NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Eli Drinkwitz calls them finishers. And finish they did.
Missouri captured its 10th win of the season with a Music City Bowl victory over Iowa on Monday, crossing the double-digit victory threshold in consecutive seasons for just the third time in program history. The Tigers beat the Hawkeyes 27-24 behind quarterback Brady Cook’s best game of the season, a timely defensive improvement in the second half and two long field goals from kicker Blake Craig. Entering the bowl game, Drinkwitz — a coach prone to seeking out the right words to motivate his team — turned to a quote attributed to transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau.
“All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil,” Thoreau once said. “The fight-to-the-finish spirit is the one characteristic we must possess if we are to face the future as finishers.” The last mile was a trip to the Tennessee Titans’ Nissan Stadium for a bowl that Drinkwitz referred to as an "exhibition game" the day prior.
The last plan looked different from the usual Mizzou, without two offensive stars and more than 10 players absent due to opt-outs, injuries and the transfer portal. And the last hour saw the Tigers (10-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) come back from a 10-point deficit to halt the Hawkeyes and pick up a second consecutive bowl game victory over a Big Ten program. “It’s just something I think speaks to us,” Drinkwitz said of .
