Coach Drink, new starting center Drake Heismeyer, freshman linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, and freshman safety Trajen Greco talked to the media ahead of the Tigers final road game of the season.
The vibes are different at the beginning of the season when goals are ready to be met compared to the waning moments of a season when those goals are in the rear view mirror. Such is the case for the Missouri Tigers whose goals of an SEC title and a College Football Playoff appearance have all been dashed after a heartbreaking last-minute loss to South Carolina this past Saturday.
As such, Coach Drinkwitz, center Drake Heismeyer, and freshman linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez and freshman corner Trajen Greco talked to the media. The omission of starting players outside of Heismeyer from this weeks pressers were apparent, a symbol of the mood in the locker room.
Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the key things said by all parties:
Eli Drinkwitz | Head Coach
“Another week, another opportunity to go on the road in the SEC in a very difficult environment. Mississippi State has had an extremely challenging schedule. You could argue it’s one of the toughest in the SEC this year, and so I don’t think their record accurately represents the style of football and team that they are, they’re improving every week. I think Coach Lebby’s done an excellent job of staying the course. They have a clear identity on offense, defense and special teams. I think offensively, they are very explosive. You look at the wide receiver, Kevin Coleman, who we know well from his time in St Louis, he’s a dynamic wide receiver, really good route runner, really good at yard after catch, is also their punt returner, as challenging a wide receiver as there is in the SEC in my opinion. I think their running back is playing really well. They’ve been very effective at running football the last two, really four weeks in Davon Booth, has really given them a lift in the run game. Explosive plays. Also their kickoff return man. I think the freshman quarterback is a really good player, and he’s just getting better and better each week with the reps, the game reps. And so I know they spent the bye week just continually putting it all together defensively, they’re very multiple do a lot of different things. Have a couple of key anchors at the linebacker position, you know, with Stone Blanton and number 40, Mitchell. I think those guys do a really good job getting them lined up, playing downhill, playing physical. So it’ll be a real challenge for our guys. – On their opponent this week
“Yeah, I think there’s a competitive character. You know, winning and losing has to matter to you, but you have to be quick to move on. Learn the lesson, lead the event. And I think that’s something that our guys have embraced is learned the lessons from the games, but you can’t let them drag you down. And you know, we’ve got enough competitive character on this team. We’ve got enough upper classmen to know you can’t dwell on the past. You just got to continue to move forward. And I believe our guys are going to do that. And that’s the focus” – On the loss to South Carolina
“You know, I told our guys yesterday, there was a lot of plays we made, you know, the fourth down stops, but we needed one more play on both sides of the ball. We needed a third down execution in the red zone by the offense. We needed one more stop on the reverse in kickoff coverage, and we needed one more play on defense. So between those three phases, we got to come up with one more play. Whether it’s a better call by the coaching staff, better execution by the players. At the end of the day, it’s all of us. – On what they needed to change to beat South Carolina and why it didn’t happen.
“I think it’s been mentally taxing on him. I think it’s been a mental challenge for him to stay positive and have a lot of uncertainty and unknown, but try to do the very best he can every day, to try to get as healthy as he can for his teammates and for himself. You know, we’re dealing with an injury that, or he’s dealing with multiple injuries that aren’t fully recovered yet. But you know he’s choosing to play much like he did several years ago, which you’d expect nothing less from Brady as a leader and a teammate. And I think you know for him to make that throw he did the Luther was pretty impressive. He can’t quite snap his wrist the way he needs to, which is why some of the balls get left short, specifically the first start down the field. But he’s valorant, makes no excuses, and very fortunate to have leading our team the next three games.” – On Brady Cook’s recovery and how he’s come back
“I don’t have a great response for that, so it’s definitely something that we’ve challenged our guys be better in the first half. To play faster, play with better execution. But obviously it hasn’t gotten done.” – On the team’s inability to put up points in the first half of SEC games.
“It’s a combination of depth and need and a combination of readiness. And you know, these guys, a lot of them, have contributed on special teams and a couple other ones, just especially with the injuries that we’re dealing with, we needed to finish games. This game. No no different you’re going to play a team that’s a high volume offense. Can get a lot of plays, and so in order to stay healthy and efficient on both sides of ball, you can have multiple players playing” – On five freshmen burning their redshirts against South Carolina.
Drake Heismeyer | Center
“As far as me being the starter, Coach Jones does a really, really good job of making sure not only the starter, but especially the second strings are able to just end the day and play. It’s football like people get hurt. It happens a lot. So my preparation is the same. – On the difference in his preparation being the starter vs not being the starter.
“The game didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but I thought I played pretty well. Wasn’t nervous. I thought I was going to be, I had a really good time out there for first time, really playing in the game, like the whole time. I’ve been thrown in, like later in some games, and not, you know, the whole games, but I really enjoyed it. I kind of played well. But obviously, wanted to get the win. – On how he played against South Carolina
“When I committed to Mizzou, I was sold on the school. I don’t do this for money, I’m from the state of Missouri been here my whole life, you know. And I said, been here since 2020, I’ve been through the bad years, you know, we were fighting for bowl game, you know, and obviously. So, but I just said, I’m not into the money. I’m doing it for the family. I wanted to go to the school. I want a degree from the University Missouri. Means a lot to me.” – On the reason he’s stayed despite not getting playing time.
“I used to get snaps with Armand when we first got here, and then he’s just become a monster on the edge over there, which is, is super, super nice to see when you trust your guys on the right side and left. But having something like that on the offensive line makes my job easier to center having to call out plays and set the set slides and protections. – On playing with Armand Membou.
“It really, especially like, I think, speaking for the offensive line, they really want to make us like, work harder…kind of like, like, okay, like, we really gotta protect these guys and lock in a little bit more than we have just because, like, Can’t risk these guys getting hurt. – On Nate Noel and Brady Cook being back and if the mindset changes for the O-Line with them being hurt.
Nicholas Rodriguez | Linebacker
“I just kind of embraced the process, embrace the role and just how it planned out, and I’m grateful for it.” – On getting more and more snaps this season
“I gained a lot of knowledge from those guys. Cory has been doing it for a while, you know, Chuck’s been doing it for a couple years. Tristan has been doing it for a couple years. So there’s a lot of vets and a lot of experience in that room. Now, I would say they just, kind of, they just showed me the roots and the way to do it.” – On what he has learned from the current group.
“Just stay consistent and just don’t be too high, too low. I always see those guys that have great games with them when they come back to practice, they come back to the level ground and just back to work.” – On his mindset.
Trajen Greco | Safety
“I guess you could say I like safety better just because I’m in the middle of the field and can get to the ball easier.” – On if he likes corner or safety better.
“Joseph Charleston. Him being the starter at my position. Being from Georgia, pretty close to my high school, he just gives me a rundown after every day. Tells me what I need to look for at practice. – On his role model on the team.
“It’s something like I’ve never seen before, even when I came on my visit to the Florida game last year, just being in the locker room with them at halftime and seeing what they were doing and just seeing the brotherhood and how they stay together, and just were able to pull you that way. Just the Auburn-Oklahoma game I saw same thing. They just never fold. They always have each other’s back, and they just go and execute. – On the impact of the brotherhood.