The chances of the Missouri Tigers having their starting quarterback when they face the Oklahoma Sooners this weekend just doubled overnight.
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula was upgraded from doubtful to questionable on Thursday’s SEC Availability Report ahead of the No. 8 Sooners hosting the No. 22 Tigers at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on ABC. According to SEC guidelines, a questionable tag gives a player a 50% chance of playing that week, compared to 25% when doubtful.
Beau Pribula upgraded to questionable before playing Sooners
Pribula had missed the Tigers’ last two games with an ankle injury.
It sounds like there’s more of a 50/50 chance that Pribula returns against the Sooners, though. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Thursday before the latest availability report was even released that Pribula would be upgraded. Thamel also said that Pribula “is medically cleared to play on Saturday, and it’ll come down to a coach’s decision — with player input — on how he looks/feels in order for him to play at Oklahoma.”
Ultimately, at least according to Thamel, whether or not Pribula plays is now in the hands of Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. With just two games left in his senior season and a chance to knock off a top-10 team on the road, one would assume a coach would play one of his best players if they’re able to go.
"I think we'll probably huddle as a group and make a call," Drinkwitz said during Tuesday's weekly press conference. "The very first thing and most important thing is the student athlete's health and well-being. Playing against an elite defense, you don't want to put somebody out there who can't compete at the highest level. Knowing how aggressive and attacking they are, it would be a detriment to our team and Beau to put him out there if he's not able to play up to his level.
"We'll circle with him first and make sure his mental processes are where it needs to be — and that's if he clears the protocol, which would be the doctors and the trainers. We'll circle with them, and then obviously, we'll circle with his circle. There will be a lot of circles."
Before getting injured in a loss to Vanderbilt, Pribula had completed 69.6% of his passes for 1,685 yards and 11 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions in eight games. He can also be dangerous with his legs with 71 rushes for 220 yards and five TDs.
Pribula transferred to Mizzou from Penn State this offseason.
For the Sooners’ sake, it might actually be better if Mizzou has its starting quarterback. OU should have a spot in the College Football Playoff locked if it beats Mizzou and LSU at home the next two weeks, but a win over a top-25 team basically fully healthy will look a lot better on the resume than beating a squad without its starting QB. That’s definitely something the committee would consider and could ultimately be the difference in the Sooners hosting a first-round playoff game or not.