COLUMBIA, Mo. — Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Missouri counterpart Eli Drinkwitz got to know each other years ago through Gus Malzahn, who served as a mentor of sorts to both of them, and they have only grown closer now that they're together in the SEC.
“We gravitate to one another in our lives, too, when we are at common places,” Freeze explained, “whether it's SEC meetings or whether it's the Peach Bowl Classic. I think we're made of a similar mindset of what coaching should be about, the bigger picture of trying to keep the impacting of others as important as the wins and losses.”
That's some altruistic stuff. But that coaching bond, and shared belief, might be why Drinkwitz and No. 19 Missouri aren't making too much of some bulletin-board material that Freeze unwittingly provided this week.
He intended to compliment Drinkwitz but it amounted to a swipe at the program: “I know everybody has their rankings of coaches and it's based on, to me, the better talent you have the better coach you are,” Freeze said. “To me, some of the better jobs are done with those lesser rosters in recruiting.”
Well, that lesser roster at Missouri (5-1, 1-1) has only lost at Texas A&M this season, and still expects to be playing for an SEC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Missouri bounced back from that defeat by routing UMass last week.
Meanwhile, Auburn (2-4, 0-3) has lost three straight conference games and needs a win to save its season.
It will have a chance against Missouri on Saturday at Faurot Field.
“There’s really only one glaring weakness that they’ve had, and it shows up in all their losses, which is turnovers,” Drinkwitz said. “Other than that, they’ve played well enough to win football games, and I think they are very talented on both sides of the ball.'”
That's not exactly bulletin-board stuff coming from the other side.
“It’s really going to be a challenge for us this week,” Drinkwitz continued. “It’s really about our consistency and preparation, our urgency, our daily progress in trying to improve our fundamentals, our ability to play fast and aggressive in the face of uncertainty of what they’re going to do.”
Missouri will be without linebacker Khalil Jacobs and defensive lineman Joe Moore the rest of the season due to injuries. Moore had 14 tackles and two sacks while Moore had two tackles and one sack through the first six games.
“They’re still part of who we are this season, but we will not be able to utilize them on the field,” Drinkwitz said.
Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith has become Payton Thorne’s go-to receiver at Auburn, catching 24 passes for 510 yards and six touchdowns. Malcolm Simmons has 13 catches for 151 yards over the past three games. Prized freshman Cam Coleman has not caught a touchdown pass since the Tigers' season-opener.
Missouri relies on two graduate seniors in Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper and a pair of juniors in Luther Burden III and Mekhi Miller at wide receiver. That is a lot of experience for Auburn to contend with, especially given its youth in the secondary.
“It’s obviously going to be a great test for us," Freeze said. “We’ve got to find a way to get them some help and eliminate the explosive plays, which is very difficult to do against them.
Missouri plans to play Mitch Walters on the offensive line more down the stretch, Drinkwitz said, though that is not a slight to Cayden Green, who was the Tigers' highest-rated lineman against UMass. The difference is Walters' versatility — he can play either guard spot or right tackle.
For the first time all season, Missouri has its full complement of tight ends in Brett Norflett, Jordon Harris and Tyler Stephens, and that could provide quarterback Brady Cook some options he has not had through the first six games of the season.
The game features some of the SEC's best running backs in Auburn's Jarquez Hunter and Missouri's Marcus Carroll and Nate Noel, though the latter has been battling an injury. Hunter is the league's fifth-leading rusher and Noel is No. 6, while Carroll is averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
