Back in late April, when Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz was (quite accurately, it turned out) scolding me for not being as confident as I should have been in the 2023 Tigers, he wanted me to give him a number.
As in, name the win total the Tigers needed to reach for Drinkwitz’s pivotal fourth season to be one that signaled a breakthrough and indicated Drinkwitz was the right coach for seasons to come.
I gave him a goal instead.
A bowl game, but not just any one. A bowl game that truly moved the needle.