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For every Tiger game day this year, we'll get you up to speed before kickoff in Game Day Central. We'll catch you up on all the news of the week, hit on the keys of the game, provide audio and video previews and offer up some predictions. Here is everything you need to know about game against Vanderbilt.
KICKOFF INFORMATION
TIME: 3:00 p.m. Central
LOCATION: Vanderbilt Stadium (capacity 40,550), Nashville, TN
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, DJ Shockley, Dawn Davenport)
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network -- Click here for a list of affiliates
POINT SPREAD: Mizzou by 21.5
SERIES: Mizzou leads 7-3-1
LAST MEETING: Mizzou won 33-28 in 2018
AUDIO PREVIEW
GAME WEEK HEADLINES
Following the Future | Creativity sparks the offense | Monday Morning Thoughts |
Jay Maclin talks official visit | Week Seven Depth Chart | Odom press conference |
Media Day Notebook | Scantlebury: Bryant's Surprising Senior Season |
How has Mizzou's defense improved so much? | Macadoodle's Mailbag |
Commits react to strong first half | Downing's determination pays off |
Podcast Previews Vanderbilt | Stars & Starters: Mizzou vs Vandy |
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUPS
When Missouri has the ball:
It’s difficult to understatee just how bad the Vanderbilt defense has been this season. The Commodores rank among the bottom 25 FBS teams in every major defensive category: pass defense, run defense, total defense and scoring defense. They’re allowing an average of 482.7 yards and 36.8 points per game to opponents, both of which rank last in the SEC. Look for Missouri to establish its running game early — Vanderbilt has allowed 619 total rushing yards in its past two games — and mix in some passes when the opportunity presents itself. No reason to do anything fancy in this one. ADVANTAGE: Missouri
When Vanderbilt has the ball
The Commodore offense has woefully underperformed so far this season, especially last week, when the team only scored 10 points in a home loss to UNLV. Vanderbilt has some talent on offense, though. Wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, tight end Jared Pinkney and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn are all likely future NFL Draft picks. Vaughn, in particular, had a big game against Missouri last year, as he turned 14 touches into 196 total yards and two touchdowns. Missouri will have to stay disciplined and wrap up to avoid giving Vaughn room to break off big runs, but the struggles of quarterback Riley Neal, who is averaging less than 200 yards per game through the air and has thrown nearly as many interceptions (3) as touchdown (4) on the season should allow the Tigers to focus on stopping the run. Missouri’s SEC-leading defense shouldn’t have much of a problem in this one. ADVANTAGE: Missouri
KEYS TO A MISSOURI WIN
1. Start fast. One of the most sure ways to prevent an upset is by taking the lead early and not allowing the less-talented team to hang around. That is especially true against Vanderbilt and Neal. The only way the Commodores figure to have a chance to move the ball against Missouri is by breaking off some big plays in the ground game and then using play-action to get the ball to Lipscomb and Pinkney. If Missouri jumps out to a three-score lead in the first half, that will become nearly impossible
2. Take care of the ball. Missouri head coach Barry Odom mentioned in his weekly press conference on Tuesday that his team learned a lesson the hard way in Week One: No matter who they’re playing, the Tigers aren’t good enough to be minus-three in the turnover margin and win. If Missouri gives Vanderbilt short fields and momentum by turning the ball over, the Commodores stand a chance. If the Tigers take care of the football, their talent should prevail.
3. Pound the rock. Given Vanderbilt’s struggles defending the run in recent weeks, there’s really no reason to put Kelly Bryant in harm’s way with a lot of deep drops and downfield passes. If Missouri can get running backs Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie going early, it shouldn’t be hard to wear down the Vanderbilt defense, and then Bryant should have time to take a couple deep shots when the opportunity arises.
GAME DAY PROP BETS*
*You cannot actually bet on these and even if you can, we are not encouraging you to do so. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Kelly Bryant total offense 349.5 — Mitchell under, Gabe over
KeShawn Vaughn rushing yardage 75 — Mitchell over, Gabe under
Mizzou takeaways 2.5 — Mitchell under, Gabe over
Percentage of Mizzou fans in stands: 60 — Mitchell over, Gabe over
Dawson Downing carries: 9 — Mitchell over, Gabe over
POWERMIZZOU PREDICTIONS
Mitchell Forde: Vanderbilt isn’t entirely void of talent, especially on the offensive side, but the Commodores looked like a team that has given up in last week’s loss to UNLV. Missouri, meanwhile, still has everything to play for and should have learned its lesson in Week One about losing focus prior to the final whistle. Expect this game to be out of reach by the start of the fourth quarter. Missouri 41, Vanderbilt 10
Player of the game: Larry Rountree III
Gabe DeArmond: Your first thought is "21 is a lot of points, especially for a team that hasn't gone on the road in six weeks and lost the last time it did." And that would be a valid thought most times. Because your first thought should be "Vanderbilt lost to UNLV. At home. By 24 points." The Commodores only win is a hard-fought six-pointer over Northern Illinois. They shouldn't be this bad. I don't really know why they are this bad. But they are this bad. Missouri has to show up. There are ways they could theoretically lose this game. But the Tigers don't need an A game. If they can play a solid B game this is a blowout. I think we see some offensive fireworks. Mizzou 52, Vanderbilt 16.
Missouri Player of the Game: Jalen Knox
