Mizzou football quarterbacks Brady Cook, Sam Horn both set to play in opening game

The Tigers are running with two.

Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday evening that he anticipates quarterbacks Brady Cook and Sam Horn will both see action in the season-opening game against South Dakota on Aug. 31 at Memorial Stadium.

“In the past, we announced a starter and I think right now we're in a situation where it's a continual battle,” Drinkwitz said. “But we want to let people continue to grow and develop and not have that pressure … (that) we have to have this decision made at this point.

“I think it's, you know, in this day and age of college football, I think you can very easily see a couple quarterbacks play in the first couple of games and let the play on the field decide it.”

Drinkwitz made the comments after Missouri held an open practice Saturday on Faurot Field, in which Cook and Horn split reps at quarterback during a mock game that essentially served as a walkthrough, with no defense competing on the field as the offense ran drills and vice versa.

Cook and Horn entered training camp in a seemingly three-way competition for the starting role with Miami transfer Jake Garcia.

With 12 days remaining until the Tigers’ opener, the battle appears to be down to two players.

Unlike last season, when Cook was named the starter ahead of Horn, who was a true freshman at the time, and graduate transfer Jack Abraham, the Tigers are taking the competition into the season.

That’s unlikely to last long, however.

“We'll see both of them, I anticipate in the first game, and then we’ll kind of play it from there,” the head coach said.

On Thursday, it was announced that Cook had been voted by his teammates as a team captain for the second straight season. He is 6-8 as Missouri’s starter, dating back to the Tigers’ appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2021. He threw for 2,724 yards (209.5 per game), 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions and added 585 yards (45 per game) and six touchdowns on the ground.

Horn made just one appearance in his rookie year: A single drive against New Mexico State on Nov. 19 that resulted in a field goal.

Elsewhere on the offense, the Tigers have narrowed down two position groups — offensive line and wide receivers — to the key rotations.

“We really feel like we've got six really, really capable offensive linemen and we're still pushing to find (another) two,” Drinkwitz said.

Saturday’s most oft-used starting rotation, from left tackle to right tackle, was Javon Foster; Xavier Delgado, Connor Tollison; Cam’Ron Johnson; and Armand Membou.

Eastern Michigan transfer Marcellus Johnson, who Drinkwitz said has taken reps at every position but center in camp, also featured during the mock game.

In the wide receiver room, the head coach said the Tigers are still looking for more depth. Drinkwitz said he’s “very confident” about five receivers, but wants to have a seven-deep rotation.

Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr., Mookie Cooper and Mehki Miller each featured frequently Saturday.

Injury news

Starting safety Jaylon Carlies has missed several days of camp this season, but Drinkwitz said that he expects the Tigers’ tackles leader from 2022 “will be back full go, ready to go” by the time game week arrives.

Sixth-year linebacker and team captain Chad Bailey’s status appears to be in question for Mizzou’s opening game.

“Chad's still working his way back through a soft-tissue injury that just hasn't quite gotten to where he's comfortable,” Drinkwitz said. “So it's kind of a wait-and-see approach.”

Wide receiver Demairyon ‘Peanut’ Houston has a “soft-tissue” injury that shut him down for “four or five days,” but the head coach expects him to return to training Tuesday.

Redshirt freshman defensive back Isaac Thompson, a St. Louis product and former four-star recruit, had surgery and will miss the season, Drinkwitz confirmed.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou quarterbacks Brady Cook, Sam Horn both set to play in opening game