Mizzou Tigers vs. Central Arkansas: Five things to know about MU’s season opener
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri will split QB reps between Pribula and Horn to decide the starter.
- Mizzou remains undefeated against FCS teams since Division I split in 2006.
- Central Arkansas head coach Brown returns to play-calling duties after 7 years.
It’s finally here — kickoff in CoMo.
Coach Eli Drinkwitz’s Missouri Tigers — a team coming off a 10-3 season and Music City Bowl victory — will take the field Thursday evening, playing host to FCS opponent Central Arkansas.
For Mizzou, kickoff also means launch of the Tigers’ campaign for a third straight 10-win college football season, which would be the first in program history.
Central Arkansas is coming off a 6-6 showing in 2024 (3-5 United Athletic Conference) and has just three wins over FBS teams in program history.
Sugar Bears coach Nathan Brown hopes to add one more.
“If you take the first game against Missouri, that’s a mountain in itself,” Brown told Central Arkansas Athletics. “They’ve got more scholarships. They recruit the top talent in the country.
“Missouri’s won 21 games in two years. So I put that Missouri game in its own category, but we are going up there to compete and make it a four-quarter game.”
Here’s what to know before Thursday’s season kickoff:
Mizzou vs. Central Arkansas details
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28
Where: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (980) Kansas City, KCMQ (96.7 or 103.1) Columbia
Betting line: N/A
Five things to know before kickoff
1. Get ready for the QB1-battle showcase. The question that loomed over Mizzou’s fall camp has rolled into the season: Who — Penn State transfer Beau Pribula or Sam Horn — will be MU’s starting quarterback? Drinkwitz said last week he’ll play both against the Bears and evaluate each signal-caller’s game-day decision-making before making a final decision of his own.
2. The Tigers have never lost to an FCS opponent. Always take an opponent seriously, but Mizzou is undefeated against FCS squads since Division I-AA reorganized as the FCS in 2006. And, under Drinkwitz, the Tigers have outscored those opponents a cumulative 179-55. After starting the 2024 season with a 51-0 drubbing of Murray State, Thursday presents a nice opportunity for a repeat.
3. UCA’s Brown is calling plays for the first time since 2017. Brown was the offensive coordinator at Central Arkansas under Steve Campbell before taking over the head coaching gig in 2018. He’s in his eighth year as head coach in Conway, Ark., and he knows the program like the back of his hand. He was a four-year starting QB there before joining the coaching staff as a QBs coach in 2010.
4. The Bears’ defense brought back a familiar face. Chad Williams was defensive coordinator at UCA from 2018-20 before joining the staff at his alma mater, Southern Miss. Williams rejoined the Bears following Greg Stewart’s retirement from the position and will work to solidify a unit that lost Buck Buchanan Award-winning linebacker David Walker to the 2025 NFL Draft.
5. Bears boast 5 preseason all-conference picks. The best of them might be wide receiver Malachi Henry. He caught 41 passes for 683 yards and five touchdowns last season and will also be handling punt returns for the Bears this year.
