Deep thoughts: Does Mizzou need to try longer passes to excel in the SEC?

Missouri had 77 seconds to stay alive or to snatch a last-second victory against Alabama on Saturday.

Simply tying the score at 27-27 would have given the Tigers a fighting chance in overtime. For a short time, the daunting task seemed manageable, even with no timeouts.

Quarterback Beau Pribula fired a 25-yard pass to receiver Donovan Olugbode on a crucial fourth-and-6 to get the drive’s initial first down. The clock rested at 48 seconds. Mizzou had 53 more yards to go.

But after two consecutive incompletions, Pribula stepped back in the pocket and fired another shot to Olugbode. This time, it missed the mark, sailing slighty over his head. The Alabama defense read the throw perfectly, and Olugbode wasn’t quick enough to get his eyes on it. If Pribula had targeted an open Marquis Johnson — who jumped up and down in frustration after the play — the outcome might have been entirely different.

“My first read in the progression was the seam, which was the route that I threw. I thought there was a window there,” Pribula said after the loss. “Might have been too early to it. Throw might have been a little high. Or both. Just thought I had a window there to Don on that seam.”

It wasn’t the first costly interception of the game. Receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. ran a similar route at the start of the fourth quarter, but the receiver and quarterback were not in sync. When Pribula launched the pass in his direction, Coleman hadn’t yet turned his head.

Pribula wasn’t solely to blame for either turnover. Nevertheless, he shouldered the blame for the miscues.

“Obviously, wasn’t good enough,” Pribula said. “We didn’t win the game. My job is to lead scoring drives so we score more points, and I wasn’t able to do that.”

The offensive struggles MU dealt with against Alabama weren’t limited to Pribula’s interceptions. The Tigers only converted one of their 10 opportunities on third downs, and the Crimson Tide held a 17:06 advantage in time of possession.

The passing game clearly didn’t click, but neither did the run. Mizzou averaged 49.4 rushing attempts per game in its first five games but only attempted 28 against Alabama. Running back Ahmad Hardy was uncharacteristically limited to 12 carries, while Jamal Roberts was delegated to just five. Pribula had 11 of the 28 attempts.

The rushing attack that has overwhelmed opposing defenses and led Missouri to a 5-0 start was rendered a shell of itself. For the offense to be at its best, Hardy and Roberts have to be in rhythm.

“I think when you watch the overall totality of the game, it comes down to our inability to stay on the field,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s hard to establish any type of rhythm or consistency on offense.”

The issues Missouri needs to address go deeper than Pribula’s accuracy. His jumpiness in the pocket, decision-making and lack of deep passes are a cause for concern, potentially. Mizzou needs to improve in these areas immediately, because the heart of the SEC schedule has arrived.

It continues with the team’s first road trip of the year, against Auburn at 6:45 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Where’s the deep ball?

The lack of effective deep shots isn’t an entirely new development for Mizzou. Former quarterback Brady Cook completed only 16 of 49 passes for 20 yards or more in his 2024 campaign. He thrived mostly in the short game.

Pribula has tried his hand at 14 deep throws (20 or more yards downfield) so far in 2025. He has completed seven of them. The attempts make up only 8% of his catalog this year, while short passes make up 46%.

Pribula has been excellent on throws of under 10 yards. Of the 80 total throws he has made there, 71 have been completed to a receiver. On five occasions, he has connected for a touchdown on those throws.

But the Tigers’ failure to generate explosive plays, particularly against Alabama, is partly because of the low number of pass attempts down the field. Drinkwitz narrowed the root of the issue down to the poor third-down conversion rate.

“I think that’s something you’re always looking at,” Drinkwitz said. “But again, it comes to 1-for-10 on third downs. You can’t design verticals if you can’t convert third downs. It really comes down to those execution numbers as much as anything.”

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If Missouri can’t establish a deep threat, teams could focus on preventing the run by putting defenders closer to the line.

Instilling confidence

Pribula has endured his share of struggles through six games, but those starts have been the only ones of his college career. These games also are his first in the SEC.

“There’s always going to be growing pains with the first-year starting quarterback. The expectation for Beau to be perfect is unrealistic, and regardless of what anybody else’s expectations are, I’m very proud of the way he’s played,” Drinkwitz said. “I’m very proud of the composure he’s shown. I’m very proud of the toughness he’s displayed, and I think he’s only getting better and better.”

Pribula has accumulated 1,203 passing yards and nine passing TDs with a 75.9% completion rate.

The turnovers have been the main concern. He has thrown five interceptions on the season and at least one in each of Mizzou’s last four games. A strong Crimson Tide team capitalized on preventable mistakes.

Drinkwitz hasn’t come close to losing confidence in Pribula, and he likely won’t for the rest of the year. The signal-caller has things to improve on, but he has displayed improvement between game days.

“Beau’s done some really, really good things. I think there’s things that Beau is continuing to grow and develop,” Drinkwitz said. “Playing quarterback in this league and playing quarterback in general is a growth process, and every rep is an opportunity to improve. That’s what he’s doing.”

When Drinkwitz spoke to Pribula on Monday, he brought up questions that lingered around Cook’s ability on late-game drives. Evidenced by performances against Florida in 2023 and Auburn in 2024, Cook figured it out.

Perhaps Pribula will figure out the questions facing him as quickly as Cook did.

“You’ve kind of got to allow guys to grow into it and not expect that the first time anybody shows up to anything they’re going to be perfect,” Drinkwitz said.

Another clash looms

After Drinkwitz addressed what went wrong against Alabama, he was ready to talk about Auburn. He didn’t care to assign blame to Pribula or any other player on the team. He assigned it to himself.

“We lost because I didn’t get it done as the head coach. I couldn’t find that winning moment for our team. That’s my responsibility,” Drinkwitz said. “My job is to make sure our focus and everything else is on the next opponent.”

Mizzou understands the areas that have to be cleaned up to get back on a winning path.

The offense against the Crimson Tide was different from its previous games, and a lot of factors played into that.

Auburn is a chance not only to capture a win in the team’s first road trip but to get back to what worked.

The Auburn rush defense is elite. It held Georgia to 79 rushing yards last week. So, it will be a test for Missouri to establish the run game. If it can’t, Pribula’s performance will come under even greater scrutiny.

Mizzou will get the opportunity to showcase just how much it has evolved in between Saturdays.

“Either win or grow. That’s been our mindset,” Drinkwitz said. “A warrior knows there’s always more battles to fight.”