Eli Drinkwitz found himself poking back at former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops after Missouri took down the Sooners this past season. At one point, Stoops said, “We beat the hell out of Missouri,” referencing the two facing off in the Big Eight and Big 12. Drinkwitz got his chance to reply after earning a […]
Eli Drinkwitz found himself poking back at former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops after Missouri took down the Sooners this past season. At one point, Stoops said, “We beat the hell out of Missouri,” referencing the two facing off in the Big Eight and Big 12. Drinkwitz got his chance to reply after earning a win, going right back at Stoops.
Over nine months later, the topic has once again been brought up. Drinkwitz had the opportunity to defend his previous comments toward Stoops. While there appears to be a ton of respect coming from Mizzou’s headman, he also knows there is a job to do in front of him.
“I have nothing but respect for Coach Stoops,” Drinkwitz said via The Dari Nowkhah Show. “In fact, if you talk about, for me, who are those coaches that I have icons on my wall, Coach Bob Stoops is one of them. I have nothing but respect. As an offensive coordinator, I had never met him before. I was at the College Football Hall of Fame banquet and I went and found Coach Stoops just to introduce myself because of how much respect I have for him…
“But right now I’m the head coach at the University of Missouri and my job is to protect our program. So, we use that as fuel. We have a motto here, STP. Something to prove. And that was just inspriational of us to give a little more fuel to the fire.”
Drinkwitz took the postgame podium with Stoops’ comments on his mind. Missouri had just won in dramatic fashion, recovering a fumble for a touchdown with under a minute to go. Zion Young played hero after now-former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold put the ball on the ground.
“This will be real disappointing to Bob Stoops, but OU doesn’t always whip Missouri’s ass anymore. With that, I’ll open it up for questions,” he said. Quite the opening statement fresh off the rip.
Rightfully so, Oklahoma fans took exception to the comments from Drinkwitz. He believes everyone can have their own thoughts on the matter. But defending Missouri, to him, is priority No. 1.
“At the end of the day, my job is to defend my university and our program,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s all it was. Everyone’s got a right to their opinion but as coaches, we have a right to stand up for our teams when those opinions don’t match facts.”
Nov. 22 is one you can circle on the schedule. Missouri will head to Norman for the first time since 2011. To find Mizzou’s last win on the road against Oklahoma, you have to go back to the 1960s. Drinkwitz surely will find any way to make sure his team is fired up — maybe even bringing back up Stoops’ comments.
Category: General Sports
