Rapid Reaction: Pribula, defense shine as Mizzou cruises past UMass
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While games between ranked titans went down to the wire elsewhere, Mizzou had very little drama on Saturday night inside Memorial Stadium.
Ahmad Hardy continued his torment of any defender foolish enough to fill a gap he’s trying to run through. Beau Pribula broke a program record for completions. And the Tiger defense made the Minutemen earn their progress by inches rather than yards.
After 6 points were surrendered in the opening frame, Mizzou didn’t give up another point and cruised to a 42-6 victory.
From 2010-19, Mizzou opened a season 5-0 only twice. Then, the Eli Drinkwitz era began.
Now, the 20th-ranked Tigers (5-0, 1-0 SEC) have done it twice in the last 3 seasons.
The only touchdown of the night for UMass came after Pribula threw an interception on the doorstep of the red zone. UMass defender Timmy Hinspete returned the ball 63 yards to set the Minutemen up at the Mizzou 21. It took the Minutemen 6 plays to score, but they eventually punched the ball in.
They did not gain more than 35 yards on a single possession the rest of the night. At one point, Mizzou forced 3 consecutive 3-and-outs and then created a takeaway. The Minutemen finished with 124 yards of total offense and only 19 rushing yards.
Hardy gained 130 yards and scored 3 times by himself. Marquise Davis had 9 carries for 77 yards, and Jamal Roberts added 6 for 52 as Mizzou ran for nearly 300 sack-adjusted yards in the game.
Pribula finished the day 26-for-29 for 241 yards and a score before getting an early curtain call.
The Tigers have a bye week to prepare now for the biggest game of their season. On Oct. 11, the Crimson Tide come to town.
Mizzou 42, UMass 6
Here’s the Mizzou-UMass box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Beau Pribula vs AJ Hairston
A statistical breakdown of how Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula compared to UMass quarterback AJ Hairston:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
