Nov. 12, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5 SEC) rallied from a 19-0 deficit against Missouri (3-7, 1-5) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, but the comeback fell short in the second half. The Tigers scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal a 26-17 win over the Commodores.
Here are three thoughts from Vanderbilt’s trip to Columbia:
1. A timely fourth-quarter drive by Missouri shut down Vanderbilt’s rally.
Vanderbilt looked to be on the wrong end of a rout early against Missouri. An 82-yard touchdown pass from Tigers quarterback Drew Lock to J’Mon Moore at 9:50 in the second quarter gave the home team a comfortable 19-0 lead. Still, the Commodores turned things around to score 17 unanswered points and cut Missouri’s lead to 19-17 by the third quarter.
But the Tigers used an imperative fourth-quarter drive to stall Vanderbilt’s comeback. They went 85 yards in 13 plays and took a 26-17 lead on Moore’s second touchdown grab of the day with 8:39 to play. Meanwhile, the Commodores’ own offense sputtered and was unable to keep up.
“It’s hard when you spot somebody 19 points,” Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said. “I thought we fought back and showed some resiliency. We just didn’t have enough. We didn’t make enough plays.”
In all, Vanderbilt had little luck against Missouri’s up-tempo attack. Despite holding the ball 13 fewer minutes in the contest, the Tigers ran 74 plays and averaged 6.5 yards-per-play. Meanwhile, Lock and their offense converted 10 of 19 third downs; Vanderbilt converted just three of their own 14 attempts.
2. The Commodores couldn’t keep rolling in the passing game.
One week after finding rhythm through the air against Auburn, Vanderbilt wasn’t as sharp against Missouri. Though quarterback Kyle Shurmur completed 17-29 passes for 252 yards, he was sacked a season-high six times. The sophomore also threw two costly interceptions.
Shurmur’s first pick wasn’t necessarily his fault; it was a catchable ball that bounced off the facemask of tight end Jared Pinkney and into the heads of Missouri’s Joey Burkett. But the Tigers took a 13-0 lead when the Tigers’ Aarion Penton snagged a Shurmur pass and returned it 19 yards to the end zone. Plus, Missouri notched four of its six sacks in the second half, when the ‘Dores were trying to complete their rally. “I just think us, as players, we’ve got to be more competitive,” Shurmur said. “Me, the offensive line, all the skill guys, everybody.”
Mason said Missouri’s pass-rush stepped up against Vanderbilt’s offensive line. “I thought they were able to collapse the pocket,” Mason said.
3. This one might sting for Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt ventured to Columbia with a big opportunity in hand. Missouri entered the night 0-5 in the SEC, and its defense had struggled to limit conference offenses all season long. But a few costly mistakes on both sides of the ball were too much for the Commodores to overcome on the road.
“We just didn’t execute very well today,” Mason said. “Some bad things went against us. We couldn’t sustain it.”
For Vanderbilt to assure a trip to the postseason, it must now win both of its final two games against Ole Miss and Tennessee at home. The Commodores kick off against the Rebels next Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Vanderbilt Stadium.