The Missouri Tigers, and first year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, will be dealing with a much smaller than usual roster when #3 Alabama visits Memorial Stadium in Columbia next Saturday night, September 26th, for 6 o’clock SEC opener, under the lights at Mizzou.
Coach Drinkwitz, on a Wednesday Zoom call with reporters in Columbia, revealed that at least 12 Missouri players will not be available for the game against the Crimson Tide, with either a positive COVID-19 test or being contact traced to a positive test. Both scenarios bring with it a 14-day quarantine to help prevent spread of the virus. Tests are conducted each Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday to the MU football team, meaning that number could grow from 12 before the opener.
While in the uncertain times brought by the pandemic, a postponement could still occur for Alabama at Missouri, particularly if one particular position of the Tigers is struck hard with positive cases, Drinkwitz said he is not anticipating that scenario occurring, telling reporters, “I just take the results that come to me right now. We got 12 guy missing and we got — I think — a 111-man roster, so I don’t know. Right now, we’re fine. I’m not worried about it”.
Two players who saw very limited playing time for the 2019 Tigers have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season at Missouri, with redshirt freshman wide receiver Maurice Massey and redshirt senior defensive end Chris Daniels making that decision earlier this week.
Drinkwitz did hint that Missouri’s offensive line has been the group hit hardest by the COVID-19 situation, with the coaching staff giving them extra attention, not only because of the virus testing the Tigers depth up front, but also injuries and graduations bringing a fair amount of off-season turnover there.
The Alabama at Missouri game will kickoff at 6 o’clock, with pregame at 4 on the Tiger Radio Network and local affiliate KTTN FM 92.3 on Saturday night, September 26th.
Photo credit – L.G. Patterson / Associated Press / Columbia, MO
