The Pyne predicament: Can Mizzou’s backup quarterback answer the call if needed?
Here’s the deal: Nobody knows who Missouri’s starting quarterback will be Saturday.
And Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz wants it to stay that way.
In a midweek news conference ahead of Saturday’s home game against the Oklahoma Sooners, Drinkwitz deferred all questions about player injuries to the SEC-mandated injury report, which is released around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during game week.
He also closed his usually public practices to media for the second week in a row, keeping his cards close to the vest.
The unknown at the quarterback spot comes on the heels of two injury-riddled weeks for usual starter Brady Cook, who has dealt with both ankle and hand injuries in contests against Auburn and Alabama.
Cook appeared as “questionable” for Saturday’s showdown at Faurot Field in the initial inury report Wednesday night.
An idle week gave the Tigers time to rest and recoup, but Mizzou fans will have to wait just a little longer before learning who will start against OU.
In the meantime, we can pinpoint whom the Tigers may lean on to lead their offense if Cook misses additional time. The most likely option is backup Drew Pyne, who has already been asked to step up in a significant way this season.
Pyne’s performance in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, put a bad taste in Missouri fans’ mouths. The former Notre Dame and Arizona State signal-caller completed just 6 of 12 passes for 42 yards and also tossed an interception on three straight drives midway through the Tigers’ 34-0 loss that essentially put the game out of reach.
Despite Pyne’s performance, Drinkwitz confirmed that he remains Missouri’s No. 2 quarterback this week.
“Hopefully it was a learning opportunity,” Drinkwitz said. “We put him in some bad situations. We’ve got to protect better. We’ve got to establish the run better, and we can’t turn the ball over.”
Lou Marinelli, Pyne’s coach at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, has full faith that Pyne will bounce back in his next performance. Marinelli knows first-hand how Pyne, who had 2,021 passing yards and 22 TDs at Notre Dame in 2022, possesses an ability to do just that in times of change.
During his freshman year of high school, Pyne was the Rams’ No. 2 quarterback. But after the team’s senior starter suffered an ankle injury, the starting job was Pyne’s.
Sound familiar?
Pyne led the Rams to two Connecticut state championships as the team’s starter — one during his freshman year and another in his junior campaign.
“He’s really a coach’s dream,” Marinelli said. “At least I found he was a coach’s dream for us.”
But his time in New Canaan wasn’t without its trials. Pyne battled through mistakes and setbacks at various points in his prep career, moments that showed Marinelli how he’d handle challenges that come with growth.
“He would be upset, but he’s not throwing helmets around or anything like that. He’s quietly concerned,” Marinelli said. “I think he was concerned, not only about his play, but he was concerned for his teammates. He’s an unbelievable teammate, but I think he was more concerned about his teammates, how they reacted and how (they were) going to get back on track.”
Now, on the heels of a disappointing performance against the Crimson Tide, Pyne will try to turn the tide for the Tigers in what could be his first start in a MU uniform.
For Marinelli, there’s little worry that Pyne can bounce back from adversity, like he has in the past.
“I don’t think anybody can guarantee victory, but I can tell you this: He’s going to do whatever he can to get his team across the finish line and be successful,” Marinelli said. “It’s not for lack of effort or not understanding the game plan or anything like that. He’ll be ready to go, and, you know, I just hope for the best for him, but the Missouri fan base can know that he’s just gonna play his ass off.”
Drinkwitz, while not revealing his Saturday starter, concurred.
“We can either choose to be victims or be relentless in our pursuit of being a better football team,” Drinkwitz said. “And Drew’s been relentless. ...
“I think not only Drew, but JR (Blood), Brady (Cook), offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, defensive players — I think all of us have chosen (that) we’re going to be relentless and continue to improve as a football team.”
With redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Horn out for the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, the Tigers’ QB options beyond Cook and Pyne, who has completed 35 of 55 passes for 248 yards and three interceptions, are limited.
Graduate quarterback Harold “JR” Blood saw the field for one drive against Alabama but did not attempt a pass. Blood transferred from Southern University, where he completed 148 of 257 passes for 1,963 yards and 13 TDs in 2023.
The Tigers could also turn to true freshman Aidan Glover, who committed to Mizzou as the No. 15-ranked quarterback in the class of 2024. The former four-star recruit threw for 1,802 yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior season at Collierville High School in Collierville, Tennessee.
Sophomore Brett Brown and senior Tommy Lock round out the Tigers‘ quarterback corps, although neither has seen the field during his time in Columbia.
For now, though, all signs point to Pyne, who’d be asked to lead MU to its first win over Oklahoma since 2010.
“(Pyne’s) a competitor. He wants to play at that level, and he wants to be successful, so he’s going to do whatever he can,” Marinelli said. “Football is a crazy game. A lot of factors go into it, but it won’t be for his lack of effort or lack of not knowing the game plan or anything like that. He’ll be prepared.”
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