Mizzou Mailbag: Reacting to Beau Pribula's Debut at Virginia

It's no secret that Missouri's passing game was inadequate in the SEC last season after finishing dead last in yards per game. Beau Pribula was the starting quarterback for the Tigers in 10 games last season, missing some time due to injury. When Pribula was starting, Missouri's passing was stronger, but he still averaged less than 200 yards per game, which would rank at the bottom of the conference.

Pribula boasted a 67.4 completion percentage, which ranked third in the SEC and he threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Despite his inconsistencies and flaws, when Pribula left for Virginia and the Tigers named Austin Simmons quarterback there were still many questions surfacing the minds of fans and there still are. Simmons has little-to-none starting experience, much like Pribula last year and leaves a lot of uncertainty for Missouri after throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions last season.

Throughout the first few weeks of the year, Pribula and Simmons will likely be compared closely and Pribula currently has the leg up on Simmons. The former Tiger had the advantage of suiting up a week before Simmons, as Virginia took on NC State during Week 0 and Pribula led his new squad to a 34-8 win.

The graduate went 9-for-11 for 155 passing yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards on 15 attempts. After his strong performance many fans took to X and complimented the quarterback, with some stating that the Tigers may be missing out in 2026.

mizzou sending Beau Pribula away is the most mizzou thing I’ve ever seen since pretending to claim a National Championship pic.twitter.com/mCEWaHPln6
— Burch (@braden_burcham_) August 29, 2026

Obviously, the Tigers did not pretend to win the 1960 National Championship and have rightfully claimed it, but as for Pribula, Burch brings up a topic of discussion that is hot on Missouri fans minds. After his impressive debut some fans believe the Tigers should have kept Pribula, but after examination, Simmons looks to be the better fit.

In the seven games before his injury last year, Pribula threw for more than 240 yards four times and had 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His stats were better prior to his injury, but once he began SEC play he became inconsistent. Before Pribula went out during the Vanderbilt game, he threw for two touchdowns and four interceptions in conference play.

His inability to throw deep balls made the Tigers one dimensional last season and led to their bottom level pass play in conference.

For Missouri to become a strong offense in the SEC and not just a one-trick pony in the run game, the Tigers needed to make the right change and Simmons may be just that. He is relatively inexperienced with starter level snaps, but his raw attributes of intelligence and a strong arm could make him a better starting candidate than Pribula.

Pribula's strongest attribute is running the football and the Tigers were the top rushing team in the SEC last season because of their backs, not Pribula. If Missouri had hung on to Pribula this season, they would face the same issues they did last year, centered around being a relatively predictable offense.

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