Missouri DE Nate Johnson ejected for targeting after hit on Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen

Missouri defensive end Nate Johnson was ejected for targeting in the first half of a game against Mississippi State. The hit in question was on quarterback Blake Shapen.

Johnson came off the left side of the line of scrimmage and arrived at Shapen after he had released the football. There was an immediate snap-back of Shapen’s head as Johnson’s helmet hit and then carried through the contact.

As a result, the review on the field was pretty short. The call on the field was quickly upheld, with Nate Johnson ejected for the rest of the contest.

Missouri QB Beau Pribula on the mend

Could Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula be back from injury sooner than expected? The injured starter was seen working out lightly on the field ahead of the team’s game against Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Though Pribula wasn’t doing a ton, he was able to stand on both feet and fire passes during a warm-up. That’s certainly a good sign. Check it out here.

The starting quarterback for the Tigers suffered a gruesome injury in the second half of a loss at Vanderbilt. He’s been out ever since.

Pribula’s legs were twisted under him on a tackle near the goal line. He immediately needed medical assistance, and he was ultimately carted off the field, then placed into a wheelchair.

“Beau Pribula has a non-fractured, dislocated ankle, which only occurs in about 1% of ankle injuries,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Oct. 29 on an SEC teleconference call. “It’s considered a taekwondo type injury. So his path to recovery is TBD, to be determined. We’re doing everything we can. There is no surgery and there is no broken bones, but there was a dislocation that had to be corrected.

“We’re working toward recovery then. Don’t know what his timeline for recovery would be.”

Beau Pribula has logged 1,685 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, against seven interceptions this season. He has also run for 220 yards and five touchdowns, totals that rank third and second on the team, respectively.

Suffice it to say, he’s a significant piece when healthy. Missouri is still fighting for its life when it comes to the College Football Playoff, but it will almost certainly have to remain perfect the rest of the way to entertain a shot.

Games remain against Mississippi State, on the road at Oklahoma and on the road at Arkansas. Could Beau Pribula be available for one of those later games? It remains to be seen, but the question will certainly be asked of head coach Eli Drinkwitz after Pribula spent some time warming up on Saturday.