Missouri will have a new starting quarterback when it travels to face No. 1 Georgia on Saturday according to a report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports. The Tigers announced via their weekly injury report on Thursday that Connor Bazelak was questionable, but Thamel tweeted on Friday morning that he would not play.

Bazelak has started the past 16 Missouri games behind center, including all eight this season. He left the Tigers' game at Vanderbilt last week in the fourth quarter after being tackled on a quarterback keeper and did not return. No diagnosis has been given for his injury, but Eli Drinkwitz has described it as a "soft tissue injury."

Now, the question becomes who will start in place of Bazelak in Athens. True freshman Tyler Macon replaced him at Vanderbilt, but Drinkwitz was quick to explain after the game that the decision to turn to Macon instead of redshirt freshman Brady Cook was "situational." Macon didn't attempt a pass against the Commodores, but he rushed twice for eight yards and a touchdown.

"It could have been a situation where both of them could have played," Drinkwitz said. "Again, the last drive, four-minute offense, that was gonna be more of what we were wanting to do, maybe have the quarterback run element — which Brady actually does run the ball pretty well too. Had it been a different situation, maybe Brady is more comfortable in some of the other schemes that we have, we would have put him in the game. But the schemes we were running right there, I think that was the best player for those schemes.”

All season, Drinkwitz has been coy about who would be the backup should Bazelak go down with an injury. Prior to Saturday, the only time either entered a game this season was during the second half of a blowout win over Southeast Missouri. Cook was the first quarterback off the bench, but Macon wound up playing more snaps. Cook completed all four of his attempts for 25 yards and a touchdown, while Macon completed three of four for 69 yards and a score.

Drinkwitz left open the possibility that both Macon and Cook could see the field at Georgia. During his Tuesday press conference he said "those guys have both been getting reps."

“We’re going to play the best person that gives us a chance to win a game," he said. "So if we felt like multiple quarterbacks gave us the best chance to win a game then we would do that. Up until this point, that hasn’t been the case.”

Saturday will mark the first college start for either Cook or Macon. It's difficult to imagine a more challenging setting.

Georgia has filled its nearly 93,000 seat stadium to capacity for 56 consecutive home games. The Bulldogs rank second nationally in pass defense, second in total defense and first in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 6.6 points per game on the season. They have racked up 20 sacks on the year and have intercepted 10 passes, three of which have been returned for touchdowns.

Speaking to media members Wednesday, wide receivers Barrett Banister and Tauskie Dove expressed confidence in both Macon and Cook. Both wideouts said they aren't worried about having chemistry with the backup quarterbacks. Banister said the biggest challenge will be making sure they don't get overwhelmed by the environment at Sanford Stadium.

“I think the biggest thing is just knowing that we believe in them, and I think that’s true for everyone in this building," Banister said. "... I think that’s where, being a veteran guy, we can help out, but also, like I talked about, the noise and everything, communication, keeping them where their feet are. Don’t let them get lost in kind of the pageantry of college football, and just have them focus on what they’re supposed to do and go play their brand of football, because that’s why they’re here.”

Asked specifically about Macon's readiness on Tuesday, Drinkwitz noted that he's been impressed with the East St. Louis product's work ethic, but his knowledge of the playbook and scheme "aren't probably where you want them to be." Dove noted that Macon brings an added element to the offense with his mobility, and he said Cook can extend plays with his legs, too.

“Tyler Macon, he’s a mobile quarterback," Dove said. "He’s very, he can scramble, and that’s something that, honestly, in my opinion, that’s a pro, because a weakness in the defense is a scramble drill. And Brady, he’s a stand in the pocket quarterback, he can deliver the ball, but he’s also a scrambler. So those two, you don’t know what to expect, at the end of the day, maybe have a trick up their sleeve. That’s something I look forward to Saturday.”

Other players listed as out on Missouri's injury report included cornerback Ishmael Burdine, safety Shawn Robinson and defensive end Johnny Walker, all of whom are out.