Vanderbilt (2-1) at No. 7 Missouri, Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET (SEC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Missouri by 21.
Series record: Missouri leads 11-4-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Vanderbilt and Missouri begin SEC play after wildly different results in nonconference games last week. The Commodores rallied to take the lead in the final minutes against Georgia State, only to give it away with 15 seconds left in a 36-32 loss. The Tigers beat then-No. 24 Boston College, though they had to overcome plenty of mistakes, most notably penalties. Both teams know the grind of the SEC will hardly abate the rest of the way, so picking up a win in their conference opener would be enormous.
KEY MATCHUP
Missouri RBs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll against the Vanderbilt run defense, which is allowing just 90 yards rushing per game. Noel is coming off his best game since transferring from Appalachian State, running 22 times for 121 yards against the Eagles. Carroll, a transfer from Georgia State, provided a nice change of pace, running 12 times for 57 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State, has gotten off to a good start for the Commodores. He’s thrown for 543 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions through his first three games. He also has run 54 times for 195 yards and two more scores.
Missouri: K Blake Craig bounced back from a pair of misses against Buffalo, albeit on long attempts, to hit all four of his field-goal tries against Boston College. That included a career-best 56-yarder. Not bad for a freshman being asked to replace Harrison Mevis, one of the best kickers in school history.
FACTS & FIGURES
Vanderbilt and Missouri played their first two games in 1895 and 1896, with the Tigers winning both. They did not meet again until a pair of games in 1957 and 1958, tying the first and Vanderbilt winning the second. There was another long break until 2012, when they began play as SEC opponents. … Missouri has won the last four games in the series. … Vanderbilt scored 22 points in the fourth quarter in last week’s loss to Georgia State. … The Commodores have at least one interception in eight of their last nine games. … Vanderbilt WR Eli Sowers had career-bests of nine catches for 110 yards last week. … Missouri has the nation’s longest win streak among Bowl Subdivision teams at seven. The Tigers have not lost since last Nov. 11. … Missouri has won its last five game when trailing after the first quarter. … Tigers QB Brady Cook is now fourth on the school’s career list with 7,198 yards passing. … Cook has run for a TD in six straight regular-season games. … WR Luther Burden III has scored in four straight games for Missouri. He also has caught a pass in 25 straight dating to Oct. 1, 2022.
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