Report: Missouri plans to play Beau Pribula, Sam Horn in season opener vs. Central Arkansas

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced that Beau Pribula and Sam Horn will play in the season opener at quarterback. The competition is ongoing, per ESPN’s Chris Low.

“Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz has told the team he plans to play both Beau Pribula and Sam Horn at QB in the opener against Central Arkansas, sources tell ESPN,” Low wrote on Twitter. “And Drinkwitz wants the competition to continue from there so that he can evaluate both in game action.”

Drinkwitz actually hinted at this possibility. Now it’s official Pribula and Horn will get reps.

“I informed the team this afternoon that both quarterbacks will play in the first game,” Drinkwitz said, via Kyle McAreavy. “I want to see them in a game-day situation to make a final determination.”

Pribula infamously transferred from Penn State in the middle of the College Football Playoff, due to the calendar. But he’s an enticing talent and Missouri capitalized on landing him in the portal. Horn has seen some action over the last three seasons and actually played on the Tigers’ baseball team as well.

But there was no clear cut winner to the competition quite yet. Drinkwitz even said he wasn’t going to force himself into a faster decision. That’s now evident considering he’s playing both quarterbacks in the opener.

“Yeah, I don’t have the timeline yet on the decision,” Drinkwitz said earlier this week. “So, you know, everybody else is pressed about week one. I’m not really pressed about it. I’m pressed on who’s going to reveal themselves in the starting quarterback. I think you know, they’re both playing really well from a statistical standpoint, from a touchdown-interception ratio, from a completion percentage, from a third down percentage. 

Beau Pribula, Sam Horn to both play for Missouri Week 1

“I broke it all down yesterday on our off day. It’s remarkable how close it is. For me, it’s about being a transformational leader at this point, and who’s going to lean into the team and really get the most out of those guys. And they’re going to have to kind of separate themselves from the quarterback battle and really get the most out of the guys they’re playing with.”

Drinkwitz won’t rush it and both QBs provide their unique skillsets. One thing’s for sure, the Missouri head coach wants to make sure he gets it right.

“If we feel like there’s no clear cut decision, I’m not going to force the decision, and then that means that they would both play in the first game, and we’ll evaluate those reps,” Drinkwitz said. “But I don’t feel the pressure like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to make a decision. We got to move on and solidify it.’ Like, that’s not the case with this football team. So this team’s growing there.

“They need all of us, need urgency, to raise our level, because, again, we didn’t start fast enough. So there’s got to be urgency when you show up and play, but that doesn’t mean I need urgency to make a decision and force the wrong thing to happen.”