STARKVILLE — Dave Matter has covered Missouri for many years for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He took some time to speak with The Dispatch ahead of Mississippi State’s matchup against the Tigers on Saturday.
In a conversation with The Dispatch that can be found in its entirety on the newspaper’s podcast, Bully Banter, Matter discussed Eli Drinkwitz, star linebacker Nick Bolton and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Obviously, the last game of the season is coming up, but what’s the mood been like in Eli Drinkwitz’s first season in Columbia?
A: It’s been really positive. Obviously there were a lot of obstacles with games moving around and COVID cases, but he’s done a really good job of maintaining energy and momentum for the program. They haven’t been competitive against the elite teams they’ve played like Alabama and Georgia and had a bad loss in the middle to Tennessee that looks worse every week. But other than that, they’ve really held their own against those mid-tier teams in the SEC. They’ve had to pull out some games in the fourth quarter, which is encouraging because that’s the type of thing Missouri couldn’t do in the past. Gradually, he’s built excitement around this program. Recruiting is a big part of it and a big factor. When they’ve played well, the offense has been exciting. His personality and charisma have also been a real plus, it’s a lot different than Barry Odom. I said last week, Drinkwitz could probably run for mayor of Columbia and he’d probably win right now just because of how he’s energized this fan base.
Q: I remember (former Missouri head coach) Barry Odom hyping up this hot-shot freshman linebacker two years ago named Nick Bolton. I think he said ‘If I can’t turn him into an all-SEC linebacker, I’ve failed.” Seems like he did well there, huh?
A: That’s a great memory and line that you remembered. Bolton is one of the best linebackers in the country, there’s no doubt about it. He’s been a little banged up lately and hasn’t had quite the same burst. There was a targeting penalty against Arkansas where he had to sit out in the second half. It was one of those polarizing, — well, maybe not, because Arkansas fans probably would agree it wasn’t a very good call — but nevertheless, he had to miss the second half of that game. Other than that, he’s been outstanding. He’s been one of the face of the program type guys and someone that will likely be playing on Sundays. He makes plays all over the place.
Q: Another guy that’s made a lot of plays is Connor Bazelak. What’s been his progression like in terms of his maturity?
A: Maturity is a good word. This kid is really calm and poised, and this is all a bunch of cliches but it really fits for him, he never gets too high or too low. His numbers are weird because he’s fourth in the SEC in yards per game, and I think his efficiency rating is up there too, but he only has five touchdown passes. I think it more speaks to Missouri that it doesn’t have breakout receivers and they get tackled a lot in the end zone or around the 5 and then they have to punch it in with the running game. He’s not in the same class as Kyle Trask or Mac Jones, but when he’s good, he’s been really good. Even when he’s bad, he’s still really good. Considering he doesn’t have much around him, I think it’s a really promising year.
The full interview with Matter can be found on Bully Banter, which is available wherever podcasts are listed.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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