Adam Breneman names surprise QB as best in college football

Adam Breneman stuck his neck out after Week 3 saying Missouri QB Beau Pribula "looks like one of the very best quarterbacks in the country," praising the senior for "making plays with his legs and with his arm" as the Tigers opened 3-0.

"Beau Pribula looks like one of the very best quarterbacks in the country," Breneman said in appearance on CBS Sports. "Missouri's 3-0 right now. But just the way Missouri's playing on offense, their quarterback Beau Pribula has been lights out: seven touchdowns, has been making plays with his legs and with his arm. He was at Penn State last year, was the backup quarterback for Drew Allar, hit the transfer portal. And now this Missouri team is absolutely rolling and if you watch them on offense, there is a new level of explosiveness — they're one of the more explosive and complete offenses Ive seen on tape so far this season. Now, it's about to get real for Missouri. They got South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, all coming up in the next few weeks so we'll find out how good they really are."

Pribula left Penn State in December, days after Drew Allar announced he would return, and committed to Missouri with two years of eligibility. The move put him in Eli Drinkwitz's system and a wide-open competition that became permanent after Sam Horn suffered a season-ending leg injury on the first snap of the opener.

From the jump, Pribula has delivered. In a 61-6 rout of Central Arkansas he threw two touchdowns and ran for two more. He went 23-of-28 passing for 283 yards, plus a 31-yard TD run and a 49-yard strike to Marquis Johnson.

In week 3, No. 25 Missouri hammered Louisiana 52-10 behind 427 rushing yards, but Pribula still went 15-of-22 for 174 yards and two scores and added a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Through three games, he's 68-of-89 (76.4%) for 791 yards with 7 TDs and 1 INT, plus 76 rushing yards and 3 TDs — good for 289.0 total yards per game and a 174.8 efficiency rating.

Missouri is averaging 51.7 points and 587 yards per game — top-15 nationally in both — with a balanced attack (302.3 rushing yards per game and 284.7 passing yards per game). Transfer RB Ahmad Hardy’s 250-yard day vs. Louisiana and a deep receiver rotation have eased Pribula's transition as well.

The Tigers upcoming schedule will the real test. Missouri hosts South Carolina on Saturday night, then they face Alabama (Oct. 11), travel to Auburn (Oct. 18) and Vanderbilt (Oct. 25), and welcome in Texas A&M (Nov. 8). That run — which Breneman mentioned — will show how real Mizzou and Pribula are.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula | Denny Medley-Imagn Images