Missouri quarterback Sam Horn suffers leg injury on first snap in season opener

Missouri quarterback Sam Horn went down with a devastating injury on his first snap of Thursday night’s game against Central Arkansas, remaining sidelined for the entirety of the Tigers’ 61-6 victory. 

His injury comes amid an ongoing battle for the starting quarterback position with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula.  

Missouri Tigers staff tends to quarterback Sam Horn (21) after being injured on a play in the first quarter of a college football game between the Central Arkansas Bears and Missouri Tigers on Aug. 28, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Horn, a redshirt junior, came onto the field during the second series of the game with the Tigers already leading 6-0. He ran the ball 6 yards on his first play before appearing to take a hit to the lower body. 

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Horn remained on the ground as teammates attempted to help him up. He was eventually helped off the field by medical staff.

“[I’m] very disappointed and sad with the injury to Sam and the injury to Blake Craig, and those two things are really disappointing, and we’ll see tomorrow what the extent of those injuries are,” head coach Eliah Drinkwitz told the media after the game.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Sam Horn (21) winces in pain after an injury in the first quarter of a college football game between the Central Arkansas Bears and Missouri Tigers on Aug. 28, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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“So, it kind of takes the damper a little bit off the win.” 

Drinkwitz would not speculate when asked if Horn’s injury was expected to be a season-ending injury. He said the team would know more after an MRI on Friday. Horn was spotted on the sideline in a full leg brace and walking on crutches after the game. 

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Horn’s injury ultimately secured Pribula’s claim as starting quarterback. The two signal-callers were still battling it out for the No. 1 spot at kickoff. 

Pribula finished 23-of-28 passing for 283 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 65 yards and two scores on the ground. 

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Central Arkansas Bears during the second half of a game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 28, 2025. (Denny Medley/ Imagn Images)

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“I don’t think he stepped up. I think he was just continuing to play the way he was playing,” Drinkwitz said of Pribula’s performance. 

“I thought he did a nice job handling the situation. He knew he was going to play the first half, we knew we were going to run that formation pretty early in the game. Just disappointing that [Horn] got injured. It was a heck of a run.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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