Mizzou football takes new offense, experienced defense into opener against South Dakota

Enough of the speculation, rumination, postulation and prognostication.

Kickoff is imminent in Columbia, Missouri.

Mizzou football begins Year 4 of coach Eli Drinkwitz’s tenure against South Dakota at 7 p.m. Thursday at home, launching an important season for a team that hasn’t broken .500 in Years 1, 2 or 3.

“It's about showing the progress that we've made and the identity that we've created,” Drinkwitz said last Friday.

The Coyotes aren’t expected to crash the party in Columbia in the first meeting between the two teams in each of their more than 100-year histories. But if not the toughest matchup on the schedule, it could show early signs of the progress Drinkwitz is keen to deliver.

First under the microscope: Missouri’s offense.

The Tigers are planning to use multiple quarterbacks in their opening game, with incumbent starter Brady Cook and redshirt freshman Sam Horn at the front of the line to go live.

Whoever is catching snaps — and the line tasked with protecting them more than was the case in 2022 — won’t be facing many slouches. USD has two FCS preseason All-American linebackers in Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hills and another in the secondary with cornerback Myles Harden.

“They've been a top-20 FCS defense pretty much year in, year out,” Drinkwitz said. “I think (defensive coordinator Travis Johansen) does a pretty good job of limiting points per game, total defense. I've watched every snap from last year — really impressed with what he did versus the defending national champs (South Dakota State), versus coach (Bobby) Petrino of Missouri State, guys that I have a lot of respect for, offensive minds, and he did a nice job.”

Speaking of offensive minds — there’s a new one of those in Columbia.

Drinkwitz will take a step back from play-calling duties this season, handing the offense over to new coordinator Kirby Moore, a move that Drinkwitz said has allowed him to be more involved than ever with special teams but hasn’t kept him out of the “day-to-day operations of the offense and defense.”

For all intents and purposes, however, it’s Moore’s show.

What the ex-Fresno State OC’s opening night may look like has been shrouded in a sliver of secrecy for most of the offseason and training camp, other than the universal OC wishlist: Establishing a solid foundation with the running game; looking to create more explosive plays.

Plenty of Moore and Missouri’s success will be reliant on getting the QB call correct, as will improvement along an offensive line that caused more problems than it solved in 2022.

If that’s a success, Moore should have some weapons to work with.

Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. are an enticing duo in the slot and X-receiver positions, respectively. Running backs Cody Schrader and Nathaniel Peat look set to be more involved in the passing game.

Gametime will tell if the OC’s new scheme is the remedy to last year’s ails.

Moore would do well to emulate the instant impact of his play-calling counterpart.

Second-year Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s preseason goal is to take a step forward from the No. 33-ranked defense that showed instant improvement under his guidance last season.

How much of a step? All the way to the top.

Lofty ambitions, but Baker has an ideal baseline to start from, returning an overwhelming majority of his starters from 2022. Positions like cornerback, defensive tackle and each safety spot run two, even three players deep to where the staff would feel comfortable with their personnel in-game.

A matchup against South Dakota, which was 113th out of 123 FCS teams in total offense last season, should be solid ground to hit running, even with the reigning FCS national title-winning offensive coordinator, Josh Davis, moving from South Dakota State to South Dakota this season to call the Coyotes’ plays.

To prepare for Game 1, the Tigers’ staff has cast a close eye over Davis’ work.

“If they fall in line with what (Davis has) done in the past — at South Dakota State — there’ll be a lot of 12- and 13-personnel tight end shifts, multiple run games, whether it's inside zone outside zone gap schemes with multiple pullers, quarterback runs — we’ve got to be prepared for a lot of different things, which is a good challenge for our defense to have to face early.”

There’s a quiet confidence around Missouri’s staff.

The team is made up almost entirely of Drinkwitz’s highly touted recruiting classes and accomplished portal acquisitions. They have experience. Two of the most exciting young coordinators in college football are calling the shots.

And starting Thursday, the chance to make that count begins.

“You know, we've got 32 players on our team that have started five or more games in their collegiate careers. That's hard to do,” Drinkwitz said. … “And so I'm cautiously optimistic about what that will look like.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou takes new offense, experienced defense into opener against South Dakota