Welcome to the Morning Commute
Today we are talking about Mizzou Football!
Missouri got back on track with a statement victory over Mississippi State at home on Saturday. The win gives Mizzou fans a brighter outlook following three losses
in four games. Since the Vanderbilt game — where Beau Pribula suffered an injury — Matt Zollers has been operating under center and had a strong performance against the Bulldogs.
Pribula was listed as doubtful in last week’s injury reporters, leading to questions flying in for coach Eli Drinkwitz regarding the state of the situation. Here’s what he had to say:
“I’ve been very impressed with Matt Zollers, I thought he played a heck of a game,” Drinkwitz said on Tuesday.
Zollers, through two starts and three games, has three passing touchdowns, 1 interception and 327 passing yards. He’s been solid, but Drinkwitz reassured media that the QB1 from Week 2-9 is still the team’s QB1.
“Beau is our starter. Beau is our starting quarterback,” Drinkwitz said of Pribula when he’s healthy.
Drinkwitz told reporters to stay up to date with Matt Zenitz and Pete Thamel as they might release information later in the week. Otherwise, we will be keeping an eye on SEC injury reporters.
Missouri is back in action on Saturday in Norman when it takes on Oklahoma with a chance to spoil the Sooners playoff hopes.
We have more discussion on football and basketball, diving into prospects, visits and PFF grades in the Rock M+ forums. Most recently, we’ve got more discussion on Drinkwitz’s future and rumors that surround it.
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
25 carries for 300 rushing yards and 3 TDs? Three total tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pick-6? Yeah, there’s no doubt those numbers should be rewarded for conference player of the week honors.
For anybody that missed it, Ahmad Hardy everybody.
I apologize in advance. But this one’s gonna be for the Tim Robinson heads in the crowd. If you’re not down with a subsection of mid-2010’s Saturday Night Live pastiche, Detroiters, Office Hours Live bits, I Think You Should Leave or, most recently, The Chair Company… then this one won’t be for you.
I just read this, and, prepare yourself.
But Mississippi State is a uniquely terrible defense and Oklahoma is the opposite of that. It’ll be interesting to see how that game goes, especially with rumors of Beau Pribula potentially making a start? In 2025? 28 days after being carted off the field in an air cast and a wheel chair?
This upcoming Saturday will be a much bigger test for the offense. Mississippi State’s defense is really not good.
Saniah Tyler returned against kU, looking quite sharp with six points on a pair of triples plus two big steals. For a team that has faced major injury issues, the return of Tyler has made a big impact.
“She’s been chomping at the bit. She was she’s been so excited about getting out there and playing,” Harper said. “I’m really proud of her coming out and playing under control and playing with great energy. That’s what she’s going to give us…she gives us another opportunity, another ball handler out on the court.”
Should be a pretty impactful player once she gets settled in following her injury. Check out Dylan’s story!
I’m not advocating for ignoring the last 10 minutes. I think it’s a warning to the coaching staff if anything. TO’s struggles with the ball specifically. They don’t need TO to be the same as Ant with the ball in his hands, but they need him to go from a turnover every third possession to one every 6th possession. Going from three turnovers to one last night would have done him a huge service. The same with Phillips.
The last 10 minutes of Mizzou-Prairie View was not pretty. I agree with Sam that it’s a warning to the coaching staff, but the game was far out of contention by then.
When you look at the class as a whole, what sticks out the most is the emphasis on size. Three of the Tigers’ five recruits are listed as 6-3 or taller. When we asked Coach Harper about it, it’s clear this decision was completely by design.
Similar to Drinkwitz’s Class of 2026, Kellie Harper is building quite the big team. Hopefully they bring more than just length.
Mizzou is now 4-1, tying their best start to a season since 2023-24. But they face a major roadblock ahead, in a quick turnaround against Troy, last season’s WNIT runner-ups, on Thursday morning. With the special matinee start time for Education Day for the Columbia Public Schools, the Tigers have just under 40 hours between games.
Good start for the Kellie Harper era, but, let’s see some SEC competition!
On earlier comments regarding Zollers and Olugbode: “I made a flippant comment about, you know, we got to pay Matt and Donovan. I just want everybody to know those guys are getting paid. We’re going to keep those two. Okay, so nobody stress about that, like, we’re going to keep those two. That was just off the cuff, like, hey, you know, they’re good players, and we got to do, we can to keep them, but we’re going to keep them, so don’t stress.”
This is pretty reassuring for Missouri fans to hear. They may be expensive but looks like the Tigers will pay the price.
Over at Rock M+ we have more Mizzou football discussion in forums ahead of Oklahoma, and basketball discussion ahead of SEC play.
From Rock M Radio: Before the Box Score
In this episode, Nate and Nathan recap Missouri’s recent game against Mississippi St., highlighting Ahmad Hardy’s impressive performance, the team’s defense, and Eli Drinkwitz’s future with the program amidst NIL concerns. They analyze the game dynamics, including offensive play calling and the outlook for Mizzou football.
Subscribe to Rock M Radio on Apple Podcasts. Or stream episodes through Megaphone or Spotify. Have a question for us? Leave a 5-star review with your question and that show just might answer it in an upcoming episode!
If you like Rock M Radio drop us a Review and be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. Follow @RockMRadio on Twitter and if you haven’t already head over to our YouTube channel and click that subscribe button!
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)











