COLUMBIA, Mo. – Beau Pribula began his tenure as Mizzou's starting quarterback on fire. His opening drive ended with a 49-yard deep ball touchdown to Marquis Johnson, the first of four touchdowns and 348 total yards of the game. 

Game two was more of the same – he fueled the Tigers' 15-point comeback with 340 total yards and three touchdowns to beat the Kansas Jayhawks in a historic chapter of The Border War rivalry. 

Since then, his play has grown more weary by the week. He logged mild performances against Louisiana Monroe and Massachusetts, but has struggled against Southeastern Conference opponents. 

He's done enough to scrape by and beat unranked SEC rivals South Carolina and Auburn, but his mistakes proved too far to make up for against the then No. 8 Alabama. Pribula green face on the quarterback scene, having only seven career starts under his belt, but it's fair to ask if he's ready to battle with the Goliath's of the SEC. 

Pribula's stats vs. non-conference opponents

Central Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana Monroe and UMass

• 2.8 total touchdowns per game
• 270.3 total yards per game
• 0.5 interceptions per game
• 71.2 completion percentage
• 171.1 passer rating

Pribula's stats vs. SEC opponents 

South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn

• 1.7 total touchdowns per game
• 248.7 total yards per game
• 1.3 interceptions per game
• 57.9 completion percentage
• 110.9 passer rating

Pribula drops off noticeably in every major category when playing conference rivals – a worrisome sign for the Tigers moving ahead, as they're currently slotted to play three more ranked SEC squads, including No. 10 Vanderbilt Saturday.

Pribula's inexperience has become a problem for Mizzou's offense in the current moment, but it could be a strength for the future, as he'll likely only improve as he sees different defenses and adapts to life as an SEC starter. 

So what has been learned about Pribula seven games into the season? 

Pribula is a complementary quarterback – for now.

Every top bill needs their co-star. 

Pribula can be just that for Ahmad Hardy. 

The last two games have shown that when Pribula is asked to carry the offense himself, the results are far shakier than when he plays a supporting role. He rallied and took down Auburn with a gutsy overtime rushing touchdown, but was a negative for the majority of the game, throwing a season-high two interceptions and completing just 57.5% of his passes. 

Mizzou's offense has scored at least 29 points every time Ahmad Hardy has rushed for 100-plus yards. The field opens up far more for Pribula, allowing him to use Hardy's gravity to make easier reads. 

As Hardy rushed for under 60 yards against both Auburn and Alabama, Pribula struggled simultaneously. He hit season-low of 162 passing yards against Alabama and season second-lowest mark of 6.3 yards per attempt against Auburn, while being forced to throw a season-high 40 times against Auburn in a double-overtime drag. 

Simpler is better

At first glance, Pribula seems like he'd unlock an offense with boom-or-bust plays – a willingness to run, elusiveness and a strong arm. However, it appears he's better suited in a simpler role, 

Through 200 pass attempts this season, his most effective range of the field has been the zero-to-nine yard range, where he's completed 83.5% of his passes for 774 yards and five touchdowns and one interception. Quick hitters to dynamic yards-after-catch receivers like Kevin Coleman Jr. have become Pribula's bread-and-butter, and those receivers have begun to mold their games to complement it. 

That was on full display against Auburn. Josh Manning, Marquis Johnson and Donovan Olugbode combined for 98 yards after the catch. Pribula was money in the center sections of the short and intermediate distances of the field, throwing for 181 yards and completing 77.8 percent of his passes. 

Going forward, it's probably best for Kirby Moore to continue drawing up plays for Pribula to hit receivers on short routes over the middle, sticking to what's worked so far. It's the perfect complement to Mizzou's elite rushing threat, and can help orchestrate lengthy Tiger drives. 

Pocket presence is lacking

Pribula's mobility should help him to maneuver the pocket and create angles to complete passes. That hasn't necessarily been the case this season, as he at times seems jittery, in the pocket, but rarely composed. 

"I think sometimes quarterbacks can get a little bit too antsy to push up in the pocket," Eli Drinkwitz said Oct. 7. "You know, you got to be able to just have subtle pocket movements to find the space that you need to deliver some balls."

The errant movement in the pocket is often what leads to mistakes

"Whether it's just a bad decision or putting myself in a bad decision because –  maybe it's getting out of the pocket too early, different things like that," Pribula said. "Seeing why [the interceptions] happen, and the fixing the different areas."