A hard fought battle in Nashville only has room for one victor. This time, Mizzou fails to come out on top. Going to FirstBank Stadium to face the Vanderbilt Commodores was a tough task for head coach Eli Drinkwitz and ultimately fell just short. The defense played phenomenally and made Vanderbilt work for every yard. The only slip up was allowing an 80 yard touchdown run for the first touchdown of the game.
Photo Cred: Mizzou
But the pass rush constantly created havoc in the backfield and limited Diego Pavia to just 10 completions, 4 rushing yards, and an interception. On the other side of the ball, the offense was able to generate long drives, but had no points to show for it. The offense outgained Vanderbilt by 111 yards but sputtered in the red zone. A missed field goal, failure to score on fourth and goal, and a quarterback run to the one yard line being called back due to a penalty left many points on the table that would have greatly affected the game.
In the third quarter, Pribula went down with an ankle injury and the team had to turn to a true freshman named Matt Zollers. Zollers came into the game and immediately made an impact. He took hits, ran when he needed to, and protected the ball. On the final play of the game, he tossed up a hail mary to send the game into overtime and it was caught, but down at the one yard line.
After a shaky performance last week at Auburn, the offensive line was great against one of the best defenses in the country. Ahmad Hardy was consistently gaining first downs and the play action passes were opening up windows for the quarterbacks. But the inability to run the game in the red zone led to missed opportunities that cost them the game.
Photo Cred: Mizzou
Next week, the Tigers rest, giving ample time to prepare to host the Texas A&M Aggies. With a new quarterback in the system, questions surround the team, now wondering how good they are if the main piece is out. While it is possible to still reach the playoffs, Mizzou still has two ranked games left and no more room for error. Everything they want is still in front of them but a crucial injury may spoil the hopes this Tiger team has been dreaming about.
