Mizzou’s freshman quarterback set to make first start against No. 3 Texas A&M

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The bye week came at the perfect time for No. 19 Mizzou football, as head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company had to adjust to a big change, following the loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 25.

In that narrow loss to the Top-10 Commodores, the Tigers suffered an even more heartbreaking loss than the one that showed up on the scoreboard. Graduate quarterback Beau Pribula, who transferred to MU from Penn State in the offseason, went down with a non-fracture dislocated ankle injury early in the third quarter of that game. As of now, there is no timetable for Pribula's return, so Mizzou will turn to the next man up.

True freshman quarterback Matt Zollers came into the game at Vanderbilt, following Pribula's injury, and got the Tigers within inches of a win over the Commodores. Zollers completed 60 percent of his passes for 138 yards and one touchdown in his first time seeing SEC action. However, the upcoming game against No. 3 Texas A&M will pose a completely new challenge for the Pennsylvania product, as he prepares for his first start in the black and gold.

"We're excited about Matt's opportunity and what he's earned. You know, he has done a really good job in practice of leadership, stepping up, embracing the moment and embracing the opportunity. You know, there was a time in the early part of the season where Beau was a little beat up and Matt was getting extra reps with the ones. Those are going to pay off for us now, so that's been real positive," Drinkwitz said. "We really were adamant throughout spring and throughout summer and even in fall camp to really focus on three spots and making sure that Matt was getting developed because we knew he was the future of the program at the quarterback position, but the future is now. I think it's important for us to not put too high of expectations on Matt. He does not have to win this game by himself. He's got a really good core of players around him and we just have to play complimentary football in all three phases...to reduce the friction that Matt feels."

You can watch the full press conference with Coach Eli in the video player below.

Moving forward with a new face behind center, Drinkwitz said that, when it comes to play-calling, it's not necessarily about leaning into the full playbook, but more about leaning into what Zollers' strengths are.

"Are there things that [Zollers] is more comfortable with than maybe Beau was? Absolutely, so we can push those things in the playbook that we maybe haven't shown, yet," Coach Drink said. "You know, there were things that we though Beau did really well and that's what we kind of emphasized. There's things that Matt does well that we will emphasize moving forward."

Players and coaches alike expressed a ton of confidence in their true freshman quarterback, during Tuesday's weekly press conferences.

Coach Drinkwitz said that Zollers' No. 1 talent is his arm and that's what kept him in the quarterback competition for so long over the course of fall camp.

"I think the way the ball jumps off his hand. I think we can all see it, he's got really good arm talent. You know, there's no defense for the perfect throw and that's just the reality of it. So, that always gives him a chance, then it was just about processing the playbook and processing the timing of plays and understanding pockets and understanding defense and not throwing into loaded coverages and all of that stuff takes time," Drinkwitz said. "I thought last week Matt had one of his better weeks of practice, just in the whole sense...He's in command. I think our team has a lot of confidence that he's going to be ready."

As Zollers prepares for a massive SEC start at Faurot Field on Saturday, he still has the support of Pribula, who's been around the facility ever since his injury.

On Tuesday, Coach Drinkwitz told media members that he got some good news regarding Pribula's recovery. The quarterback will be in a walking boot, so he should be able to be on the sideline during Saturday's game against the Aggies. Coach Eli said that that marks a good start to his recovery on that dislocated ankle.

Tiger center Connor Tollison said Pribula is still being the ultimate-team player, even in his absence on the field.

"He had a good message a few weeks ago, just after he got hurt, you know, just about the opportunity we had," Tollison said. "You know, it's going to be a big opportunity for us and everything is still in front of us. Everything we've been working for all year. So, don't let this slip away and do everything we can to seize the opportunity."

You can watch the full press conference with Tollison in the video player below.

The Tigers will have quite a challenge on their hands, as they will look to avenge 2024's 31-point loss to Texas A&M down in College Station.

Mizzou's defense will look to tame another mobile quarterback in sophomore standout Marcel Reed, who has thrown for the fourth-most yards per game in the Southeastern Conference (246.50).

"I think his playmaking ability, ability to make plays with his feet [has made him successful]. I think that opens up a lot of other things for the offense, so we have to try to contain that and do the best we can to make sure we don't let that happen," safety Jalen Catalon said. "He's a really good player and has really good playmakers around him, so it's going to be a really good game."

You can watch the full press conference with Catalon in the video player below.

Reed is also protected by an offensive line, which ranks as one of the best in all of college football. The Aggies returned some key players in guard Arjei Reed Adams and tackles Trey Zuhn III and Demetrius Crownover from the 2024 season.

Texas A&M's front five has allowed the team to rush for the third-most yards in the conference, averaging about 200 yards per game.

"They have a good offensive line and they do a good job of not only just protecting him, but trying to make sure they don't let any run-throughs from the defense," linebacker Josiah Trotter said. "Making sure they don't create any negative plays and in play-calling they do a good job making sure in the run game they're not creating any negative plays. You know, they want to at least try to gain a couple of yards or at least get a no-gain. They don't want to create any negative plays, so it can help their pass game. But, they do a good job, overall."

You can watch the full press conference with Trotter in the video player below.

No. 19 Mizzou will kick off the game against No. 3 Texas A&M at 2:30 out at Faurot Field. You can watch the game on ABC 17.