Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula’s timeline to return from an ankle injury is undetermined, head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced on Wednesday.
Pribula sustained the injury in the second half when the then-No. 15 Tigers lost 17-10 to Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Penn State transfer sustained the injury in a pile-up after a failed fourth-and-goal keeper with the score tied at 10.
“Beau Pribula has a non-fractured, dislocated ankle, which only occurs in about 1% of ankle injuries,” Drinkwitz said on Wednesday on an SEC teleconference call. “It’s considered a taekwondo type injury. So his path to recovery is TBD, to be determined. We’re doing everything we can. There is no surgery and there is no broken bones, but there was a dislocation that had to be corrected.
“We’re working toward recovery then. Don’t know what his timeline for recovery would be.”
Pribula has served as the starting quarterback for the No. 19 Tigers since Sam Horn sustained a fractured tibia in the season opener. Missouri has a bye this weekend.
Pribula has thrown for 1,685 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had also run for 220 yards and five scores.
Freshman Matt Zollers stepped in for Pribula on Saturday and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 versus the Commodores. Zollers is expected to be under center when Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC) returns to action against visiting Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0) on Nov. 8.
“We just get him the work in practice that he needs,” Drinkwitz said of Zollers. “I think one of the best things we do is develop our players in our program, whether we’re talking about Monday Night Football, whether we’re talking about Free Spot throughout fall camp, whether we’re talking about making sure he’s getting reps during the practice week. I think that’s why he performed as well as he did. So this week it’ll be continuing to do that with him and Brett Brown.”
