Eye on the Tigers

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson reflect on a wild end to Missouri's win over Oklahoma and what the result means for the program's journey into the home stretch of the season.

They also debate how to handle the quarterback decision between Brady Cook and Drew Pyne before touching on the Tigers' hopes of clawing back into College Football Playoff relevance.

Eli and Ben close out the episode by skimming through the struggles and successes of this year's men's basketball team and what matters during early season nonconference games.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Benjamin Hochman dive into a world of Mizzou sports that includes both football and men's basketball in action. They start with the Tigers blowing a lead in the hoops season opener, digging into what went wrong from half-court offense to rotation oddities. Eli and Benjamin also discuss Brady Cook's injury status, what it means for Missouri's chances against Oklahoma this weekend, and what could get fans excited for the game.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson break down what's gone wrong for Missouri football in 2024. Eli lays out what he knows about Brady Cook's injury and prognosis, and Ben explains what he's watching for during the rest of the season. With basketball season starting Monday, Eli and Ben also discuss the elements of this year's Mizzou hoops team that excite them and what they'll be monitoring during the season opener against Memphis.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson break down the importance of two key Mizzou players' health ahead of this weekend's game against Alabama. Will Brady Cook's ankle be fine for him to play? Will Nate Noel be out or available? Eli and Ben explain what they know about the injuries and information out there before digging into matchups against Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams. They close out the episode with a look at Missouri's national perception heading into a make-or-break game.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson zoom out to evaluate Missouri football at the halfway point of its season. They hand out midterm grades to every position on the Tigers' roster, unpacking a disappointing start for wide receivers, the nuance of grading an offensive line and opportunities for better marks on the defense. Eli and Ben also look ahead to Mizzou's homecoming game against Auburn and how MU's defense could be an X-factor in that game.

On this week’s episode of the Eye on the Tigers podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson unpack Missouri’s collapse against Texas A&M. They discuss was what went wrong, from a lack of a response from the Tigers to issues establishing the run to overall preparedness.Also, Eli and Ben look ahead to Mizzou’s strange game at UMass and what it can and cannot do for the Tigers’ season.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson chat about the value of Missouri getting its first bye week early in the 2024 season. They look ahead to Mizzou's marquee game at Texas A&M this weekend, previewing a matchup against yet another mobile quarterback and an experienced coach in Mike Elko.

For a bye week episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson open up the mailbag to answer listener questions. They discuss what's up with Missouri quarterback Brady Cook's performance, what is impacting Mizzou's passing game at large, how the Tigers' past opponents are faring, preferences for Columbia's famous college town food spots and more. 

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson discuss Tennessee passing Missouri in the AP Top 25. They also unpack the good, bad and undisciplined from the Tigers win over Boston College before digging into what Mizzou needs to show against Vanderbilt in Week 4.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson share their standouts and concerns from Missouri's win over Buffalo, including Luther Burden III's exit with an illness and Theo Wease Jr.'s career night. They praise the Tigers' defense and back-to-back shutouts before a preview of No. 6 Mizzou vs. No. 24 Boston College this weekend. How will MU try to stop quarterback Thomas Castellanos? What kind of day does Brady Cook need to give? Eli and Ben give their answers before picking other college football games of interest during Week 3.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson enjoy having real college football games to talk about and all their implications — including Missouri moving up to 9^th in the AP Top 25. A couple of the Tigers' upcoming opponents look a few degrees tougher, which Eli and Ben dive into. They also talk about why Buffalo is helpful preparation for the games that lie ahead and Eli gets a surprising curveball about Ben's football hobbies — or lack thereof.

On this postgame episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson review Missouri's 51-0 win against Murray State to open the 2024 season. They discuss what impressed them about the Tigers' defense in a shutout performance, what could have been for wideout Luther Burden III on offense and why the kicking game was actually one of the most important takeaways. Eli and Ben close out the episode by picking games to watch from an appetizing Week 1 slate around the rest of the country.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson unpack Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz's comments regarding ticket sales for the football program's home opener and whether they crossed a line. Eli and Ben also continue their discussion of how strength of schedule could impact Mizzou's College Football Playoff chances before pondering what the Tigers need from quarterback Brady Cook this season. Plus, Eli spots a local angle to the Michigan sign-stealing controversy.

On this week's episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson break down a season-ending injury for defensive end Darris Smith and what it means for Missouri's defense. They also ponder key questions facing Mizzou and its College Football Playoff hopes, from defensive transfers to the line of succession at running back to what record will be necessary for a spot in the 12-team CFP.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Post-Dispatch beat writer Eli Hoff is joined by columnist Benjamin Hochman to make suspiciously specific predictions about what will happen during the 2024 college football season. From a standout individual performance from one Missouri player against his former team to a game-deciding turnover to a very precise geographical way to look at College Football Playoff seeding, Eli and Benjamin go on the record with how they think Mizzou's upcoming season will play out.

On the latest episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff talks with author Brendon Steenbergen about Respectable Roughnecks, Brendon's recent book about the 1960 Missouri football team. They talk about what makes that season so transcendent, from first-ever competitive achievements to MU's first Black football player to the legacy of that era in today's game. 

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson share their relations to Mizzou's hiring of its next athletics director: Memphis AD Laird Veatch.

Ben shares why he thinks there's cause for the excitement with the hire while Eli talks through Veatch's strengths and first priorities. 

Ben also assuages some concerns around the hiring process before they close out the episode with talk of how the hire will eventually be evaluated.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson catch up on what has and hasn't happened with Mizzou's search for a new athletics director. They also discuss the potential impacts of John Calipari leaving Kentucky on a former Mizzou basketball target, and what the commitment of a four-star quarterback means for Eli Drinkwitz's program.

In this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson prepare for the end of the Mizzou men's basketball season, and weigh whether the Tigers have a chance of doing the surprising and winning a game in the SEC tournament.

Eli shares some of his observations from the first spring football practices before he and Ben discuss MU's hire of a search firm for its athletics director hunt.

This week's Quick 3 puts Ben on the spot as a hypothetical candidate for the gig, with some decisions looming right off the bat.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson discuss the past and future of the Mizzou athletics director position, from how the university will handle Desiree Reed-Francois' buyout to what decisions will face her replacement. They also discuss some observations and questions from the start of the Tigers' spring football practices before turning to potential college postseason changes in the Quick 3 segment.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson react to the surprising departure of Mizzou AD Desiree Reed-Francois.

They revisit some of the signs of friction between Reed-Francois and university leadership and why that contributed to her sudden exit before listing some potential replacements and discussing what recent turnover means for Mizzou athletics going forward.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff is joined by Rock M Nation writer Matt Watkins for an analytical discussion of Mizzou men's basketball's future.

They discuss what to make of the Tigers' freshmen and their roles before talking through the stats that show off a player's role and style.

Eli closes out the episode by picking Matt's brain about the concept of "program building" and how Dennis Gates' experience as an assistant coach at Florida State is shaping his current approach toward recruiting and developing players.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff is joined by NFL Draft analyst Joe DeLeone to talk through where some former Mizzou players will go in the draft. They discuss Joe's adventures at the Super Bowl and Senior Bowl before diving in with discussion of how Darius Robinson and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.'s skillsets will translate to the pros. Joe shares insight on how he scouts cornerbacks before putting Cody Schrader's potential in context. Joe closes out the show with valuable insight for football fans on how to determine whether the analysts putting together mock drafts and big boards know what they're talking about. You can follow Joe and his analysis on X, formerly Twitter, at @joedeleone.

On this episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson dissect Mizzou men's basketball's latest defeats, including a rock fight against Texas A&M. They highlight an important change to the Tigers' starting lineup and what it means for the team's freshmen going forward. Eli and Ben also weigh how much time to give the freshmen this season and what expectations might look like for next year's highly regarded recruits. This week's Quick 3 segment takes on a bit of a different form as Eli and Ben consider which four-game stretch of the rest of the season gives Mizzou its best chance of getting an SEC win.