The Tigers fell to Virginia 13-7 in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night, failing to score again after their opening drive. While Ahmad Hardy broke the single-season rushing record, the offense as a whole struggled mightily.
True freshman quarterback Matt Zollers threw for just 101 yards and an interception as the offense struggled to gain any sort of momentum, totaling just 260 yards. After the game, head coach Eli Drinkwitz took full blame for the lack of production in the loss.
"I didn't do a good enough job calling plays tonight … it's on me," said Drinkwitz. "This is going to stick with me for a while, not doing enough to help them win."
Tigers offense sputters under Drinkwitz play-calling
Missouri lost their offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to a head coaching job just weeks before the Gator Bowl. And although they hired Michigan's Chip Lindsay to fill the void, Drinkwitz tabbed himself to handle play-calling duties.
Oddly, Hardy only registered 15 of the teams' 32 rushes, and was off the field for several important plays throughout the game. His first touch in the second half didn't come until four minutes left in the game. It was a strange use of the all-american, and one of the main reasons the Tigers didn't generate much production in the last two periods.
It was a tough loss, especially because it felt very winnable. Mizzou gets a bit of a break with so many offensive weapons out due to transfers or injury, but overall Drinkwitz wasn't able to get the best out of his unit. Surely he's telling the truth when he says this one will stick with him for a long time.