Beau Pribula leads Mizzou blowout over Central Arkansas. Here are 3 takeaways
Missouri’s streak of perfection against FCS opponents continued Thursday — in dominant fashion.
Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers opened their season with a blowout win over Central Arkansas. The Tigers won 61-6, holding a shutout performance for more than 59 minutes of game time.
Quarterback play was the headline both going into the game and now after, though the specifics have changed. Mizzou entered the contest unsure of its full-time starter between transfer Beau Pribula and returning backup Sam Horn. Drinkwitz intended to evaluate both in-game.
Instead, Pribula started and starred. Horn, slated to play the second half, played just one snap before exiting the field with a leg injury.
Pribula finished 23-for-28 passing for 283 yards and two scores. He also ran for 65 yards and added two touchdowns on the ground.
Pribula’s passing touchdowns went to Marquis Johnson and Brett Norfleet. Freshman Matt Zollers took over in the third quarter with Mizzou comfortably in front. If Horn misses significant time, Zollers is the likely candidate at backup QB.
Zollers went 3-for-3 on passing attempts for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Horn wasn’t the only Tiger to exit with an injury. Kicker Blake Craig left the game after being perfect from 49 and 55 yards on field goal attempts. Drinkwitz told media members postgame the Tigers will have updates on the two following MRIs scheduled for Friday.
Up next: Mizzou turns to its first big test of the season against Kansas. The Border War will be back in Columbia next week, the renewal of a historic rivalry that hasn’t been played in football since 2011.
Until then, here are three takeaways from the season opener...
Beau Pribula makes case as starting QB
First pass of his Mizzou career? A 51-yard dart to Marquis Johnson — to the end zone.
Yeah, that’ll play.
Pribula dominated in his first half as a Tiger, going 19-for-23 for 204 yards through the air with two touchdowns. The Penn State transfer was able to show off the wheels that made him a top target in the portal as well, rushing for 51 yards on seven carries in the first half, including a 31-yard touchdown.
Regardless of Horn’s injury, Pribula’s performance made a clear case for his role moving forward.
Mizzou’s offensive line must be better
With Horn sidelined, it’s important now more than ever that the Tigers’ O-line protects its guy. Pribula excelled in several spots Thursday, but there were holes in the O-line that limited him on a few different occasions. And he took some hard hits.
On his 32-yard rushing touchdown, Pribula fought hard in the pocket before taking off. It was a move that ultimately paid off, of course, but the offensive line can’t afford to allow pressure as often and as quickly as it did against better teams on the schedule.
“I pride myself in being not just (a) quarterback, but a football player,” Pribula told reporters postgame. “But I definitely think there’s situations where you need to protect yourself.”
If Pribula goes down, Drinkwitz and the Tigers become dangerously thin at quarterback between true freshman Matt Zollers and walk-on Tommy Lock.
“There was some good, bad and some in between,” Drinkwitz said of the O-line.
That said, the Missouri coach noted he was overall “pretty pleased” with the performance, despite some mistakes.
Ahmad Hardy for Heisman? (But seriously, what a performance)
What an exceptional first performance as a Tiger for Hardy.
The Tigers knew what they were getting when adding Hardy via the transfer portal from UL-Monroe. They added a dynamic rusher who racked up 1,300-plus yards last season as a true freshman.
Hardy gave plenty of reasons to believe he’ll improve on that number.
Hardy finished with 100 yards on 10 carries, the longest being a 44-yard run. He seems to complement Pribula’s rushing abilities quite well. He also scored a touchdown Thursday.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM.
