The School: University of Missouri
Record: 6-1 (2-1 in the SEC)
Ranking: AP #15, Coaches’ Poll #14, and SP+ #8
Mascot: Truman the Tiger, who looks like he might have gotten into some special catnip.
Location:
Columbia, Missouri.
Coach: Eliah Drinkwitz. No, I did not leave out a letter. “Drink” may have the dorkiest headshots of any coach in college football, but he puts his mind to offensive scheming and playcalling pretty effectively.
Conference: The Big 8. Oh, wait, the S-E-C? They have been here for over a decade? Whatever.
All-time vs. Vanderbilt: 11-1-4
In the Last 10 Years vs. Vanderbilt: 8-2
In the Last 5 Years vs. Vanderbilt: 5-0
The Last Time We Saw These Guys: Vanderbilt lost 30-27 in 2OT. The game was a special teams crapshoot. The kickers were a combined 5/10. Blake Craig for Missouri would miss kicks of 24, 40, and 46 yards, in that order. Each kick would have tied the game for Missouri or given them the lead. The latter 2 were on back-to-back possessions early in the 4th quarter with the game tied at 20.
Our beloved Brocket Launcher had made his first 2 kicks from 27 and 57. The deep shot gave Vanderbilt a 13-10 lead going into halftime. Then his only dark moments as a Commodore struck. He missed a 50-yard attempt with 3:06 to go that would have given Vanderbilt a 3-point lead with 3:06 to go in the game. The nightmare was complete when Taylor missed a 31-yard kick in the second possession of 2OT that meant Missouri, who had already made a FG on their possession, would survive a Vanderbilt team who had lost to Georgia State the week before.
Is Vandy Favored?: Yes! For the the second time in two weeks after having a whole litany of 40+ year firsts by being favored over LSU, the Commodores are favored by 2.5 points over another set of ranked Tigers.
Most Potent Offensive Threat: Ahmad Hardy. The Louisiana-Monroe transfer running back has carried the ball 139 times for 840 yards and 11 TDs. He has not been much of a receiving threat with only 4 receptions for 15 yards. Still, when he has 169 yards more than any other ball carrier in the SEC and is averaging 6.04 yards per carry, he only needs to have one trick. Hardy is the only SEC back averaging more than 100 YPC, and he is at 120.0 YPG. Nationally, he is 3rd in total rushing yards, 4th in carries, and 2nd in rushing TDs. Stopping Hardy will be the most important aspect of Vanderbilt’s defensive gameplan.
Most Potent Defensive Threat: Josiah Trotter. Trotter is not necessarily an explosive defender from his linebacker spot. However, he is a tackling machine. Trotter has 44 total tackles with 24 of them being solo. The Tiger with the most total tackles is at 27. Trotter has also made 8 TFLs with 1 being a sack. Beck, Pavia, and the blockers will have to find ways to neutralize Trotter to keep him from blowing up plays early. The Vanderbilt offense thrives on being successful play after play with a little explosiveness thrown in for fun. Trotter is the type of linebacker that can ruin the success rate and put the Commodores off schedule.
Matchup to Watch: Zion Young and Damon Wilson versus Bryce Henderson and Isaia Glass. The pair of Missouri DEs will provide the big play opportunity to complement Trotter’s consistency. Young has 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Wilson has 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. When Vanderbilt does throw the ball, the tackles will have their hands full keeping Young and Wilson away from Pavia.
Interesting Fact: The “Tigers” mascot came from the “Fighting Tigers of Columbia” who were a Union Home Guard during the Civil War. They were a militia formed to defend the city from Confederate invasion beside the one company of Missouri State Militia that was allocated to Columbia. The unit was formed by US Congressman James S. Rollins who would become the universities president after he had been instrumental in selecting Columbia as the site for the newly formed University of Missouri.
If Missouri wins, we: lick our wounds and buckle up for a wild ride to the end of the season with likely no room for error for the ultimate goals. This may be the Commodores last chance for a really strong statement win. GameDay being in town obviously puts extra eyes on the game, but Vanderbilt’s last 2 games have been on ABC and been heavily hyped. The problem with losing this game is not so much about exposing weaknesses but how the schedule as weakened. Texas is 5-2 (2-1). Auburn is 3-4 (0-4). Kentucky is 2-4 (0-4). Tennessee is 5-2 (2-2). Texas on the road is obviously not a cake walk, and going to Knoxville is probably the toughest game left. None of them will be particularly “good” losses, unlike Alabama.
