Right after Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula went down with a dislocated left ankle against Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, the expectation was that he would miss the rest of the regular season and, potentially, return for a bowl game.
A report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Sunday flipped the conversation to a possible return against No. 11 Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norman. While less than a month of recovery time would be ahead of schedule, Pribula was seen on the field before kickoff against Mississippi State over the weekend throwing passes and running around without visible ankle protection.
Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz clarified Pribula’s status at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled news conference.
“Beau Pribula is currently working through his rehab process, and with the oversight of the doctors and the training staff, we’re going through a protocol,” Drinkwitz said. “He has been allowed to practice with certain limitations, which is why he appeared on the SEC availability report last week and why you saw him on Saturday in pregame warmup.
“We will see how he progresses this week, and you will be updated on the SEC media report. Or, apparently, now Matt Zenitz or Pete Thamel tweets.”
While not ruled out of action for Saturday, Pribula would need to make enough progress to prove that he is at full capacity. That means clearing protocol with trainers and doctors, passing the mental check and getting the OK from coaches.
Oklahoma presents one of Mizzou’s toughest challenges of the year defensively, so the Tigers don’t want to roll out their signal-caller any less than 100%.
Doing that could risk putting Pribula in a bad situation and risk further injury.
“The very first thing and the most important thing is the student-athlete’s health and well being,” Drinkwitz said. “Knowing how aggressive and attacking (the Sonners) are, it would be a detriment to our team and Beau to put him out there if he’s not able to play up to his level.”
If Pribula is good to go by kickoff, there won’t be a question as to who gets the nod between him and true freshman Matt Zollers, who has been playing in his stead.
“Beau is our starting quarterback. We don’t have a Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady thing here brewing yet, but I’ve been very, very impressed with Matt Zollers,” Drinkwitz said. “I thought he played a heck of a game.”
In the second start of Zollers’ career against Mississippi State, he fared much better than against Texas A&M. He threw for 112 yards on 8-of-15 completions and two touchdowns. While he did throw his first interception and didn’t throw at a high volume, he looked far more confident and fluid in the pocket.
Zollers will become the No. 2 QB if Pribula is ready.
“I think he understands the situation with Beau. I think they’ve got a great relationship. I know that Matt is going to have an excellent week preparing,” Drinkwitz said. “I know that Matt will be prepared to go on the road and play this game, and that’s my anticipation going into it, is that Matt will be our starting quarterback this week.”
Unless posts on X or the injury report say differently, expect to see Zollers make his third start Saturday.
Drinkwitz comments on coaching rumors
In the discourse surrounding college football, it often seems that rumors and projections get as much attention as the play on the field. With Drinkwitz linked to a number of coaching positions at other universities all season, he’s been a frequent denizen of the rumor mill.
Penn State. LSU. Florida. Auburn. If you name a big program with an open position, you’ll likely find fan and media speculation that Drinkwitz is one of the top targets. But Mizzou’s coach once again restated that his focus is on the present.
“I’m not going to comment on messageboard chatters, tweets, sources. I’ve maintained with you and our team that my complete focus is on the task at hand,” Drinkwitz said. “Last week, people were tired of me because I couldn’t win the big game. People had me meeting with my team and telling them that I was going to another school, none of which were true.”
A week later, with a win over Mississippi State in which Mizzou scored 49 points — the second-highest from an SEC team in a single game this season — the tune has changed. The offseason is still a few games away, so at this point, it’s all speculation.
Drinkwitz vocalized his appreciation for the trajectory that Missouri has been on since he started the job in the 2020 season. He thanked President Mun Choi and the administration for investing in the program and the construction of the North End Zone project, while acknowledging the multiple extensions he’s signed over the years.
“All the speculation is really a tribute to (the administration), and it’s a tribute to our team’s success and their commitment to our team,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s where my focus is going to remain, on our team and our current situation.”
The talk isn’t going to simply go away now, but there’s not much else Drinkwitz can say now to alleviate rumors about his future. Tuesday served as a reminder to the fanbase.
“We absolutely love Mizzou. We love what we’re building,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ve been to six straight bowl games. We’ve got the sell-out streak going. Our administration has been nothing but phenomenal to me.”
Hardy a Doak Walker finalist
To no one’s surprise, Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy was listed as one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker National Running Back Award, the PwC Athletic Forum announced Tuesday.
Hardy is the country’s rushing leader with a total of 1,346 yards and an average of 6.8 yards per carry. His 300-yard performance against Mississippi State made him just the sixth player in SEC history to achieve that number in a single game.
Hardy is now just 282 yards away from eclipsing Cody Schrader’s 2023 campaign (1,627), which would make him Missouri’s all-time single-season rushing leader. He currently ranks fifth.
The three finalists for the award will be announced Tuesday, and the winner will be unveiled live on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12. The formal presentation of the award will take place at the annual banquet on Jan. 30 in Dallas.
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