Missouri's loss to Vanderbilt even more costly with QB injury

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) passes during the third quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Missouri's loss to Vanderbilt even more costly with Beau Pribula injury

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 8:33 PM ET

One of the biggest games of the day in college football was in Nashville, where the No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores narrowly edged the No. 15 Missouri Tigers, 17-10, thanks to a Diego Pavia touchdown with just under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

It is a huge win for Vanderbilt and its shocking quest to win the SEC and earn a College Football Playoff spot.

It is a crushing loss for Missouri because it pretty much takes the Tigers out of that discussion.

But that is only the start of the problems for the Tigers as starting quarterback Beau Pribula is going to miss an extended period of time — and perhaps even the remainder of the regular season — with a leg injury.

Beau Pribula was carted off field with leg injury

Pribula's injury happened when he was stuffed just inches short of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal that could have helped swing the game in Missouri's favor.

He was in obvious pain and had to be carted off the field.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said there were no broken bones, but that he is to be out for a while.

Eliah Drinkwitz tells reporters in Nashville that Beau Pribula has an ankle injury that "could be a while" before he returns. He did specify there's been no broken bones. Pribula appeared on the sideline in crutches and a boot after getting knocked out of the game.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 25, 2025

Pribula came to Missouri after transferring from Penn State and has played well in his first year as a full-time starter. Entering Saturday's game, he had passed for 1,617 yards with 11 touchdowns, while also rushing for 210 yards and five additional touchdowns.

He was replaced by backup Matt Zollers on Saturday.

Zollers ended up completing 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Now he is going to have to be the leader for Missouri's offense over potentially the remaining four games of the regular season, and it's not going to be easy. The Tigers still have two top-15 teams remaining on their schedule, hosting No. 3 Texas A&M and then traveling to No. 13 Oklahoma. They also have games against Mississippi State and Arkansas.

With already two losses on the season, and now having to play with a backup quarterback, any playoff hopes Missouri had entering Saturday are now probably dashed.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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