Reviewing Beau Pribula's First Performance with Mizzou

Missouri's quarterback competition is nearly complete after both played against Central Arkansas.

Aug 28, 2025; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) cocks the ball back to find a receiver in a matchup against the Central Arkansas Bears in Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Cal Tobias/MissouriOnSi

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The one thing everyone wanted to know following the conclusion of Missouri's Week 1 battle against the Central Arkansas Bears was how the quarterbacks would do.

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has made it very clear that the positional competition the two have been intertwined in for all of call camp would reach its end ahead of the Tigers' border war battle against the Kansas Jayhawks, making Week 1 an important one.

With Pribula and Horn splitting the game in half, the two led the Tigers to a 61-6 victory over Central Arkansas. However, Drinkwitz still has a big decision to make in terms of the future of the position.

Without a doubt, the quarterbacks were the focus of this opening week game. The saga of Pribula and Horn took a surprising turn, with Horn entering the first half for a single play and leaving the field injured.

Pribula took absolutely no time to get the ball rolling on offense. On Missouri's first offensive drive and under three minutes into the game, Pribula connected with junior receiver Marquis Johnson on a 51-yard bomb.

That wasn't all in his first half. Pribula added an electric 31-yard dash to the end zone to increase the Tiger lead, electrifying all of Memorial Stadium. Pribula was under stressful and surprising defensive pressure for most of the first half, handling it as well as he could have that time around.

He maintained that general consistency for all of the first half, doing so without any glaringly bad decisions. He finished the half with 283 yards while completing 82% of his pass attempts. He added rushing yards and a lone rushing touchdown to that.

Pribula ended up receiving more run than initially thought after Horn went down in the first half. Without giving true freshman Matt Zollers too much opportunity while preserving the health of Pribula, the Tigers were in a unique situation for the game's second half, given the scenario.

He played for the majority of the third quarter with Horn still out and didn't slow down. He finished the night with 283 passing yards and 65 rushing yards, along with two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. He did it all on 23-for-28 passing and was replaced at the end of the third quarter.

With Horn down, Pribula likely did enough to earn the starting quarterback spot for the Missouri Tigers. His decision-making all night long, along with his playmaking ability, was more impressive than many likely imagined.

Horn goes down

Horn saw an unfortunate ending to his opening game, a showing that ended after only one snap. After executing a surprising designed run in the first half, Horn stayed down after a hard hit. He suffered an apparent leg injury, one he needed help from the support staff to limp off the field.

Horn's injury status is unclear, though he was reportedly seen in a brace and on crutches in the Missouri locker room. Even with the status of Horn unknown, this likely marks the end of the Missouri quarterback battle.

Drinkwitz didn't want the competition to extend past Week 1 and Pribula's performance likely was enough to shut it down. Until Horn is available again, freshman Matt Zollers will be the next man up.