It’s Monday morning, so it’s time for me to let you all know what’s been on my mind the past week.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve talked specifically about Mizzou, so I figured it was about time to get back to talking Tiger football. I’m going to take a look at three things I think could go very right for Mizzou this fall and three things that could go wrong.
What could go right?
1. The quarterback could be great.
There’s been an interesting amount of takes I’ve seen online recently that, first, assume Beau Pribula is the starter and, second, that he’s going to be pretty good.
I think Pribula is the likely starter, but it’s not a sure thing yet. I find it interesting that people jump to assume the redshirt junior who was a former three-star recruit and has made no career starts is definitely better than the redshirt junior who was a former four-star recruit and has made no starts.
There are some key differences there, Pribula was used in specific packages and does have more on-field time than Sam Horn does, but not by an incredible amount.
But with both of them, I think there’s a chance at success.
The Tigers have talent surrounding the quarterback, especially at the skill positions, to make either Horn or Pribula look pretty good.
With Ahmad Hardy carrying the load in the backfield and Kevin Coleman, Marquis Johnson and the rest of the receivers, plus a hopefully-healthy Brett Norfleet to throw to, whichever guys ends up being the starter should be set up for success.
But they still have to make the most of the opportunity in front of them.
I think Pribula offers a lot of fun options in the run game and is a better passer than people might expect after playing almost specifically as a gadget option for Penn State.
And I think Horn has the arm and the knowledge of the team to open up the passing game more than we saw last season, closer to the 2023 offense, especially if Hardy is able to keep defenses honest in the run game.
No matter who the starter is at quarterback, I think there’s a good chance the position has a good amount of success this season and sets the Tigers up to keep their run of double-digit win seasons going.
2. The edge rusher group could be among the best in the country.
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