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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Like chickens versus eggs and plants versus seeds, Missouri’s quarterback competition will tackle an existential question of causality.

Which comes first: the starting quarterback or the scheme?

It’s a question relevant to the Tigers this preseason because they’ve got different quarterbacks competing for the starting job and, heading into Year 3 under offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, a chance for variation in offensive scheme, too.

The first thing an observer notices about potential starting quarterback Sam Horn, for example, is his arm. He throws with all the zip and poise of a pitcher — because he’s also a pitcher. For fellow QB suitor Beau Pribula, it’s his legs. Penn State, his previous school, leaned into a two-quarterback system at times just to get Pribula’s rushing ability on the field.

It’s not like Horn can’t run or Pribula can’t throw, but their most eye-catching traits contrast.

“Each one of them’s got their own strengths as a player,� MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I think the easiest thing about it is they do have some similarities, too, that make the offense designed (in) both of their ways. Now, there’s going to be plays that Sam and Beau are a little more comfortable with individually.�

So perhaps some pages of the playbook will be more available with one quarterback than the other. Which plays those are, of course, is the kind of secret programs like to keep.

And given how little college football Horn has played, with only eight career passes thrown and none since November 2023, combined with Pribula rarely throwing at Penn State, it’s not like the external observer knows all that much about either signal-caller’s skill set.

Yet running — both designed plays and scrambles — will be a key part of what the Tigers’ next starting quarterback will be asked to do, regardless of whether it’s Pribula or Horn.

“There’s a lot of similarities with all those guys, right?� Moore told the Post-Dispatch. “Naturally, the athleticism and ability to create at the quarterback position has been successful here. (We) want to make sure we continue to do that. Is there going to be subtle differences? Yeah, naturally. That happens year to year. But they’re both able to run the football, extend plays, scramble, make those throws and make sure they’re making good decisions.�

It’s easy to see why Moore places such a value on his quarterback’s rushing ability. Since he took over offensive play-calling ahead of the 2023 season, Mizzou is 6-0 in games in which its starting quarterback posts at least 50 rushing yards and 12-0 in games with a quarterback rushing touchdown.

“They do have the ability to extend plays with their feet, run the football,� Drinkwitz said, “which I think is going to be important.�

Given that stat, important might be an understatement. But what won’t be clear until Missouri takes to the field for games is what the offense will look like around its quarterback’s rushing ability.

The relative ambiguity and mildly different directions the overall scheme can go remind Drinkwitz of the quarterback competition that preceded his 2020 debut between TCU transfer Shawn Robinson and returner Connor Bazelak.

Robinson seemed to have the legs, while Bazelak had the arm. Drinkwitz initially rolled with Robinson as his starter, only to switch to Bazelak midway through the season.

Ideally for Mizzou, of course, the Tigers want to pick a quarterback and stick with him for the duration of the season. But for now, there are still some elements of the offense that are an unknown.

“This actually reminds me more of the first year, when it was a battle between Shawn Rob and Connor Bazelak because we didn’t have much tape on anybody, so (we) were going into it without knowing how they were going to respond,� Drinkwitz said. “That’s kind of similar here.�

Camp notes

Missouri held its first scrimmage of fall camp Monday, pitting its offense and defense against each other in a more competitive setting — and behind closed doors. As such, details are scarce, but a few defensive players seemed to stand out.

Safety Caleb Flagg registered two takeaways, per linebacker Josiah Trotter. There wasn’t much buzz around Flagg when he transferred from Houston Christian to follow his older brother Corey last season, but he wound up playing 257 snaps. Flagg is on track to be in the rotation as part of MU’s secondary wave of safeties.

Trotter himself was a playmaker during the scrimmage, and he said second-year safety Jackson Hancock had his moments as well.

Cornerback Cameron Keys earned the praise of both Trotter and linebacker Khalil Jacobs.

“That guy’s got a lot of confidence in himself and he’s ready to put it on display,� Jacobs said.

There are four more experienced cornerbacks than Keys on the depth chart, so he faces an uphill battle for playing time in his second season — particularly given that similar praise last preseason didn’t amount to much. He’s likely to feature as a special teams player with the potential for a bigger role if the veteran corners disappoint while he continues to impress.