COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 There鈥檚 a big screen mounted high on the wall just inside the entrance to the Missouri football team facility. Usually, it contains a line or two of text related to a practice mindset or team motto, announcing things like 鈥淭oughness Tuesday鈥 rolling around each week.
On Sunday, there were three new, bolded words at the top of the screen: Beat Murray State.
That means it鈥檚 game week in Columbia.
The No. 11 Tigers will kick off their 2024 season with College Football Playoff ambitions and a lowly first opponent, with the Racers on tap for 7 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Stadium and on the SEC Network.
Preseason camp has wrapped up for Mizzou, which means subtle differences in the pattern of practices. The team鈥檚 five captains 鈥 quarterback Brady Cook, wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., defensive tackle Kristian Williams, defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. and middle linebacker Chuck Hicks 鈥 lead stretches instead of camp鈥檚 rotating cast. A handful of underclassmen and walk-ons wear practice jerseys different from their usual numbers 鈥 the uniforms needed for their scout team roles.
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Those are indicators of a team ready to play football against somebody else, and that opportunity lurking just a few days away.
鈥淚t鈥檚 real exciting,鈥 safety Daylan Carnell said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been beating up on each other since the spring. ... We鈥檙e really just ready to go out and beat up on another team.鈥
Like last season, Missouri begins its campaign with a Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS, opponent that shouldn鈥檛 present a particular challenge to a program expected to be jockeying for playoff position as the season goes.
Yet there are some clear contrasts to 2023.
Against South Dakota, last season鈥檚 FCS opponent, Missouri played a different quarterback in each half to make the final determination of whether Cook or Sam Horn would be its starter. That battle, more than the result of the game, was a dominant storyline.
But now, Cook is plenty established at the top of the depth chart.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole different situation,鈥 coach Eli Drinkwitz said.
There are still some positional competitions to be resolved. An unofficial version of the depth chart presented to reporters on Sunday listed 鈥渙r鈥 18 times, suggesting a handful of roles from starting running back to one cornerback spot to second-choice punt returner remain up for grabs to some degree.
Speaking of differences: There are playoff implications to how Mizzou plays, and the Tigers鈥 chances at a spot in the inaugural 12-team CFP aren鈥檛 immune to other action around the sport, either.
Georgia Tech鈥檚 Saturday upset of No. 10 Florida State, for example, is likely to bump the Tigers into the AP Poll鈥檚 top 10 teams through no action other than surviving their opener. While it鈥檚 far too early for a game result in another conference to have any clear impact on MU鈥檚 hopes for a playoff run, upward poll movement is a clear positive.
Perhaps just as starved for college football action as some fans, Drinkwitz was among those who tuned in for the weekend鈥檚 Week 0 action. He observed a few trends 鈥 maybe cautionary, at minimum noteworthy 鈥 from other openers that will influence his points of emphasis to Missouri ahead of Thursday.
鈥淚f you watched college football (Saturday), you saw some tackling issues,鈥 he said. 鈥淪pecial teams issues certainly showed up and caused situations. Three of the four games that I saw came down to the last two-minute drives.鈥
Entering game week, Mizzou has a largely clean bill of health, Drinkwitz said.
Tight end Jordon Harris, either the backup or third-string option at that position, practiced in a green non-contact jersey on Sunday, which has been the norm since the back end of preseason camp. Both he and third-string cornerback Ja鈥橫arion Wayne are informally considered questionable, Drinkwitz said, though their statuses will be clearer closer to kickoff.
The end of camp and the real-ness of the encroaching season have turned into a palpable feeling, the fifth-year head coach has observed.
鈥淚 think everybody wants to be excited to play,鈥 Drinkwitz said. 鈥淵ou want those guys to have great energy on game day. You only get 12 guaranteed opportunities, and for the seniors, you only get seven (more) at home. You want them to be really excited, but you want to focus on the 鈥榯his play鈥 mentality and make sure that you鈥檙e executing every play to the very best of your abilities.鈥
And while Murray State will be the first measuring stick of the season, Drinkwitz seems confident about the nature of 2024鈥檚 preseason preparation and what it will lead to.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e battle-ready,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e tackled live more than we ever have in any camp. We鈥檝e got more practice reps this camp than we鈥檝e had the previous three seasons. We put in more situational football time than we have in any previous three seasons. But now it鈥檚 about 11 guys putting it together against an opponent who鈥檚 got a say in the outcome too.鈥
