COLUMBIA, Mo. — Preseason scrimmages display a little bit of everything to a head coach like Eli Drinkwitz. He doesn’t call plays anymore and instead observes those early intrasquad tests from a floating role.
And when a key play, like a touchdown or a turnover, means something good for one part of his program and something bad for the other side, he finds himself reaching for a little bit of nuance in summarizing the scrimmage viewing experience.
“Some good, some bad, some hard to tell until you really watch the tape,†Drinkwitz surmised after Mizzou’s Saturday scrimmage held at Memorial Stadium.
The session — the Tigers’ second scrimmage of preseason camp — was closed to media, but Drinkwitz relayed some of the highlights to reporters afterward.
As the team did with camp itself, it started the scrimmage in the red zone, pitting the offensive starters against the defensive starters in between the 20-yard line and the end zone. The defense “started fast†there, Drinkwitz said, holding MU’s offense to two field goals.
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That’s an encouraging sign for Missouri’s defensive capabilities, given the firepower available to starting quarterback Brady Cook in the passing game, for one, but notable given the offense’s preseason goal of increasing its efficiency in the red zone — something that evidently didn’t work out in Saturday’s limited scenario work.
When the second team offense and defense faced off in the red zone, backup quarterback Drew Pyne threw a “big time†touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Manning, Drinkwitz said.
After the red zone work, Mizzou’s scrimmage shifted to the opposite situation, backing the offense up against its own goal line. The starters went three and out on their first try, while the second-team offense was pulled into the end zone for a safety.
“And then the momentum kind of switched,†Drinkwitz said. The starters managed to secure a couple of first downs to win the scenario on another try, and coaches then allowed more open-field playcalling.
Among the standout performers, Drinkwitz said, was Manning, who finished with six catches for roughly 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers’ backfield looked different from how it will when the regular season begins, with projected tandem Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll not doing much. Noel did not play as an injury precaution while Carroll had only five carries.
“His best asset is to be a physical, downhill runner,†Drinkwitz said of Caroll, which is an ill-advised style of play when it comes to preventing injuries during the preseason. Freshman running back Kewan Lacy was also held out due to an ongoing “soft-tissue injury,†Drinkwtiz said, that has limited his participation in practice.
The only running backs that are in contention for touches this season that Missouri could use on Saturday, then, were Tavorus Jones and Jamal Roberts. Feeling a bit shorthanded, coaches brought a defensive player over to that position and found s a potential gem.
Freshman Austin Dendy, who was recruited out of Pine Bluff, Arkansas as a safety, filled in as a running back. He started camp as a safety but racked up 80 yards and a touchdown in the scrimmage, Drinkwitz said.
The look at Dendy in the backfield was a byproduct of Mizzou testing a solution to a possible, if unlikely, depth problem.
“It was like, ‘Hey, if this happens during the season, we might have to slide him over, so let’s get those reps now,’†Drinkwitz said.
Neither offense turned the ball over during the scrimmage, Drinkwitz said, although there were two dropped interceptions and one fumble recovered by the offense.
Kicker Blake Craig, who is replacing long-time special teams staple Harrison Mevis, went six for seven on field goal attempts, missing once from roughly 51 yards.
“He’s had some days where he’s missed some kicks that we got to make, but overall he’s battled back,†Drinkwitz said. “The biggest thing that I’ve seen is his mental toughness. You miss a couple of kicks, it’s tough. He’s just been out there and kept working.â€
Tight ends Brett Norfleet and Jordon Harris, who were both absent from multiple practices this week, missed the scrimmage with unspecified injuries. Drinkwitz said he expects them to return to practice by the end of next week.
One spot in the depth chart that saw even competition early in preseason camp seems to have settled, with Marcus Bryant taking pole position in the race for the starting left tackle job.
The Southern Methodist transfer had been competing with junior college transfer Jayven Richardson, with the duo appearing to alternate first-team reps in camp’s early practices. This week, though, it looked like Bryant had settled in with the starters and Richardson was working with backups.
“That’s kind of the way the line has been trending,†Drinkwitz said. “That position is really starting to gel. That doesn’t mean the competition is over, by any means. We’d like to see some game reps with different guys.â€