Schedule Preview: Vanderbilt
We are inside of three months away from the start of the college football season, and while there are still several questions that need to be answered before Missouri kicks off its 2019 campaign (such as clearing up whether the team will be allowed to play in the postseason this year), it’s never too early to start taking a look at the schedule. In this series, we are going game-by-game to break down the Tigers' slate. Today, we enter the second half of the season as we take a look at Missouri's Week Seven opponent: Vanderbilt.
2018 season
Record: 6-7
Against Missouri: Lost 28-33
Key losses: QB Kyle Shurmur, RB Khari Blasingame, OT Justin Skule, C Bruno Reagan, LB Jordan Griffin, S LaDarius Wiley, CB Joejuan Williams
Key returners: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, WR Kalijah Lipscomb, WR C.J. Bolar, TE Jared Pinkney, LB Dimitri Moore, DE Dayo Odeyingbo, DT Drew Birchmeier
Quick look
The biggest key for sixth-year head coach Derek Mason and Vanderbilt is clear: How will the Commodores replace four-year starting quarterback Kyle Shurmur? Shurmur left Vanderbilt as the school’s all-time leader in both passing yardage and passing touchdowns. His 406 passing attempts last season ranked fifth in the SEC, and he threw for 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. The most likely candidate to take over his starting spot appears to be Riley Neal, a graduate transfer from Ball State. Neal started three seasons at Ball State and completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 1,917 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions last season before missing the final three games of the year due to injury. His primary competition to land the starting spot should come from Deuce Wallace, a junior who missed all of last season due to suspension. Both Wallace and Neal possess above-average running ability for a quarterback, which could add a new dimension to the Commodore offense. The key question, however, will be how the eventual starter meshes with the offense and adjusts to his new role, whether it’s Neal jumping from the MAC to the SEC or Wallace starting for the first time in his college career.
The good news for Vanderbilt is that whoever lines up at quarterback will be surrounded by plenty of offensive firepower. The most important returning weapon is running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who showed Missouri fans what he is capable of last season. Vaughn racked up 196 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns against the Tigers a season ago. In the last four full games he played, Vaughn averaged 181 rushing yards per game and scored eight times. Vanderbilt also brings back its three leading receivers from a season ago, including wideout Kalija Lipscomb. Lipscomb hauled in 87 passes for 916 yards and nine touchdowns last season, including eight catches for 99 yards and a score against Missouri. Tight end Jared Pinkney, who averaged an impressive 15.5 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns on 50 receptions, will also be back.
In addition to its quarterback play, a major key for Vanderbilt this season will be improving its defense. The Commodores ranked No. 99 nationally in total defense, surrendering nearly 440 yards per game. Missouri put up 506 total yards in last season’s matchup. The Commodores ranked No. 85 against the pass and No. 94 against the run. Vanderbilt will lose a few big names on the defensive side of the ball, including safety LaDarius Wiley, cornerback Joejuan Williams and linebacker Jordan Griffin, who ranked second in the SEC with 119 tackles last season. However, the team could have more depth in both the defensive line and the secondary this year thanks to the arrival of a handful of junior college and graduate transfers.
Players to watch
1. Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB
For the most part, Missouri’s defense was stout against the run last season. The one back the Tigers struggled to contain, however, was Vaughn. Vanderbilt was the only team to top 200 yards on the ground against Missouri. After concluding last season with a 243-yard performance in the Texas Bowl, Vaughn, last year’s SEC Newcomer of the Year, should be the focal point of Vanderbilt’s offense this season. Slowing him down and making whoever wins the new starting quarterback job beat you appears to be the blueprint for beating the Commodores. That could be easier said than done, though, especially with a more mobile quarterback behind center this season.
2. Jared Pinkney, TE
While Lipscomb had the biggest days of Vanderbilt’s pass-catchers against Missouri last season, Pinkney might did some damage as well, catching five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers will want to keep tabs on Pinkney at all times during this year’s matchup. Missouri’s pass defense largely struggled to defend the middle of the field last season, a weakness Pinkney could exploit if it persists this year. Pinkney, who could wind up an early-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, is more than just a red zone threat, as his 15.5 yards per catch average indicates. Plus, he figures to be an obvious target for the play-action passes that could be more prevalent in a more run-heavy offense this season.
3. Dimitri Moore, LB
As mentioned above, Vanderbilt needs to tighten up its defense this season. Moore will almost certainly take over the primary leadership role on the unit. Moore is the only returner among Vanderbilt’s four leading tacklers from last season, after he totaled 84 stops as a redshirt freshman. With Griffin having graduated, his responsibilities will only increase. Moore will look to make sure the Commodores defend Missouri’s ground game more effectively this season. The Tiger rushing attack racked up 253 yards and two touchdowns in last season’s matchup.
Summary
Vanderbilt has improved incrementally under Mason’s leadership, earning a bowl berth in two of the past three seasons. But it seems like every year now, there has been talk that the Commodores could finally break through and get to seven or eight wins, and it hasn’t yet happened. With the team losing a four-year starter at quarterback and three important defensive starters from last season, it appears Mason will have to wait one more year. Missouri has beaten Vanderbilt in five of the past six seasons, and if its defense can slow down Vaughn and generate some pressure on whoever lines up behind center, the Tigers should have the talent to continue that trend.
Missouri's 2019 schedule
8/31: at Wyoming (Read our preview here.)
9/7: West Virginia (Preview)
9/14: Southeast Missouri State
9/21: South Carolina (Preview)
10/5: Troy (Preview)
10/12: Ole Miss (Preview)
10/19: at Vanderbilt
10/26: at Kentucky
11/9: at Georgia
11/16: Florida
11/23: Tennessee
11/29: at Arkansas*
* Game will be played in Little Rock