Report: Missouri Rejected Rivalry Matchup with Kansas in 2022 Liberty Bowl
Dec 2, 2022
COLUMBIA, MO - OCTOBER 22: A Missouri helmet sits on the sidelines with the throwback baby tiger logo during a SEC conference game between Vanderbilt and Missouri held on Saturday OCT 22, 2022 at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia MO. (Photo by Rick Ulreich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Missouri Tigers had the opportunity to reignite their longstanding rivalry with the Kansas Jayhawks in the Liberty Bowl this year, but the team reportedly refused.
According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, while the Jayhawks "were not opposed" to facing the Tigers for the first time since 2011, Missouri simply "didn't want to play Kansas."
Both Kansas and Missouri went 6-6 in the regular season. The Jayhawks will be making their first bowl game appearance since 2008, which was the last time the team had a record above .500. Kansas had opened the 2022 season with five straight wins before a tough 1-5 stretch to close the year.
Missouri had an up-and-down season but closed the year with back-to-back wins. The Tigers' 29-27 win over Arkansas in rivalry week punched their ticket to bowl eligibility.
The Kansas-Missouri rivalry dated back to 1907 and came to an end in 2011 when the Tigers departed the Big 12 to join the SEC. In 2020, it was announced that the two schools will resume their rivalry in the future, scheduling four games beginning in 2025.
The Liberty Bowl, which is one of three bowl games that features SEC vs. Big 12 teams, would have been a prime chance to give fans a preview of the series between Kansas and Missouri before it officially gets restarted. Thanks to the Tigers' decision, it now appears they will have to wait a few years to see themselves and the Jayhawks clash on the field.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri Agree to 2-Year Contract Extension Through 2027
Nov 5, 2022
FILE - Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz watches his team during an NCAA college football intra-squad spring game Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz welcomed 19 transfers among 50 newcomers to the Tigers this season, and 14 of them arrived from Division I schools. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Missouri has agreed to a two-year extension with football coach Eli Drinkwitz, per Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The deal keeps the coach under contract through 2027.
Drinkwitz is in his third season with the Tigers, leading the team to a 4-4 record so far in 2022. They are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 23-10 road victory over South Carolina.
University of Missouri President Mun Choi praised the program's direction in a statement:
"Coach Drinkwitz and his staff have created great momentum in our football program. You can feel the excitement and you see it in the fans as they have turned out in great numbers at Faurot Field. Coach Drinkwitz's program is a key part of the results-driven, championship culture that AD Reed-Francois is building to help support our student-athletes. Like so many of our fans, I am excited to see what the future holds for Mizzou Football."
Missouri went 5-5 in Drinkwitz's first year with the team before going 6-7 last year, including an appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl.
This year's squad has also struggled to get above .500, although it's shown impressive resilience with one-possession losses to Auburn, Georgia and Florida in consecutive weeks before earning back-to-back wins.
Missouri had a 10-point lead over No. 1 Georgia in the fourth quarter before eventually losing 26-22.
A difficult schedule remains, starting with Saturday's game against Kentucky, but Drinkwitz has shown he can keep his team competitive in the always-tough SEC. He will try to build on that momentum to turn the Tigers into a legitimate contender over the next few seasons.
Army's Last-Second Field Goal Gives It 2021 Armed Forces Bowl Win vs. Missouri
Dec 23, 2021
Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson (6) is unable to stop Army running back Jakobi Buchanan, center top, who reached the end zone for a touchdown on a running play in the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Emil Lippe)
The Army Black Knights maintained their undefeated Armed Forces Bowl record with a 24-22 win over the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday. Cole Talley kicked the game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired to help Army finish the season 9-4.
It's the Black Knights' fourth win in the Armed Forces Bowl and first win over a Power Five team since 2017.
Army trailed 16-7 before mounting a comeback in the second half. The Black Knights relied on their vaunted triple-option rushing attack. Jakobi Buchanan was an absolute force on the ground with 68 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Army went in front early in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Tyhier Tyler found Brandon Walters for a 14-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Tyler was inserted into the game after starter Christian Anderson, who ran for 33 yards and a score, was ruled out with an apparent leg injury.
How about this 4th down play call! Army elects to pass it. Tyhier Tyler rolls out & finds Brandon Walters for the TD. The Black Knights have their first lead of the game.
From that point on, it was up to the Army defense to secure the win. The Black Knights recovered a fumble on the next possession and then forced the Tigers to punt. But the Tigers wouldn't go down easily.
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook led the Tigers on an 83-yard drive to take the lead with 1:11 left in the game. He went 7-of-9 for 72 yards and threw a touchdown to Keke Chism on the go-ahead possession.
But Army showed its resiliency and marched down the field to set up Talley for the game-winner. A key facemask penalty on Missouri kept the drive alive.
Missouri finishes the year 6-7. Cook led the Tigers with 238 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 53 rushing yards and a score in the loss.
Missouri was without running back Tyler Badie, who sat out the game in favor of preparing for the 2022 NFL draft. Badie led the SEC and ranked third in Division I with 1,604 rushing yards this season.
Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III Wins 2021 Doak Walker Award
Dec 10, 2021
Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III, right, rushes against Penn State's Kalen King (4) and Ji'Ayir Brown (16) during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III is the winner of the 2021 Doak Walker Award, which recognizes the best RB in college football.
Walker beat out finalists in junior Breece Hall of Iowa State and senior Tyler Badie of Missouri.
Walker had the best season of his collegiate career in 2021, entering Saturday's regular-season finale against Penn State with 1,614 yards (second in FBS) and 18 touchdowns (T-3rd in FBS) on the ground in addition to 13 catches for 89 yards and a score.
The 21-year-old transferred to Michigan State after two years at Wake Forest. He's racked up more rushing yards in his one season with the Spartans than he did in two seasons with the Demon Deacons.
Walker was also named a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation’s best overall player. Brandon Van Pelt is the only Spartan to ever win the Maxwell Award, doing so in 1972.
No Michigan State player had ever won the Doak Walker Award until this year.
Walker overcame some stiff competition for this award.
Hall had one of the best seasons of his collegiate career in 2021, rushing for 1,464 yards (fifth in FBS) and 20 touchdowns (T-1st FBS) on 253 carries in 12 games. He also caught 36 passes for 302 yards and three scores.
Badie had the best season of his collegiate career in 2021, rushing for a career-high 1,604 yards (third in FBS) and 14 touchdowns (T-6th FBS) on 268 carries in addition to 54 catches for 330 yards and four scores.
Missouri's Drinkwitz on Dan Mullen, Florida: 'If You Sow Jackass, You Reap Jackass'
Nov 23, 2021
COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 04: Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz during a college football game between the Central Michigan Chippewas and Missouri Tigers on Sep 4, 2021 at Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn't seem too upset that Dan Mullen lost his job as head coach of Florida this week.
"My father was a farmer, and there's an old saying you reap what you sow," Drinkwitz told reporters Tuesday. "If you sow kindness, you reap kindness. If you sow jackass, you reap jackass."
Missouri earned a 24-23 overtime win over Florida on Saturday, leading to Mullen's firing after the Gators fell to 5-6 on the season.
There is history between these two teams after an on-field brawl during the 2020 matchup led to five suspensions and Mullen being fined for running onto the field.
Florida won that game 41-17 before Mullen showed up to the postgame press conference waring his Darth Vader Halloween costume:
Missouri is 6-5 during Drinkwitz's second season with the program and is looking for its first bowl appearance since 2018.
Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz Trolls Florida's Dan Mullen with Star Wars Reference
Nov 21, 2021
COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 04: Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz during a college football game between the Central Michigan Chippewas and Missouri Tigers on Sep 4, 2021 at Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Missouri football head coach Eli Drinkwitz had a little fun following his team's 24-23 overtime win over Florida at home on Saturday, pulling his hoodie up a la Darth Vader and saying "may the force be with you" to assembled reporters as he closed his postgame press conference, per Andrew Kauffman of ABC 17 News.
MIC DROP from #Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz after beating Florida in OT! 😂
That moment was a bit of a clapback at Florida football head coach Dan Mullen, who dressed up as Darth Vader after his team beat Missouri 41-17 on Halloween last year, as noted by Gators Territory's Nick de la Torre.
Missouri earned the victory Saturday after Drinkwitz's call to go for two following a Tyler Badie touchdown run led to a successful conversion and win following a Connor Bazelak pass to Daniel Parker Jr.
GAME-WINNER: #Mizzou QB Connor Bazelak finds Daniel Parker Jr. for the two-point conversion in OT! UNREAL celebration! pic.twitter.com/GWuBh2XpQt
While he was the standout receiver in the Sooners' 2022 class, the program signed Mario Williams (No. 4 in 2021), Cody Jackson (No. 17) and Jalil Farooq (No. 21). They also got a commitment from Brandon Inniss, one of the best wideouts in 2023.
Head coach Lincoln Riley continued to have no shortage of depth in the passing game despite losing Burden.
But Oklahoma's loss proved to be Missouri's gain.
247Sports' Allen Trieu evaluated the East St. Louis, Illinois, native in March 2020 and compared him to 2019 Pro Bowler Chris Godwin:
Very good athlete who is also a standout basketball player. Has been productive in two varsity seasons. Shows the ability to make plays from all over the field. Can take screens and break long gains and can be a downfield receiver who wins contested passes. Long strider, very smooth and has excellent body control. Has not been verified as far as speed. Can still get more explosive in and out of his breaks. Still on the raw side as far as craft, but has great upside with his natural athleticism and competitiveness.
Burden's frame doesn't make him stand out, but he's excellent at getting his body in a position to snatch the ball out of the air. His time on the basketball court has probably helped in that area. He possesses home run ability as well.
Especially with the NCAA's one-time transfer rule providing a little more autonomy to athletes, coaches aren't hesitating to give true freshmen important roles within their team. Although Burden has room to grow on the field, he can also provide an immediate impact for the Tigers' aerial attack in 2022.
Burden's decision is a major endorsement of head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.
Mizzou hired Drinkwitz after he spent just one season at the helm of Appalachian State. The Mountaineers went 12-1 under his watch in 2019, but some of that success could be credited to his predecessor, Scott Satterfield, for setting the table.
It was tough to draw any conclusions about Drinkwitz at Missouri, both because of the team's 5-5 record and the unique challenges that come with staging a season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adding blue-chip recruits such as Burden will inevitably generate a lot of excitement within the fanbase.
Iowa vs. Missouri Matchup in 2020 Music City Bowl Canceled Amid COVID-19
Dec 27, 2020
FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2019, file photo, Eliah Drinkwitz is introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Mo. Last week, members of the Missouri football team marched from The Columns on campus to downtown Columbia in protest of racial injustice. The idea came from sophomore safety Martez Manuel, but it quickly gained the support of new coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
The Music City Bowl between Iowa and Missouri, which was scheduled for Wednesday, has been canceled because of a "significant increase in positive COVID-19 tests" within the Tigers' program.
Missouri director of athletics Jim Sterk released a statement that read in part:
"Since concluding our regular season and conducting four rounds of tests over the last eight days, we have seen a significant increase in positive COVID-19 tests among our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and after consulting with local health officials, our team physicians and MU Health's Dr. Steve Whitt, who is our representative on the SEC Medical Task Force, we unfortunately must pause all football team-related activities until at least January 2 to help contain the virus' spread and ensure the health and well-being of everyone within our program and the community."
Missouri finished its season with a 5-5 record. Iowa went 6-2.
Missouri completed all 10 games on its schedule. Two of them were postponed (against Vanderbilt and Georgia) but were eventually played. Iowa had also played all of the games on its schedule.
Sterk's statement continued as follows:
"Our student-athletes have been extremely diligent in following all of the SEC'sCOVID-19 testing protocols since returning to campus back in the summer, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts to play every regular-season game this fall, as well as the success they have had on the field against a 10-game all-SEC schedule that included five games against nationally-ranked opponents, and in the classroom during the fall semester. However, this eight-day uptick within our program is significant and has made it impossible for us to play in the bowl game, which I know comes as a disappointment to our student-athletes, coaches and fans, who were excited about the opportunity to play a great Iowa team in Nashville."
Postponements and outright cancellations have been commonplace during this college football season amid theCOVID-19 pandemic. Some conferences have canceled their seasons entirely, including the Ivy League.
Bowl season has not been immune to cancellations.
TheGasparillaBowl between UAB and South Carolina was called off because of COVID-19 concerns within theGamecocks program. The Frisco Bowl betweenUTSAand SMU was called off because ofCOVID-19 issues on SMU's team.
Other bowls were canceled simply because of a rapid increase in positiveCOVID-19 cases nationwide, including thePinstripe BowlandSun Bowl.
The Music City Bowl, which would have taken place in Nashville, Tennessee, is now the latest bowl to be called off.
As of now, 16 bowl games remain on the college football postseasonschedule, in addition to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Missouri WR Maurice Massey Dismissed from Team After Domestic Violence Arrest
Oct 26, 2020
Southeast Missouri State cornerback Al Young (1) intercepts a pass meant for Missouri wide receiver Maurice Massey (84) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
Missouri receiver Maurice Massey was dismissed from the football team following an arrest Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
He was arrested by the Boone County Sheriff Department on suspicion of third-degree domestic assault, fourth-degree assault and first-degree property damage.
"Maurice Massey has been dismissed from the Mizzou Football program for a violation of team rules," the school said in a statement. "Since electing to opt out of the 2020 football season due to COVID-19 last month, he has not been involved in any of our practices or team activities."
Massey redshirted last season in his first year with the Tigers, appearing in four games without recording a catch.
The programannounced in September the receiver would opt out of the season, preserving his eligibility under rules created among the COVID-19 pandemic.
The St. Louis native was listed as a 3-star recruit in the 2019 class by247Sportscomposite rankings and considered the 12th best player in Missouri. He hadscholarship offersfrom Iowa State, Oregon, North Carolina and other major programs but elected to stay close to home.
Missouri (2-2) will continue its season Saturday with a road game against No. 10 Florida, hoping to extend the current winning streak to three games.
