Mizzou Hosts Vanderbilt for 2014 Homecoming
10/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
| Opponent | Location | Day/Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| vs. Vanderbilt | Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field – Columbia, Mo. | Saturday / 3:00 p.m. CT |
| Game Media | SEC Network | WatchESPN  | GameTracker | Live Audio |
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| VU Prep | Tickets | |
Mizzou Game Notes  | Depth Chart | Pinkel Press Conference | Quotes |
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MIZZOU HOSTS VANDERBILT FOR 2014 HOMECOMING
The Missouri Tigers (5-2 overall, 2-1 in SEC play), return home for the annual Homecoming game this Saturday afternoon, when they will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-5, 0-4) at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT, with the game being televised on the SEC Network.
The Tigers are coming off a dominating 42-13 road win at Florida last Saturday, in a game which saw four of Mizzou's five touchdowns come via special teams and defense. The game started with a bang, as senior TB Marcus Murphy ran the opening kickoff back 96 yards for a lightning-quick 7-0 lead. Murphy would later extend the lead to 14-0 in the 1st quarter on a 5-yard run after the Tiger defense forced a fumble on a sack deep in Gator territory, on the way to a 20-0 halftime lead. Murphy would open the 2nd half with an 82-yard punt return score and the Tiger defense forced the issue with a pair of defensive scores on consecutive series to push the lead to 42-0 with 5:57 left in the 3rd.
Vanderbilt is coming off of a bye week after the Commodores posted a 21-20 win on Oct. 11th against Charleston Southern. Vandy dropped its first two games of the 2014 season to Temple (L, 37-7) and Ole Miss (L, 41-3), then claimed a 34-31 win over Massachusetts to get first-year Coach Derek Mason his first career victory on Sept. 13th. Vanderbilt next hung tough in close losses to South Carolina (L, 48-34) and at Kentucky (L, 17-7), before they dropped a 44-17 game at Georgia.
ROAD TEAM RULES IN MIZZOU-VANDY SERIES
Mizzou and Vanderbilt have only played six times previously (Mizzou holds a 3-2-1 series edge currently), but the Tigers are hoping to reverse a series trend that has seen the home team win only once. That one home win came in 1895, when MU claimed a 16-0 win in Columbia. In 1896, MU won by a 26-6 count, but that game was played in St. Louis.
Later on, when the teams played in Columbia in consecutive years in 1957-1958, the first game ended in a 7-7 tie, while the next year saw Vanderbilt return to notch a 12-8 win.
The series was dormant until Mizzou joined the SEC in 2012, and the road team has won each of the two league meetings, with Vanderbilt taking a 19-15 win in Columbia in 2012. Mizzou returned the favor in a big way last year, as the Tigers raced to a 51-28 win in Nashville.
HOMECOMING RETURNS FOR ITS 103RD CELEBRATION AT MIZZOU
Legend says that the Homecoming tradition got its start at the University of Missouri in 1911, thanks to the vision and efforts of Chester L. Brewer, MU's Director of Athletics at the time. Although Illinois staged a similar celebration in 1910, Missouri claims its 1911 effort as one of the first formal Homecoming celebrations surrounding a football game…
- That year, the Missouri-Kansas game was to be played on a college campus for the first time ever. Previously, the game had been played in either Kansas City or St. Joseph, and Missouri trailed in the series by a 12-5-3 count at the time.
- Brewer wanted to add some spice to the season-ending game in Columbia, so he issued a plea to Mizzou alumni and especially to former Tiger football players to “Come Home” for the game. They did just that, with a record crowd of 9,000 overflowing old Rollins Field.
- With four minutes to play, and MU trailing by three, Tiger captain Glen Shuck booted a tying field goal from a difficult angle. Then, little Billy Blees caught a rampaging KU fullback in the open field in the final seconds to preserve the tie, and was carried off the field a hero.
- Hence, “Homecoming” was born. MU has a 59-38-5 record in Homecoming games over the years. Not surprisingly, former rival Kansas has been its most common opponent for the game - with MU holding an 18-7-2 edge in 27 such meetings - although the two did not meet on Homecoming from 1960 until 2000 in Columbia.
- Mizzou has won 9 of its last 12 Homecoming games, including a landmark 36-27 win over BCS #1-ranked Oklahoma in 2010 (36-27). The Tigers also got their first-ever SEC win in the 2012 Homecoming tilt against Kentucky (a 33-10 Tiger victory). Mizzou's last loss on Homecoming was a 27-24 double overtime defeat last year at the hands of South Carolina.
- For a full schedule of 2014 Homecoming events, please visit www.mizzou.com.
