FAYETTEVILLE — Eli Drinkwitz has been known to stir the pot ahead of the annual Arkansas vs Missouri game.
To be fair, though, the Alma native has never turned down an opportunity to take a jab at any opponent, not just the Razorbacks. That was abundantly clear this past weekend when he popped off at Mississippi State players. So, there’s no telling what he might say when the 41-year-old meets with the media Tuesday afternoon to preview Saturday’s matchup.
Nothing will surprise Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman, though. He told reporters Monday that Drinkwitz warned him that he was going to try to spice up the so-called Battle Line Rivalry when they were both hired before the 2020 season.
While the Missouri coach is loud and brash, Pittman – who turns 63 on Thursday – takes a more diplomatic, if not self-deprecating, approach to avoid serving piping-hot bulletin-board material to opponents.
However, he did make an interesting comment when asked about the lack of Missouri natives on his roster – only walk-ons Monte Harrison and Vito Calvaruso – compared to the Tigers’ six Arkansans, five of whom are on scholarship.
“Well, I’m looking at their two-deep and, you know, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of Arkansas kids” among Mizzou’s first and second-teamers Pittman said, before revealing his plans to ramp up his staff’s presence in the Show Me State.
That may not seem like much, but the question was specifically about the Razorbacks recruiting efforts in its northern neighbor and Pittman went out of his way to bring up the status of the Arkansas natives who chose to leave the state. Such a response might have been a way for Pittman to soften the blow of “losing” out on the in-state kids, which was a major topic of discussion among Arkansas football fans during the 2024 recruiting cycle.
While his comment is technically right when it comes to the players who signed last offseason, the two who’ve been at Missouri for multiple seasons are significant contributors. Here’s a closer look at each of them:
- WR Courtney Crutchfield (Pine Bluff): The biggest “loss” of the bunch, Crutchfield was a top-100 recruit who was once committed to the Razorbacks. After he announced his signing with Mizzou for good, Drinkwitz publicly rubbed it in some. However, Crutchfield has been a non-factor for the Tigers as a freshman, with no targets on his 10 total offensive snaps across two games (Murray State and UMass). He will redshirt this year and is listed as a third-team receiver on the depth chart.
- LB Jackson Daily (Alma): As a walk-on, Daily has unsurprisingly not seen the field as a true freshman this year. While his father, grandfather and uncle played for the Razorbacks, it’s worth noting that his father and Eli Drinkwitz were high school teammates at Alma.
- RB Austyn Dendy (Pine Bluff): A three-star athlete who Arkansas never offered, Dendy will also redshirt this year, but has yet to appear in a game.
- TE Jordon Harris (Pine Bluff): While he’s caught only four passes for 34 yards this season, Harris is a significant contributor on the Tigers’ offense – primarily as a blocker. After making one start and playing 54 snaps as a true freshman, he’s started four games and played 331 snaps — with 228 of those as a run-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. He has an overall PFF grade of 52.7, but a 63.7 mark as a run blocker. Arkansas never offered him.
- LB Brian Huff (Valley View): The third Arkansan to sign with Missouri in the 2024 class, Huff was a four-star prospect who picked Missouri over the Razorbacks. His only action as a true freshman has been against Murray State. He played eight snaps and, while not officially registering any statistics, Pro Football Focus does give him one tackle. He has had shoulder surgery and is redshirting, according to a source.
- CB Dreyden Norwood (Fort Smith Northside): Originally a Texas A&M signee, Norwood is in his third season at Missouri and is a starting cornerback for the Tigers. He’s made 24 tackles, plus has two interceptions and two PBUs, with a PFF grade of 58.8.
Missouri has owned its series against Arkansas since joining the SEC, with last year’s game – a 48-14 beatdown in Fayetteville – being arguably the low point of the rivalry for the Razorbacks.
With so many Arkansas connections on their staff, starting with Drinkwitz, the Tigers have used those on-field results as sort of a battering ram to knock down the “Battle Line” and invade the state for some of its best recruits.
It’s a trend Pittman and the Razorbacks would love to reverse, starting at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Faurot Field.
Other Sam Pittman Presser Tidbits
Here are a few other quotes, not verbatim, from Sam Pittman’s weekly press conference looking back at the Louisiana Tech win and previewing the Arkansas vs Missouri game…
- On Missouri: They certainly have a really good team. Well-coached. Schematics are very good. They’re running more inside zone this year. Brady Cook makes them go. Really good OL. Luther Burden and Theo Wease… I don’t know if Theo gets enough credit. They have some good pass rushers. Linebackers can run and they’re good in the secondary.
- On the pecking order of Arkansas football rivals: I think Missouri is right up there at the top of rivals for us. We have several trophy games. I think Missouri would be one, Texas would be one and LSU would be one.
- On Missouri QB Brady Cook: I think leadership and his competitiveness. When he was hurt and came back, you could see the impact on the team. He’s won a lot of games there. We have to watch his ability to run and he throws a really good deep ball.
- On Arkansas QB Taylen Green: I think Taylen is improving and doing a good job for us. Every quarterback in the country is going to miss a wide open throw every now and then. I’m glad he’s our quarterback.
- On Missouri’s run game: For years, they’ve been a great stretch team. They still are. When times get hard or they want to burn the clock, they’ll run it. I’ve just noticed they’re a lot better with the inside zone. They can do both. Noel is a hard-runner and fast. He can really read.
- On Arkansas’ success on the road: You take the 74 guys and it’s a close-knit group. Those are us vs. the world type games. We’ve been able to handle the noise. Haven’t had many offsides penalties on the road. A lot of teams can’t do that.
- On Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz: I have respect for Eli. He stirs up a lot of stuff, not just with Arkansas. (Laughs) He’s a hell of a coach. You don’t want him to have the ball on the last drive. He told me he was going to try to stir it up when he first got there.
- On Arkansas’ linebackers relative to preseason expectations: When you really don’t know what you have and you’re just looking at them in the weight room and running in the offseason, you get excited because (of) their athletic ability. Are they physical? Can they learn? Are they going to make a lot mistakes? Are they not? Are they leaders? Because that group has to be. They probably have exceeded even what I thought they would be.
Watch the full Arkansas football press conference here:
Arkansas Football Injury Report
Here’s the latest on several Arkansas football players who are dealing with injuries ahead of the Arkansas vs Missouri game…
- CB Jaylon Braxton (leg): There is no chance he returns for this Missouri game… Guaranteed to redshirt this season
- DE Anton Juncaj (knee): Pittman didn’t provide an update on him Monday, but previously expressed optimism that he’d be able to return for the Missouri game
- DE Nico Davillier (knee): Having surgery on Monday and will definitely miss the Missouri game… There’s a chance it’s not severe and he’ll be able to play in the bowl game, but worst-case scenario is being out five months
- LB Anthony Switzer (undisclosed): Did not dress out for the Louisiana Tech game, but Pittman is hopeful he’ll be back this week
- K Kyle Ramsey (groin): Injured his groin in the Tennessee game and Pittman described it as a “significant” injury, so he’ll miss some time
- DB Jaden Allen (knee): Pittman said before the season that the freshman had “cartilage repair” done on his knee and that he’s not expected to play this year… However, he’ll be back at practice Monday
- LB Justin Logan (shoulder): After being limited and wearing a green non-contact jersey during the spring, Pittman said he probably won’t play this season… However, he was dressed out and went through pregame warmups before each of the last two games
- OL Zuri Madison (ACL): Missed the spring and will miss the 2024 season with a torn ACL suffered in a scooter accident.
Arkansas vs Missouri Depth Chart
Here is the official depth chart for the Arkansas vs Missouri game, from the UA’s game notes…
Offense
| POS | First | Second | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Taylen Green | Malachi Singleton | KJ Jackson Blake Boda |
| RB | Ja’Quinden Jackson | Rashod Dubinion | Rodney Hill Braylen Russell Tyrell Reed |
| TE | Luke Hasz | Andreas Paaske | |
| WR-Z | Tyrone Broden | Jordan Anthony -OR- CJ Brown | Davion Dozier |
| WR-X | Andrew Armstrong | Monte Harrison | |
| WR-W | Isaiah Sategna | Isaac TeSlaa | |
| LT | Fernando Carmona Jr. | E’Marion Harris | |
| LG | Keyshawn Blackstock -OR- Patrick Kutas | ||
| C | Addison Nichols | Brooks Edmonson | |
| RG | Joshua Braun | Ty’Kieast Crawford | |
| RT | E’Marion Harris | Joe More |
Changes from last week:
- The only change is at center, where Edmonson is now listed as the backup. He had previously been listed behind Blackstock and Kutas at left guard. However, he played the one snap Nichols missed with an injury against Louisiana Tech. Amaury Wiggins had previously been listed as the backup center, but he is believed to have moved to guard earlier in the season.
- It’s also worth noting that Broden is still listed as the starter, but he didn’t play a single offensive snap against Louisiana Tech. He was replaced by TeSlaa, with Anthony and Harrison getting snaps off the bench.
Defense
| POS | First | Second | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Landon Jackson | Quincy Rhodes Jr. | |
| DT | Cam Ball | Keivie Rose | Danny Saili |
| DT | Eric Gregory | Ian Geffrard | |
| DE | Anton Juncaj | Charlie Collins | |
| LB | Brad Spence -OR- Stephen Dix Jr. | Alex Sanford | |
| LB | Xavian Sorey Jr. | Anthony Switzer -OR- Bradley Shaw | |
| NB | Doneiko Slaughter | Tevis Metcalf | |
| CB | Kee’yon Stewart | Marquise Robinson | |
| S | TJ Metcalf | Miguel Mitchell | Ahkhari Johnson |
| S | Jayden Johnson -OR- Larry Worth III | ||
| CB | Hudson Clark | Jaheim Singletary | Selman Bridges |
Changes from last week:
- With Nico Davillier having surgery on Monday, he is no longer listed on the depth chart. Juncaj is the sole starter, with Collins appearing on the depth chart for the first time.
- There is no longer an “or” between Metcalf and Mitchell at safety. Mitchell is not expected to play Saturday in order to preserve his redshirt.
Special Teams
| POS | First | Second |
|---|---|---|
| K | Matthew Shipley | Charlie Von Der Meden |
| P | Devin Bale | Sam Dubwig |
| KO | Devin Bale | |
| LS | Ashton Ngo | Max Schmidly |
| H | Devin Bale | Sam Dubwig |
| KR | Isaiah Sategna | Jordan Anthony |
| PR | Isaiah Sategna | Bryce Stephens |
Changes from last week:
- There are once again no changes to the special teams depth chart, but it’s worth noting that Rodney Hill returned the opening kickoff against Louisiana Tech after Anthony handled those duties the previous week. Sategna hasn’t done it in a couple weeks.
How to Watch Arkansas vs Missouri
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30
Location: Faurot Field (Columbia, Mo.)
Kickoff time (TV): 2:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)
Commentators: Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter)
ESPN FPI: Missouri has a 66.7% chance to win.
Odds/Betting Line: Missouri, -3.5 | O/U 54.5 (BetSaracen)
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