NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Eli Drinkwitz calls them finishers.
And finish they did. Missouri captured its 10th win of the season with a Music City Bowl victory over Iowa on Monday, crossing the double-digit-victory threshold in consecutive seasons for just the third time in program history.
The Tigers beat the Hawkeyes 27-24 behind quarterback Brady Cook’s best game of the season, a timely defensive improvement in the second half and two long field goals from kicker Blake Craig.
Entering the bowl game, Drinkwitz — a coach prone to seeking out the right words to motivate his team — turned to a quote attributed to transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau.