Missouri football's Eliah Drinkwitz on Tennessee game: 'Our defense kicked their (butt)'
No. 13 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 in SEC play) entered Saturday's game vs. No. 14 Missouri (8-2, 4-2) with an outside chance at making the SEC championship game.
By the time the SEC East meeting was over at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, the Vols had little more than a sore rear end following a demoralizing 36-7 loss to the Tigers. The defeat officially knocked the Vols from SEC championship contention, allowing No. 2 Georgia to clinch before it had even taken on No. 9 Ole Miss in Week 11.
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Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz added a little insult to injury following the game, giving a frank summation of his team's performance vs. the Vols on the CBS telecast:
“We had some unfinished business from last year. We took care of business,” Drinkwitz said. “Our defense kicked their ass.”
Of course, Drinkwitz referred to last season's equally demoralizing 66-24 win by Tennessee in Neyland Stadium, a season in which the Vols went 11-2 and secured an Orange Bowl victory under Josh Heupel. Based off Drinkwitz's answer, it's clear that game stuck out for his players.
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It showed in more ways than one. The seven points scored wasn't just the fewest in a game this season: The Vols only had 350 total yards on offense, and their 83 rushing yards on 23 carries (3.6 yards per attempt) also reflected a season low. Quarterback Joe Milton III completed 22 of 34 passes for 267 yards for one touchdown and one interception, with receiver Ramei Keyton (57 yards on four receptions) leading the way for Tennessee. The team converted 5 of 13 third-down attempts.
The Vols' 29-point defeat and seven points scored also reflected the worst marks of the Heupel era, respectively.
Conversely, Missouri racked up 530 yards and converted 11 of 17 third-down attempts. Tigers quarterback Brady Cook was solid for Missouri, completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown to one interception. But it was Cody Schrader who had the biggest day, rushing for 205 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and racking up 116 receiving yards on just five catches.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Eliah Drinkwitz on Tennessee game: 'Our defense kicked their (butt)'
