After a months-long battle and mountains of speculation, Mizzou has its quarterback.
Beau Pribula started the team’s season opening game against Central Arkansas and immediately set out to lock down the job, connecting with Marquis Johnson on a 49-yard deep ball in the first five minutes of action.
The highly anticpated transfer’s performance for the next two and a half quarters checked off nearly every box Tigers fans were looking for as he ended the night with four total touchdowns.
“This is something
that I’ve been waiting for for a long time, just an opportunity like this, and was just extremely excited,” Pribula said, “Little jittery in the hotel, but once I got to the stadium, I was just really excited to get out here and plays with these guys.”
Pribula went a long way in answering the main question with his game, passing ability, by completing 23 of 28 passes (82% completion percentage) for 283 yards and two passing touchdowns.
He displayed his capability to complete explosive plays, completing six passes of 15 or more yards and two passes of 40 or more. He also showed the ability to find the soft spot in the defense, connecting with Kevin Coleman Jr. on several third downs.
Perhaps most importantly, he showed surprising composure for someone making their first career start. The Keystone State native stood tall in the pocket, tacking one sack but moving well in the pocket and throwing into pressure with defenders in his face.
And Pribula’s scrambling and improvisation, an area no one doubted, showed what drew Eli Drinkwitz to the newcomer in the first place.
The Tigers led 12-0 halfway through the second quarter after two drives that reached Central Arkansas territory and stalled, a dip in the team’s offensive momentum after a rapid start.
Pribula seized on the spark created by Coleman returning a UCA punt for 44 yards, setting up shop at the Bears’ 33 yard line. The agile QB moved around in the pocket for a few seconds on the second play of the drive, looking around for a receiver, before tucking the ball and taking it himself.
He juked out a Central Arkansas defender with a pump fake before splitting the rest of the team’s defenders en route to the endzone for a 31 yard touchdown, putting Mizzou ahead 19-0 after the extra point.
The run for six made up nearly half of the former Nittany Lion’s 65 rushing yards on 10 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 3.8 YPC on his nine other rushing attempts. He also added another rushing touchdown on an option play, beating a Bears player to the end zone on a one-yard scamper.
“I thought his ability to extend plays, that one big time run was pretty headsy there,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “and then his ability to pull the ball on some zone read stuff was nice.”
Pribula’s dual threat ability, combined with another much-hyped transfer in running back Ahmad Hardy, could form the foundation of an elevated Tigers offense.
But a night that would have otherwise created a festive atmosphere in Columbia may be dampened by the reason Pribula played into the second half.
Sam Horn entered the game on a designed rush in the first quarter, cutting up field for a six yard gain before a low tackle brought him to the ground. He got up before quickly falling back to the turf and eventually required assistance to leave the field.
The injury knocked the redshirt junior out for the rest of the game, and he was later spotted wearing a full leg cast with crutches. The circumstances surrounding Horn’s return make it possible tonight is the last we see of him in a Tigers uniform.
“Very disappointed and sad with the injury to Sam and the injury to Blake Craig, and those two things are really disappointing,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ll see tomorrow what the extent of those injuries are.”
No matter what, it’s another unfortunate event for one of the most talented but oft-injured athletes on the University of Missouri campus.
Horn sacrificed a lot to return to the Tigers this season – possibly tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars. The Georgia native was a top-130 recruit in this year’s MLB Draft but fell all the way to the 17th round, largely due to his commitment to football, before being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He signed a significant overslot draft deal, reeling in a nearly $500,000 bonus, but could have been headed for an even larger payday if he had turned pro. Horn wanted to stay in the quarterback competition, though, receiving another opportunity at the job he lost to Brady Cook in 2023.
There have been some understandable questions in the last few days surrounding the legitimacy of his battle with Pribula extending into the season opener. But no one has questioned Horn’s commitment to Mizzou and its football team.
“He was voted captain because his teammates care about him, and you hurt for a young man because last year was taken away from him from a different reasoning, and now this year’s he’s going to have to face another injury,” Drinkwitz said. “Don’t know how long it’ll be, and there’s something that wears you down mentally in those things. So you can’t second guess it, you’ve just got to face every day, and we’ll face it with him.”
The Tigers have their clear answer at the most important position in football after last night’s 61-point performance. For at least the next few days, though, the focus might be on the man whose opportunity to compete was likely cut short.
