Eli Drinkwitz walks back 'looking for blood' comment about Border War rivalry with Kansas

Eli Drinkwitz might have walked himself right into another viral moment. The Missouri coach has gone down this road before and immediately saw it as he created it.

While speaking with Paul Finebaum on Tuesday evening, Drinkwitz was looking back on last year’s Border War rivalry game against Kansas. That game, Missouri won, 42-31, creating the desire for payback for the Jayhawks this year.

Nothing wrong with that. But the way in which he said it is likely going to add some heat to Drinkwitz.

“It was awesome,” Drinkwitz said. “Now we gotta go to Kansas, so they’re gonna be looking for blood. Actually, I shouldn’t have used that term, ‘looking for blood,’ with Kansas. That’s got some deep connotations there. I better stay away, a little heavy. … That’s not good.”

Drinkwitz was, of course, referring to the historical aspect of the Missouri-Kansas rivalry. It dates all the way back to the Civil War days, including Lawrence, Kan., being burnt to the ground in 1863. While Drinkwitz might not have intended to make a comment about blood being spilt in a football game, it will also get plenty of pushback from the Kansas side of things. That’s how rivalries go.

Drinkwitz, Missouri look to win Border War on the road

The 2025 playing of the Border War was the first time the rivalry had taken place in football since 2011, when Missouri was leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. It has been a very one-sided rivalry going back to the days when the duo played yearly.

Missouri has won four straight games over Kansas and six of the last seven. Last year, the Tigers had tons of success in the air, with Beau Pribula throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns on top of the Jayhawks’ secondary. They’ll look to repeat that this year, now with Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons calling the shots.