COLUMBIA, Mo. — A month before his second season at Missouri ended with a loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl, coach Eli Drinkwitz took stock in how far the Tigers had come on his watch. Heading into the regular-season finale, at Arkansas, the Tigers had secured bowl eligibility but fell short of reaching the preseason’s most ambitious projections.
“When the schedule came out, there was a lot of optimism about what we can accomplish and what the expectations for our team were,” Drinkwitz said on Nov. 22, his team on a two-game winning streak and 6-5 overall.