Mizzou football isn't facing Kansas, but Wake Forest will be a tough challenge with a thin roster

Eli Drinkwitz was itching to talk about it. After giving his opening statement Monday during a virtual press conference, ostensibly held to discuss Missouri football’s Gasparilla Bowl bid, he wanted to get something off the table.

"I’ll open it up with anybody that wasn’t to ask me great questions about reports from the Twitter-verse that are related to a guy having a bowl projection,” Drinkwitz said. “So that’s what we’re going to talk about here. Let’s get those bowl projections out of the way early.”

MU’s head coach wanted to talk about the story from the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, which reported that the Tigers could have faced off with their old Big 12 rival Kansas in the Liberty Bowl, but nixed the opportunity because they did not want to play the Jayhawks.

Drinkwitz emphasized the SEC’s role in assigning bowl games for its teams. He also took a shot at Kansas football’s long record of futility leading into the 2022 season.

"I realize that bowl selection process is different from conference to conference and if you haven’t been to a bowl game in, I don’t know, 12-15 years, maybe that thing’s changed for you,” Drinkwitz said. “Maybe the way that’s done at other places is different. We submit preferences to the conference, based on a lot of different factors. What’s best of our fan base, what's best for our student-athletes and we don’t really factor anybody else in that.”

As it stands, the Tigers aren’t playing Kansas, which will take on Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl instead. The two schools will face off in basketball on Saturday, but the football teams likely won’t play until 2025, when the Jayhawks are scheduled to visit Memorial Stadium.

“Until then, I can keep getting all the Twitter hate people from Kansas want to put on there,” Drinkwitz said. “Won’t phase me. We’ll see you on Faurot Field. Buy your tickets early.”

'A great challenge'

Instead of battling it out with one of its historic rivals, the Tigers will instead face a team they’ve never played before. Wake Forest represents the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Gasparilla Bowl.

The Demon Deacons enter the game 7-5, having dropped their final contest of the season against Duke. Led by head coach Dave Clawson, they sport one of the best offenses in the ACC.

Drinkwitz got to see it up close while he worked at NC State.

“They do a tremendous job of using the RPO, making sure you’re tight fit in your run game and playing to their players’ strengths,” Drinkwitz said. “It’ll be a great challenge. Dave’s football team’s are always well coached. They don’t beat themselves, they don’t turn the football over.”

The one common opponent both teams have played this year was Vanderbilt. The Tigers went up 17-0 in the first half against the Commodores, but barely survived with a 17-0 win after a furious VU comeback.

Wake Forest shelled Vanderbilt, winning 45-25. The team is led by quarterback Sam Hartman, who has played through injury this season, but still racked up 3,421 passing yards and 35 touchdown throws.

“Sam is a tremendous player who’s played a long time,” Drinkwitz said. “It’ll be interesting to see what they’ve got for the bowl game too, as we've heard different things about whether or not they’ve got players transferring, so it’ll be interesting to see what the matchup is when the matchup takes place.”

Roster notes

When the Tigers take on the Demon Deacons at the end of the month, it will be with a depleted roster. The transfer portal opened on Monday and Drinkwitz said Missouri has had seven scholarship players enter.

Those include wide receiver Dominic Lovett, quarterback Tyler Macon, defensive lineman Travion Ford, cornerback DJ Jackson, Linebacker Zach Lovett, Safety Jalani WIlliams and linebacker Devin Nicholson.

Defensive backs LJ Hewitt and Davion Sistrunk previously announced their intentions to leave Missouri.

Drinkwtiz said he wasn’t expecting much more change.

“But I didn’t anticipate Scott (Satterfield) was going to go to Cincinnati this morning either,” Drinkwitz said. “So there's always room for change in college football, but as of right now, feel pretty good about where we’re at.”

Besides the portal losses, Missouri will also be without safety Martez Manuel and defensive end Isaiah McGuire, who have declared for the NFL Draft. Drinkwitz said the safety slot will be thin for the bowl, with Ja’Marion Wayne, along with linebacker DJ Wesolak, out to preserve their redshirts.

Drinkwitz said the Tigers will ask the NCAA for a waiver on the four-game limit on redshirts, but he does not expect it to be approved.

He also gave injury updates on some of Missouri’s players. Offensive lineman EJ Ndoma-Ogar will miss the bowl after having surgery, and Chance Luper, who has missed the entire season after suffering from blood clots, will not return for the bowl, which Drinkwitz had previously said was a possibility.

Defensive lineman Tyrone Hopper has practice and is expected to return for the bowl, along with safety Joseph Charleston. Drinkwitz also said wideout Barrett Banister, who missed the Arkansas game is “working his butt off” to return for the bowl game.

Missouri and Wake Forest will face off at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 23 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The game will be aired on ESPN.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football: Eli Drinkwitz talks Wake Forest, Kansas and more