Pribula, Tigers Make Light Work of the Bears

There's nothing like a Thursday night kickoff, and the Tigers know that all too well, as they've gotten used to starting the season on a weeknight, as they've done each of the last few seasons. This one, however, was just a bit more special than the ones in the past.

Right from kickoff, it was clear that Mizzou was not messing around tonight. They came into the contest meaning business, and put the pedal to the medal for the entire game.

The QB plan was simple, start Beau Pribula, and play Sam Horn the second half. While an injury to Horn after he came in to run it took away that opportunity from head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, it might've been for the best, as the 'Pribula Experience' was better than any fan could've expected it to be.

Speaking of Horn's injury, the severity of the ankle isn't yet known, though it didn't look good initially, and after going down hard on his first scrimmage snap of the year, he wouldn't return for the night, later being seen in a boot.

It's truly unfortunate for him and his story, and any fan and coach know how bad he wants to be out there, giving it his all. It's more than likely his return time will be announced in the next few days, with everyone hoping for the best for the loyal quarterback.

Without Horn, it was all Pribula, and whether he was involved in the play or not, which the heavy majority of the time he was, the offense just flowed. The chemistry made it seem like this group of guys had played football together their entire life, extremely impressive considering how few returning starters there were, and the size of the hole left behind from the ones who departed after last season.

But all three sides of the ball were simply clicking. It only took five career plays for Pribula to hit wide reciever Marquis Johnson on a 49-yard bomb for a score. The offensive line did noticeably struggle to start the contest, which is to be expected with new starters and veterans playing in unfamilair positions, and they adjusted very well later in the half, and into the second half.

Meanwhile, the defense took care of business, holding the Bear offense to just 22 yards passing, and kicker Blake Craig had himself a first half, hitting both 49-yard, and a 55-yard attempts, drilling both effortlessly.

As if he needed to prove himself more, Pribula led a 14-play, 99-yard, 2-minute drive, as if he was a veteran superstar NFL quaterback. It was truly a magnificent drive, with smart passing and good moves to allude the rush. In the end, it finished with a one-yard score from Pribula to tight end Brett Norfleet in the back of the endzone.

The Penn State transfer finished the half going 19-23 for 204 yards (a Mizzou record for passing yards in a first half), and 2 passing touchdowns, to go along with a rushing touchdown, and no turnovers. That would be a fantastic line for an entire game, let alone the first career half for him.

Apart from Pribula, it's hard to not rave about Ahmad Hardy, who also had an astounding first game as a Tiger. He broke for over 100 yards partway through the third quarter, and broke multiple for big gains. Hardy has incredible balance, making him a tough guy to tackle, even if you get hands on him.

Pribula really took Central Arkansas out of the game with around five minutes to go in the third quarter, when he led Mizzou on their second 99-yard touchdown drive of the game, something not done in the SEC Conference in decades. It ended with another 40-yard pass to Johnson, followed by Pribula's second rushing touchdown of the night, upping the advantage to 40-0.

That would be Pribula's final drive of the night, and what a way to end it.

It didn't take long into the second half to see freshman Matt Zollers and some other backups come into the contest, who all played their hearts out.

Both sides of the football finished on a high note, well-supported by a strong student selection in Columbia. After collecting a couple of late scores, the Tigers were dominating the Bears by about as big of a margin as you'll see in a football game. In the end, they had nearly blanked their first competition of the season 61-6.

It's honestly hard to not sit here and write about every little detail that went right for Mizzou tonight. All of their work from the offseason went into tonight, and now they need to carry that, for the rest of the season on.

There are some things to work on, as always. The defense wasn't nearly as strong as it should've been agaisnt a subpar Bears offense, and it struggled to tackle talented running back Landen Chambers, who broke multiple runs for far more than they should've been.

There will be a ton more opportunities for this defense later on this season, however, and it's clear to see that they got going as a unit later on, tacking on multiple sacks later in the half, as well as a pick-6 from true freshman Dante McClellan for the final score of the night.

The Tigers have a good problem on their hands, as they'll have to find a way to top this perfomance in their next contest, when they take on their biggest rival, the Kansas Jayhawks, next Saturday afternoon, from Columbia.