#7 Missouri Football Hosts Vanderbilt

The Tigers did something unique last week. The defeated a ranked opponent in the Boston College Eagles and dropped in the rankings, moving from #6 to #7.

But when you are in the upper echelon of the national rankings, winning apparently isn’t enough. You need to handle business in a dominant way, especially at home. Elevated expectations equal elevated victory hurdles.

This Saturday Mizzou’s SEC schedule gets underway with the Vanderbilt Commodores visiting Columbia.

Mizzou has defeated Vandy four times in a row with the average score being 33-16. Last time Vandy beat Mizzou was 2019.

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The Commodores got off to a dynamic start to the season defeating Virginia Tech 34-27. They also just lost to Georgia State on the road last week 36-32.

At 2-1 Vandy’s season is still taking shape and a win in Columbia would provide the potential for the Commodores to believe they can be competitive in the SEC this season.

The odds though are long. Mizzou is almost a three touchdown favorite.

The Tigers should play free and easy on offense. Brady Cook has a stable of receivers to throw to in Burden, Wease, Johnson and Cooper. It’ll be interesting to see how the Tigers incorporate the tight ends. TE has been an integral part of Mizzou’s offense previously, but the TE numbers so far this season aren’t sizzling. Fans and coaches will also be looking to see that Mizzou plays cleaner and commits fewer penalties than last week vs BCU.

Vandy’s offense runs through quarterback Diego Pavia who leads the team in rushing. Mizzou will probably bring a safety up close to the line to support the run defense. Vandy’s top receiving target is tight end Eli Stowers, and they will probably try some longer passes to Quincy Skinner. Sedrick Alexander is good out of the backfield running and catching passes.

The Tigers have the advantage on offense and defense. A win is suspected, and the Tigers want to make a statement kicking off the SEC schedule. For themselves firstly, but also for the pollsters measuring them.