Missouri Tigers College Football Pregame Quote, 12/26/2023

Q. Now that you’ve gotten to do a few practices here at AT&T [Stadium], what’s it like with the massiveness of it, I guess?

QB BRADY COOK: Obviously it’s incredible. It’s my first time here. And I think it’s good we get to practice here the whole week, honestly. The initial shock of being in the stadium, seeing it, feeling the turf, you know, that kind of wears off and you can dial in. So we’re really enjoying it and practice is going well in there.

Q. You’ve now had, I guess, really a month to prepare for Ohio State, how good is that as an offense to have that much time to prep?

QB BRADY COOK: It’s good. I think right now we can’t let it get stale. We need to stay on it, stay in our normal routines, make sure we know our assignments and we’re in a good spot. We’re in a good spot preparation-wise.

Q. When you look at Ohio State’s defense, what stands out to you?

QB BRADY COOK: The front seven is their strong suit, the D. plays really sound. On the back end, there’s not a lot of MA’s and missed assignments. They’re sound, too. They know what they do really well. They play man coverage well in the secondary, so we need to take our opportunities when we can. But we’re going up against a really good defense.

Q. When you talk about Kirby Moore, when he signed that extension, what’s it like to know he’s going to be back next year.?

QB BRADY COOK: Super happy about that. I was messing around with him, where’s the extension, looking for it. Waiting for an offense. Super, glad to have him back. He’s obviously a big addition for that team.

Q. What do you think makes him so effective as an offensive coordinator?

QB BRADY COOK: It’s his passion. Dialing up plays and getting an offense ready to make plays that’s what he was born to do and he does a great job of it.

Q. When you look at a guy like Javon [Foster], and I know that left tackle spot is always an important one for you as a quarterback, what has he brought into consistency as the starting guy as your tenure?

QB BRADY COOK: You just said it, consistency. Once of the most consistent players, one of the most hard workers. He’s never on any list, never in trouble, never whining, never hurt. He’s consistent. He’s there every play. And that’s what you want out of a left tackle. I trust him with everything.

Q. What does it mean to you — how much confidence does it give you to have that trust on your blind-side blocker?

QB BRADY COOK: It’s everything. Especially in critical downs, third down, fourth down, when you know you need to trust your blind side and he’s there for you.

Q. How excited are you guys to know that Ohio State is going to be full strength defensively? Always a question people had coming into this room?

QB BRADY COOK: I’m happy about it. I think it provides a good test for our offense. There’s no question about personnel-wise, seeing the secondary front seven, et cetera. So I think it’s going to be a great test for us. And I think we’ll be prepared for them.

Q. Talking to your parents last week, and they said ten years ago you had a party to watch the Cotton Bowl at your house. Now you’re going to be playing at the Cotton Bowl. How much of a full circle surreal moment was that for you?

QB BRADY COOK: It was crazy. My mom pulled up the pictures from the Cotton Bowl party ten years ago. We were all in my basement watching Mizzou in the Cotton Bowl. None of us would have thought I would have been the quarterback in the Cotton Bowl a decade later. Super full circle.

Q. How many tickets did you get? I know the tickets were a hot topic when we talked to you a week ago.

QB BRADY COOK: Tickets, still working on a few extra. We have a big crew coming down. They’re excited. They’re going to be tailgating and take it all in.