It's good to be king.
It's even better to be a Jedi Master, hero in the Star Wars galaxy far, far away.
Or, in Columbia, Missouri.
Look no further than Tigers' head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
After seeing his team fail late at home to preserve its lead and thus head into overtime against Florida, Drinkwitz saved perhaps his best single play-call of his two-year Missouri tenure for the bonus session.
It was a two-point conversion call – well before a two-point conversion call was required -- in the initial bonus session.
The Gators, who have lost four consecutive Southeastern Conference games and yielded an FBS record-tying 52 points in a win last week against FCS Samford, had scored a touchdown and the extra point for a 23-16 lead against Missouri in the first overtime series.
Missouri then scored in two plays; Tyler Badie's 13-yard run to the end zone left the Gators on top, 23-22.
Drinkwitz eschewed an extra point and opted for the winner-take-all play-call.
Quarterback Connor Bazelak, pressured up the middle from the Florida defense, retreated just enough and lofted a high, arcing pass that feathered into the arms of Tigers' tight end Daniel Parker.
Ballgame.
Tigers 24, Gators 23.
And then Drinkwitz plopped his lightsaber directly on the Gators' snouts' post-game.
“May The Force Be With You,” Drinkwitz said, deadpan, as he pulled the hoodie of his Missouri sweatshirt over his head and exited the press conference with a light-saber in his right hand and can of Diet Coke in his left hand.
MIC DROP from #Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz after beating Florida in OT! 😂
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) November 21, 2021
"May the force be with you." pic.twitter.com/cVw9CcvXK0
It was a move that seemed in direct response to last year's Florida-Missouri game in Gainesville, Florida, when Mullen showed up postgame and donned a Darth Vader helmet as the Gators relished the win in a game in which a halftime incident saw mayhem on the field.
The victory lifted Missouri to six wins on the season and all but guaranteed the Tigers a postseason berth.
Florida? Well, it has lost six games and has to defeat rival Florida State next Saturday to avoid a losing season.
Welcome to the Dark Side.