In a season defined by narrow losses, Missouri saved one more for the 2022 finale, falling to Wake Forest, 27-17, in Friday’s Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. The loss extended Mizzou’s bowl drought another year and means Eli Drinkwitz will have to wait until his fourth season to produce his first winning record.
The defeat ended Mizzou’s season at 6-7 for the second straight year — with four of those losses coming by a touchdown or less. This was a one-possession game most of the night until Sam Hartman added to his record-breaking night with his second touchdown pass to Taylor Morin with 2:33 left.
Drinkwitz, rewarded with a contract extension and lucrative pay raise midway through the season, now stands 17-19 through three years. The coming weeks and months will be critical for the Tigers as Drinkwitz decides what to do with the opening on his offensive staff and how to pursue the transfer portal, perhaps for another quarterback.
