Mizzou 3-2-1: Vanderbilt
After each Mizzou game, we take a look at three things we learned, two we don't know and one question we still have. Here's the 3-2-1 report after a 26-17 win over Vanderbilt.
ALSO SEE: Barry Odom Video | More from Odom Post-Game | First Five Thoughts
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Winning is fun. Okay, we didn't really need to be taught that. But it had been more than 400 days since the Tigers won an SEC game (or beat a Power Five team). It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy. But this team overcame some of the things that had sunk it in previous weeks to win a game. It's only the second time Vandy had lost by more than seven points all season. The Tigers are far from perfect, but this Saturday was a lot better than most of the rest of them. While "they haven't quit" might not be the highest praise for a team, a lot of 2-7 squads probably have. This one hasn't.
2. The defensive line is still decent. For the first time in a long time, the Tigers turned it loose up front. They had six sacks. Charles Harris now has eight for the season and a solid shot to get to double digits. Nate Howard is back and should be a long-term factor for this team. And the Tigers went back to the old "Candy" formation, often featuring four defensive ends along the front to get after the passer. Saturday was as close to last year as the defense has looked.
3. Damarea Crockett is a building block. Or, as J'Mon Moore called him "a dog." Crockett ran for 154 more yards, giving him 837 on the season. He is averaging 6.5 per carry and is the second Tiger in the last 50 years to have 10 runs of 20 yards or longer as a freshman (the other is Brad Smith). There's little doubt he's the best offensive player on this team and a guy you build an offense around going forward. Crockett needs to average 82 yards in the final two games to top 1,000 for the season.
TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE
1. Can Mizzou build on this? A win is nice. But the Tigers are still 3-7 and going nowhere in the postseason. But the rest of this year is about building some momentum and confidence for the off-season and 2017. Tennessee is decent, but far from great. Same goes for Arkansas. Missouri will be a decided underdog in the last two games. A win or two there could really give the off-season a different feeling than it might have right now.
2. How good is Drew Lock? It's been a season-long question. All year, we have said one of the keys is going into 2017 knowing you have your quarterback for the next two years. On Saturday afternoon, Lock sure gave some indications that Odom might have that knowledge. He was as good as he's possibly ever been against a solid Commodore defense. If he can back it up with a couple of more strong performances, the tone of the off-season could change.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
It's hard to come up with something that qualifies as bold. But how about this? J'Mon Moore will top 1,000 yards receiving on the season. After Saturday, he has 743. Tennessee and Arkansas don't feature the conference's best defenses. We think Moore turns in one really big game, especially because the Tigers are going to have to put up plenty of points to play with the Volunteers. He needs to average 129 yards in the last two games to get there. We'll say he does it.
