Mizzou QB Pribula ‘on track’ to start against Oklahoma on Saturday, per report

Missouri Tigers football coach Eli Drinkwitz said during Tuesday’s news conference that he expected true freshman Matt Zollers to start at quarterback against No. 8 Oklahoma.

Three days later, it looks as if that will change.

Beau Pribula is “on track” to return and start against the Sooners at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma, per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel. It was reported Thursday that a decision from Drinkwitz regarding Pribula’s status would be made Friday, following an evaluation in practice.

Pribula has been out of action since a loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, in which he exited early with a dislocated ankle. While the initial expectation was that he’d miss the rest of the regular season, he’s progressed quickly enough to return in just less than a month.

In the two games without Pribula, the Tigers took a loss to No. 3 Texas A&M and rolled to a win over Mississippi State, both at home. The chances at a College Football Playoff berth are rather low, but that’s still technically on the table. And Mizzou could play spoiler to an Oklahoma team in position to make the cut.

In eight games as the starter, Pribula put up 1,685 passing yards and 11 touchdowns with a completion rate of 69.6%. On the ground, he also added 220 yards and five touchdowns.

Drinkwitz made it clear that if Pribula was good to go, there would be no debate on who gets the nod between him and Zollers.

“Beau is our starting quarterback,” Drinkwitz said. “We don’t have a Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady thing here brewing yet, but I’ve been very, very impressed with Matt Zollers.”

Assuming nothing unexpected happens by kickoff, Pribula will be back in the captain’s seat for Missouri.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian