Vanderbilt vs. Missouri 2016 final score: 3 things we learned from the Tigers’ 26-17 win

After 13 months of waiting, the Missouri Tigers have finally tallied an SEC win.

The Tigers were able to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday despite a late surge from their visiting opponents from Nashville. With their 26-17 win, it ends a long drought for the Tigers in conference play, picking up their first victory in SEC play since October 2015 against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Mizzou was mostly led by the play of Damarea Crockett who picked up 154 yards on the ground on 20 rushing attempts with a touchdown, amounting for 7.7 yards per carry. Receiver J’Mon Moore also had a standout day, catching eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

3 things we learned

1. Mizzou IS capable of winning SEC games: Whodathunkit?

Seriously though. The weight is finally off their shoulders and something positive could do them wonders going forward. Who knows?

2. Mizzou’s defense, for one day at least, showed up big time: Going into this year, the trademark of Mizzou’s stint in the SEC was the play of their defense. Thus far they’ve had a tough go in 2016, but Saturday afternoon allowed for the Tigers defense to wreak havoc just as they’ve done in the past. Mizzou got six sacks on the afternoon and nine tackles for loss as well as a pick six by cornerback Aarion Penton. Charles Harris and Marcell Frazier combined for five of the six sacks attributed to the defense, with Jordan Harold and Nate Howard combining for the other. Lord knows what Mizzou could’ve done with these types of outputs throughout the season.

3. Vanderbilt dug too deep of a hole, and it cost them: A late effort by Vanderbilt was undone by the fact that the Commodores fell behind 19-0 early in the ballgame. Given the composition of their offense, it was far too big of a problem for them to overcome. Sometimes, those are the breaks, and unfortunately for Vandy, their recent surge has stalled out for at least a week.