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After weeks of tough losses, the Missouri Tigers finally got in the win column in conference play as they knocked off the Florida Gators last week in Gainesville. It was one of the more surprising outcomes of SEC play so far, but the Tigers have played well in their losses. It was only a matter of time before the dam broke and a win was obtained.
No one at TSK has been tougher on the Tigers than yours truly, so it was nice to see them finally live up to their talent. While I still have reservations about the long-term success of Barry Odom and Derek Dooley, they got the job done last week.
The Vanderbilt Commodores had a bye week last week, but picked up their first conference win of the season in the previous week against Arkansas. Running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn had a huge day on the ground against the Hogs, running for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-31 victory. Missouri will have to pay attention to Vaughn, who now has eight touchdowns on the season.
On defense, Vanderbilt has been subpar this season, allowing 412 yards a game, which is 79th in the nation. However, the Commodores are 50th in the nation in pass yards allowed per game, at 215. Drew Lock is coming off his best game of the season, though. He will need to continue to make magic this week. Having Emanuel Hall back will help. The wide receiver missed a month with a groin injury before returning to action in the win over Florida. He had four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Lock made sure to note after the game that it was like “having his little blankie back”. That’s a great quote, but it also goes to show just how valuable Hall is to the Missouri offense. He was the leading returning receiver coming into the season, and had 18 receptions in the three games before his injury. Look for Hall to be Lock’s main target on Saturday.
Time: 11 a.m. CT
TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, DJ Shockley, Dawn Davenport)
Radio: Missouri Tigers Radio Network | Vanderbilt Commodores Radio Network