Columbia News

Quarterback Beau Pribula led the Missouri Tigers to a 61-6 win over Central Arkansas in his first game for the team. The game, played before a crowd of 57,321 at Memorial Stadium, marked the earliest season opener in Missouri's history.

Pribula, who transferred from Penn State, completed 23 of 28 passes for 283 yards and rushed for 65 yards on ten carries. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores. His first touchdown came on a 49-yard pass to Marquis Johnson during the Tigers' opening drive. Johnson finished with five catches for 134 yards.

Missouri extended its streak of home wins against non-conference opponents to 20 games and notched its eleventh straight home victory overall.

Blake Craig added field goals of 49 and 55 yards, giving him seven career field goals of at least 50 yards, which is second most in school history.

Kevin Coleman Jr. contributed with a key punt return that set up another Pribula rushing touchdown. Before halftime, Pribula capped a long drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brett Norfleet. His completion percentage in the first half was .826 (19 of 23), marking the best by a Missouri quarterback in an opener since Brad Smith’s performance against Arkansas State in 2005.

Running back Ahmad Hardy had five carries for 82 yards in the third quarter alone and scored on a four-yard run after breaking off a long gain earlier in the drive.

Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers entered during the fourth quarter and threw his first career touchdown pass to Jude James, who ran it in from forty yards out following a block from Daniel Blood.

The defense limited Central Arkansas to just two conversions on fourteen third-down attempts and held them to under 230 total yards. Josiah Trotter led Missouri with eight tackles while Damon Wilson II recorded two sacks. Dante McClellan returned an interception eighty-three yards for Missouri’s final score—setting a new record for longest interception return in an opener by a Tiger player.

Central Arkansas managed their only touchdown late in the game on a short pass from Luther Richesson to Manny Smith.

Missouri will next face Kansas at Memorial Stadium on September 6th at 2:30 p.m., renewing their Border War Rivalry for the first time since 2011 and hosting Kansas in Columbia for the first time since 2006. The sold-out game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

For updates on Mizzou Athletics, visit MUTigers.com or follow Missouri football (@MizzouFootball) and Coach Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) on X as well as Instagram and Facebook.