Pribula Sets Missouri Record with 21 Straight Completions, Tigers Roll Past UMass 42-6

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Beau Pribula made history on Saturday night, completing a school-record 21 consecutive passes as No. 20 Missouri cruised past UMass 42-6 to stay unbeaten at 5-0.

The Penn State transfer finished 26 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown, erasing memories of his lone miscue — a tipped-ball interception in the first quarter. From that point on, Pribula orchestrated the Tigers’ offense with precision, breaking Chase Daniel’s program record of 20 straight completions set in 2008. “It’s good to be undefeated with things to improve,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “We’ve got to sharpen our edge during the bye week. We cannot get complacent.” Running back Ahmad Hardy continued his dominant season, rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns despite briefly leaving the game after a first-quarter injury scare. It was his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing effort, keeping him among the nation’s top backs. Hardy’s early burst set the tone, and Jamal Roberts punched in Missouri’s first score from nine yards out. UMass briefly capitalized on Pribula’s interception, as linebacker Timmy Hinspeter returned it deep into Tigers territory. Six plays later, AJ Hairston found Max Dowling for a 2-yard touchdown. But a blocked extra point by defensive tackle Sterling Webb left the Minutemen trailing 7-6.

From there, the game belonged to Missouri. The Tigers piled up 268 rushing yards, with Roberts adding 52 and reserve Marquise Davis breaking loose for 77 in the fourth quarter. Wideout Kevin Coleman Jr. paced the passing attack, hauling in 12 receptions for 108 yards.

Coleman likened Missouri’s running back tandem of Hardy and Roberts to the Detroit Lions’ NFL duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. “I told them they both need each other,” Coleman said. “You want that one-two punch.” The Tigers’ defense also shined, rebounding after allowing 302 yards through the air against South Carolina last week. Safety Santana Banner’s interception set up a short touchdown drive in the third quarter, and Missouri limited UMass to just 19 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Hairston struggled throughout, completing 11 of 31 passes for 75 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Despite the lopsided score, Hinspeter was a bright spot for UMass, finishing with 17 tackles, including two for loss, a sack and an interception. The Minutemen recorded four sacks overall but could not contain Missouri’s balanced offense.

Missouri enters its bye week on a high note before hosting No. 17 Alabama on Oct. 11 in a critical SEC matchup. UMass (0-4) will look for its first win when it hosts Western Michigan next Saturday.