Notes and Quotes: Vanderbilt

The losing streak is over.

For the first time since late September, Missouri got a win, as the Tigers beat Vanderbilt 26-17 on a cold Saturday night to snap a five-game losing streak. The win was the first Southeastern Conference win of Barry Odom’s career and improved the Tigers record to 3-7.

“It was about time for us to get a win,” wide receiver J’Mon Moore. “It’s been rough around here. Come off the field, finish a game like that, that’s a good feeling.”

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Drew Lock looked as good as he had all year, throwing for 294 yards with two touchdowns. True freshman running back Damarea Crockett continued his strong season, rushing for 154 yards and a touchdown to lead Missouri’s offense.

But the noticeable improvement was on the defensive side of the ball.

After struggling to rush the passer for most of the season, Missouri’s defensive line was a constant presence in Vanderbilt’s backfield. The Tigers finished with nine tackles-for-loss and six sacks with Charles Harris and Marcell Frazier each finishing with two and a half.

“We stayed playing aggressive,” senior cornerback Aarion Penton said. “We weren’t too conservative.”

Penton said the locker room after the game was very celebratory, both for the win and for Odom.

“We had a party,” Penton said. “Quick, short one before prayer.”

Throughout the season Odom has said that the team has no margin for error, which has shown in some close losses but on Saturday Missouri was able to win despite its own mistakes.

Drew Lock fumbled the ball on a bad snap at the one-yard line in the second half when the Commodores were mounting a comeback. Dimetrios Mason dropped a would-be touchdown. And Tucker McCann’s kicking woes continued.

“It was a sign of relief,” Harris said. “Just knowing that we can win out these last three games and set up everybody good for next year.”

J’Mon Moore and Crockett were the MVPs of Missouri’s offensive on Saturday. Moore finished with eight catches for 138 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Moore is second in the nation this season for 100-yard games with four. He also fell on a fumble that came at the end of a 40-yard run from Crockett in order to keep Missouri’s drive alive.

J’Mon would tell you he’d make that play every week, but that’s something that earlier in the year, J’Mon wouldn’t have done,” Lock said. “He kind of would have been walking up the field watching him run, but we’ve kind of preached doing the things that you don’t think really matter in a play.”

Crockett became only the second Missouri freshman in the last 50 seasons to have 10 or more runs of at least 20 yards. The other? Legendary quarterback Brad Smith. After rushing for 154 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, Crockett now has 845 yards and nine touchdowns for the season. With two games he may very well get to 1,000.

I knew he was gonna be cold,” Moore said. “I knew he was. I saw it. I saw it when he came in the way he worked. He worked hard. He worked hard in the weight room, he worked hard when we were supposed to be done for the day he did extra. I knew that was going to pay off. I knew he was gonna be a dog when he got here. It didn’t surprise me.”

Crockett attributed his success this season to being more patient in the backfield and waiting for the play to develop, rather than trying to make plays on his own.

He said he was unaware of how close he was to 1,000 yards until earlier this week a teammate told him how close he was.

Now he has another goal before the end of the season.

“The goal is 1000 yards,” he said.

After the game, Penton gave the game ball to fellow senior Michael Scherer, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL.

“I tell him every practice, I step out there even before the game and give him a big hug and tell him that I’m playing for him as well,” Penton said.

Both Penton and Scherer are from St. Louis and knew a bit about each other growing up prior to getting to Missouri. The two have been close ever since Penton got to campus.

“He’s my brother,” he said.

Missouri’s defensive line had one of its best games of the year, combining for six sacks and seven tackles for loss. The Tigers got creative on some drives, coming out in a formation that had four defensive ends line up along the line rather than a pair of defensive ends and tackles like they usually do.

Sophomore Nate Howard, who was appearing in just his second game of the season finished with a half a sack and a pass break-up, a nice game given how much time he’s missed.

“He’s got a chance in the classroom and on the field to be a special guy,” Odom said. “That’s putting a lot of pressure on him. But he’s got a great pass rush. He’s got a really good first and second step off the ball. He’s sudden. He’s getting to the point where he understands how important he is and how big of a role he can have in this program.”

Odom said after the game he was happy with the playcall on the formation and thinks it worked well.

Harris said the formation is something Missouri has had in its playbook for a while but just hasn’t used it in a game.

“Whenever you have a whole bunch of talent on d-line you got to find a way to get everybody out there,” he said. “That speed package is ruthless.”

Perhaps the biggest star from the game is junior Ben Tesson, a placekicker who transferred from Drake over the summer.

After Tucker McCann missed a pair of extra points and a field goal attempt, Tesson came in to kick the extra point after Missouri’s game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tesson made the kick, which drew the biggest response from the crowd all night.

Odom wasn’t even sure who Tesson was when asked about him in his post-game press conference.

“He’s the guy that made the extra point right?”

A former kicker at Rockwood Summit High School near St. Louis, Tesson may very well be Missouri’s kicker for the rest of the season after Odom said he’s opening up the position in practice this week due to the continued struggles at the position.

Tesson played with Tigers linebacker Eric Beisel in high school, who said he trusts him when the team needs him to put one between the uprights.

I know what he can do,” he said. “I’ve played with him in the past. I have full trust in him and obviously the coaches have trust in him to get the job done and he did.”