Offensive Presser Notes: Abilene Christian

Coming off of a 12-point performance against Kansas State, Mizzou’s offense answered questions on Wednesday about what went wrong and where they can improve heading into a bounce-back game against FCS opponent Abilene Christian Saturday.

Brady Cook | Quarterback

• “I think we got beat in all facets. I didn’t play well enough. I didn't play to the standard. The whole offense struggled to get into a rhythm [and] we got our butts beat.”
• “[We] put together a pretty good drive there with my legs to come out there in the first quarter, and [after that] they started matching us up pretty well.”
• “Watch the film, correct it, take notes on what I need to do better and start tape on Abilene Christian, it’s pretty simple.” On how he processes a loss like that and moves on
• “All you can do to make [this feeling] better is win the game on Saturday.”
• “I need to have better footwork in the pocket, my drops are way too rushed. I need to be more accurate [and] we need to make more plays downfield.”
• “I really just [need] to get my feet timed up with the receivers and connect to make the big plays. We made them all fall camp, made them all spring, it’s there.” On how to execute on those downfield plays
• “What I told everybody is we can’t overreact to this in some ways. There’s a lot of teams in college football going through this. We can’t let this be our end all, be all.”
• Cook said a positive of Saturday’s game was that, despite the result, the team fought the whole way, adding, “That’s what I love about this team.”
• “Defense has been awesome. They played a great game. I gave Kansas State points, so that’s not really on the defense.”
• “[Abilene Christian’s] boundary defensive end is a great player [and] their boundary safety is a great player. I’ve seen a lot of basic coverage looks from them, stuff that I’m familiar with, so we should be good.”
• “Everybody’s pumped up [and] ready to go out there and execute.”
• “I think I handled it how I always handle adversity, ‘Yes sir.’ Wait my turn and go back out there.” On how he handled head coach Eliah Drinkwitz turning to backup quarterback Jack Abraham
• “As Tauskie Dove told us, ‘We have two chips on our shoulder,’ so it’s a big week.”

Connor Tollison | Center

• “[K-State] was a really good football team. I don’t think we executed as good as we wanted to, and at the end of the day, we just have to get 11 players playing the same ball.”
• Tollison said some of the mistakes occurred from what K-State did defensively, but at the end of the day, the offense needs to be better.
• “It was loud ... loudest environment I’ve ever been in. I got the experience and now I have to build off it.”
• “You can never over communicate.” On what he can take from the loss
• “We know we need to run the ball. I mean you can’t not run the ball and be good in this league ... I think it will come. We just have to keep going.”
• “I don’t always think I have my eyes in the right spot ... If I get my eyes in the right spot, where they’re supposed to be, I think I’ll be able to play faster along with reacting faster.”
• “I think [K-State nose guard Eli Huggins] made me better ... He’s a really good football player, probably the best football player I’ve played against.”

Zeke Powell | Offensive Line

• “[We] need to execute even better and get the defense off the field quicker than we did last week.”
• “I felt like [our] defense ran to the fight ... Up front, we did some good things, but like each week, we have things to work on.”
• “[Tollison’s] a great, intelligent young man. He’s going to keep coming out each and every week and get better. That’s our whole motto, so every day he’s looking to get 1% better.”
• “Welcome to the SEC ... Experience is the best teacher. There’s nothing you can say, he went out there and gave it his best.” On what advice he gives Tollison after a game like K-State
• “We can’t change what happened last week. The only thing we can do is practice and get better.”
• When asked about what specific things the o-line room does in film session to build odd performances, Powell said “Being open to criticism ... being open to what coaches are saying and just accepting that we have to get better each and every day.”

Luther Burden III | Wide Receiver

• “I’m looking forward to the next game, honestly. We all put the game [against K-State] in the past, so there’s not many words to say from [it].”
• “[There’s] a learning curve, especially playing in the SEC. It’s a new opponent every week.”
• “There’s definitely a level of frustration after the play, but I mean it’s football and everything doesn’t go as you want it.” On the missed connections between himself and Cook
• “K-State played very physical, faster and up-tempo, so it was definitely different than La Tech.”
• “I learned we can’t start slow. We started real slow ... Last couple days we have been focusing on playing faster. “
• [Dominic Lovett’s] basically playing with a chip on his shoulder.” On what has been the key to Lovett’s early-season success