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3 gifts for the Mizzou football team in 2019

By Thomas Huitt-Johnson

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 23: Missouri Tigers cheerleaders entertain in the third quarter of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 23: Missouri Tigers cheerleaders entertain in the third quarter of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Mizzou football didn’t have the year it expected to have, but it received a three gifts in 2019.

Mizzou football will be back and hopefully better in 2020.

The 6-6 record and no bowl in 2019 was not quite what we all expected, especially after a 5-1 start that saw the Tigers in the Associated Press Top 25 and atop the SEC East standings. But the good thing about the end of the season is that 2020 is closer, and Mizzou can bounce back and compete again next year.

Here are three presents the 2019 Mizzou football team received.

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Eliah Drinkwitz — The Tigers new coach came after a week of speculation.

Mizzou fans wanted a coach who could justify the termination of former coach Barry Odom. He had let a top-25 team slip through his hands and couldn’t seem to get the Tigers program headed in the right direction, but the coaches who were first reported as candidates weren’t necessarily better options in the fanbase’s opinions. At one point, there were people saying the Tigers should have just kept Odom for another year. But then came the hiring of the Appalachian State head coach. With Drinkwitz, Mizzou brings in the second-youngest Division I head coach and one that brings energy to the team.

Ryan Walters — Mizzou needed to keep its defensive coordinator, and it did.

The Tigers were able to retain Walters, the announcement came last week. The young coordinator led one of the better units in the SEC, and Mizzou continued to improve throughout the season. Mizzou lost its top linebacker Cale Garrett midway through the year, but Nick Bolton stepped up, and led the Tigers defense and was one of the best linebackers in the country. Walters and Co. are expected to be back next year, and should have as good of a defense as they did in 2019.

Stadium upgrade — The $100 million South End Zone Project is complete.

Mizzou opened up the new stadium in Week 2 against West Virginia and the Tigers will continue to play in one of the better facilities in the country. Athletic director Jim Sterk made it clear he wanted a team that would compete for titles year in and year out with the investment in Memorial Stadium. The Tigers have a place that will help get them some of the better players who can possibly reach that goal.

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