QB Beau Pribula shined in his Tiger debut as he captained Mizzou to victory.
The Missouri Tigers (1-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) defeated the University of Central Arkansas Bears (0-1, 0-0 FCS) by a score of 61-6 to start the 2025 season. In his first start of his collegiate career, transfer quarterback Beau Pribula displayed strength and confidence as he delivered his new team a victory.
Eli Drinkwitz consistently echoed in preseason that the goal was to be 1-0 each week, and the Tigers opened the season doing just that.
Right out the gates Mizzou came out hot, forcing UCA to commit a penalty and punt the ball over four attempts.
In the Tigers first possession, they also only had four attempts with the ball. However, theirs resulted in a touchdown. After rushes from both Marquis Johnson and Pribula, the quarterback threw a dime to Johnson for a touchdown. Feeling bold, the offense stayed on the field for a 2-point conversion that ultimately failed.
Unfortunately, this is where things turned a little dicey. Perhaps the most talked about debate surrounding Mizzou football was the quarterback battle. After fall camp, Eli Drinkwitz still hadn’t felt that he could make a solid decision regarding the starting job.
Ultimately, the decision was made for him. In his first appearance of the night, Sam Horn stepped on the field for a QB rush. At the conclusion of the play, Horn was down in obvious pain and later had to be helped off the field with the assistance of the training staff. Before the end of the half, he was spotted donning crutches and a large cast on his right leg.
In the second quarter, Pribula continued to settle in and the offense put another 17 points points on the board. Blake Craig lived up to his “Craig the Leg” nickname quickly, putting a booming 55 yard kick through the uprights. Mizzou’s defense forced UCA into another 3 and out, Kevin Coleman returned the punt for 44 yards, and Pribula quickly put the ball in the end zone at the end of a scrambling 31-yard rush.
After halftime, other new additions came out to play.
After a quiet first half, running back Ahmad Hardy made his presence known with 50 yards in rushing over three carries, including a touchdown. He would end his first game in black and gold with 100 total yards rushing and a touchdown.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the game was firmly in Matt Zollers’ hands. Mizzou punted the ball for the first time in the game, but the true freshman still got his first score on the board, hitting Jude James for a quick out and a 39-yard run after the catch. Freshmen Marquise Davis — a 3-yard catch — and Dante McClellan — an 83-yard pick-six — rounded out the scoring.
The Tigers will play their second game of the season against kansas in the Border War revival next Saturday.
Category: General Sports
