Sunday grade card: Vanderbilt
Ever go home after a long day and want to mix yourself a fancy cocktail, but don’t have the time or ingredients? Let Boulevard Beverage Company be your bartender! Introducing ready to drink Fling Craft Cocktails in a can. These flavorful spirit-based drinks are made with all natural ingredients and offer low calories and carbs. Try our blood orange vodka soda, cucumber lime gin and tonic, mai-tai and margarita. Fling Cocktails, the official game day sponsor of PowerMizzou.com Go Tigers!
Each Sunday, PowerMizzou.com will hand out a position-by-position grade card for Missouri from Saturday's game. Here are the marks from the Tigers’ stunning, 21-14 loss at Vanderbilt.
Quarterback: It was a rough outing for Kelly Bryant, as it was for the entire Tiger offense. Despite the fact that he hadn't been asked to throw in the second half of several games this season, Bryant's 140 passing yards Saturday marked a season low. Bryant struggled with accuracy at times and threw another backbreaking interception in the end zone, as he did against Wyoming as well. Perhaps most frustrating was his inability to turn his elusiveness into completions. Vanderbilt sent three rushers on most Missouri passing plays, and Bryant had plenty of time to scramble as a result, but it rarely resulted in a completion. Part of that blame goes to the receivers, for sure, but at a certain point you would like to see Bryant throw somebody open. It was almost like Bryant took a risk at a terrible time when he threw the interception then refused to make another risky downfield throw afterward even when Missouri needed to get back in the game. GRADE: D
Running backs: Missouri's offensive struggles stemmed from the fact that the Tigers couldn't get anything going on the ground. The team's three tailbacks combined to rush for just 81 yards on 24 carries. It's always challenging to know how much of the blame to put on the line and how much to attribute to the ball carries when the running game struggles, but clearly it wasn't a banner day for the running backs. GRADE: C
Wide receivers: Missouri's receivers hadn't made a ton of explosive plays this season, but for much of the year, they made enough plays to keep the offense going, and with the team rolling, it didn't seem to matter. The Tigers' lack of playmaking ability at wideout got exposed by Vanderbilt. Aside from Kam Scott's 55-yard catch and run (Scott got targeted four times, but I still think it should be more), Missouri only had one passing play go for more than 10 yards. In the second half, when Vandy dropped eight defenders in coverage on seemingly every passing down, the Tigers didn't have a single completion for more than 12 yards. Given how much time Bryant often had to scramble around in the backfield while looking for a receiver, someone should have gotten open. Depth looked like it could be an issue, too, as only the team's three starting receivers, Knox, Jonathan Nance and Johnathon Johnson, caught passes. GRADE: F
Tight Ends: Albert Okwuegbunam dodged what looked like it could have been a scary injury when he got hit low, flipped over and landed on his head in the second quarter. He ultimately returned and made two catches for 10 yards, including an easy touchdown reception when he was matched in single coverage with a cornerback. Aside from his red zone work, though, Okwuegbunam wasn't much of a factor. And while Bryant's interception when targeting him was more Bryant's fault than his, you would like Okwuegbunam to fight a little harder to break up the pass. Throw in the fact that Daniel Parker Jr. didn't catch a pass and, clearly, shared in the blocking struggles, and the tight ends aren't immune from blame for the offense's struggles. GRADE: C-
Offensive line: The offensive line has been the most disappointing unit for Missouri this season, and never more so than Saturday. A group that was supposed to be a strength got pretty well dominated by Vanderbilt at the point of attack. Missouri averaged just 3.8 yards per rush as a team, and even when Vanderbilt only rushed three players, Bryant seemed to always be running for his life. The same five players started at the same five positions as last week, when the offensive line had probably its best game of the season, so it's hard to pinpoint a reason for the struggles, but it's easy to see that the line needs to be better. GRADE: F
Defensive line: For the most part, Missouri's defensive kept the Tigers in the game. But the unit's mistakes came at crucial moments. Reserve defensive tackle Markell Utsey drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Vanderbilt's final scoring drive. Jordan Elliott, who looked like the best player on the field for much of the game, jumped offsides twice on the Commodores' final drive, including on a third down and two that sealed the game. Tre Williams had probably the best game of the season for a Missouri defensive end but disappeared down the stretch. Considering how often Vanderbilt ran the ball, holding the Commodores to 150 yards and 3.6 yards per carry on the ground is a solid performance, and one that likely would have been celebrated had the Tigers won, but because of the offense's struggles, the mistakes here are magnified, and they can't be ignored. GRADE: B-
Linebackers: Even after a game in which he led all players with a whopping 15 tackles, Nick Bolton immediately told reporters after the game that he blames himself for the loss. He believes he could have played better, claiming responsibility for the screen pass that Ke'Shawn Vaughn took for a 61-yard touchdown and saying he had a missed tackle later in the game. We'll take Bolton at his word that he could have been better, especially on a few quarterback runs when he looked to fall for fake handoffs, but without him, Missouri probably gets blown out. Cameron Wilkins also provided the biggest play of the day for the Tigers when he returned an interception inside the 10-yard line, but he had a few plays that could have been better as well, especially on the final drive of the game. GRADE: C
Secondary: Cornerback Jarvis Ware has largely had a breakout sophomore season, but he was victimized Saturday. He drew a key penalty that kept a Vanderbilt drive alive, then missed a tackle on the Commodores' go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The safeties also had their share of struggles. Ronnell Perkins appeared to be out of position on the long screen pass to Vaughn, Joshuah Bledsoe was in coverage for Vanderbilt's one long completion to Kalija Lipscomb and Tyree Gillespie got ejected due to a textbook targeting penalty. Like the defensive line, those mistakes might not receive as much attention if the offense plays better, but they undoubtedly contributed to the outcome. Grade: D
Special Teams: Missouri has a kicker problem. A week after missing two extra points, Tucker McCann missed two field goals against Vanderbilt, and really three if you count one that was ultimately wiped off the board due to a penalty. McCann doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his starting job, but it's gotten to the point that Barry Odom can't be confident sending the senior out for a kick of any position. McCann was much better as a punter, averaging more than 50 yards on his seven punts. The Tigers had a few issues in punt coverage as well, allowing one 31-yard return to Vanderbilt and getting flagged for a horse-collar tackle on another return. GRADE: F
Coaching: After the game, Odom said he got out-coached. He was right. Missouri looked flat and uninspired to start the game. When that happens once, you can chalk it up to college kids being unpredictable. Lose two games in a single season as a three-score favorite and coaching has to get the majority of the blame. Plus, Missouri has had a penalty problem all year, and Saturday it finally bit it. Vanderbilt looked like it knew Missouri's weaknesses and attacked them relentlessly, and the coaching staff simply failed to adjust. GRADE: F
Final Overall Grade: D-