earliest drafted from Missouri will be No. 7, Cody Schrader.
AK: As the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams next season, Missouri looks to earn an at-large bid. They return their top talent, excluding Schrader, and likely their award-winning coaches, though Blake Baker’s future remains slightly unclear as the LSU Tigers seem interested. The 12-team playoff structure allows underdogs the chance to compete, but for the first time in the Drinkwitz era, the Tigers have the chance to prove they’re more than an underdog, they’re a favorite.
MD: I think that not only will a large number of Tigers get drafted, but more importantly, plenty of them can have long, successful NFL careers. Having alumni do well in the NFL is a huge selling point to recruits, because after all, most players dream of playing in the league, not just having their career end in college.