Saturday, November 10
Columbia, Mo.
11 a.m.
University of Missouri
vs
Vanderbilt
Bowl Eligibility Within Grasp as @MizzouFootball Hosts Vanderbilt Saturday
11/5/2018 5:25:00 PM | Football
Barry Odom would be just the fourth coach in Mizzou history to qualify for a bowl in two of his first three seasons
| Tigers Can Reach Bowl Eligibility Saturday vs. Vanderbilt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME (CT) | WATCH | STATS |
| vs. Vanderbilt | Columbia, Mo. | Saturday, Nov. 10 | 11 AM | SEC Network | Stats |
#ShowMe Mizzou Game Notes
The Matchup
- Mizzou Football (5-4 overall, 1-4 in SEC action) is fresh off of a dominant 38-17 win over then No. 13-ranked Florida (AP Poll) last Saturday and welcomes Derek Mason's Vanderbilt Commodores (4-5, 1-4 SEC) to Memorial Stadium this Saturday for an 11 a.m. kickoff on SEC Network. Mizzou will look to become bowl eligible for the second consecutive season. Should Mizzou accomplish that feat against the Commodores, head coach Barry Odom would become the first Tiger head coach to take his team bowling in two of his first three seasons since Warren Powers did so in his first four years patrolling the sidelines (1978-81). He would be the fourth Mizzou coach to ever accomplish that, joining Powers, Don Faurot and Dan Devine.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH VANDERBILT
- Saturday marks the 11th meeting all-time between Mizzou and Vanderbilt and the Tigers hold a 6-3-1 advantage in the series. Mizzou has won two straight over Vanderbilt and four of six meetings since Mizzou joined the SEC. Head coach Barry Odom has never lost to Vanderbilt, winning 26-17 in 2016 and 45-17 last year in Nashville, a win that clinched Mizzou bowl eligibility.
- Mizzou and Vanderbilt's all-time series actually dates back to 1895, making this Mizzou's oldest rivalry against an SEC team. Mizzou win the first two meetings between the two programs in 1895 and 1869, but the two teams did not play again until a 7-7 tie in 1957. Mizzou is 3-2-1 against Vanderbilt all-time in games played in Columbia and 4-2-1 in games played in the state of Missouri as the 1896 meeting, a 26-6 Mizzou win, was played in St. Louis.
RECAPPING LAST TIME OUT
- Mizzou defeated No. 13 Florida, 38-17, last Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The victory was Mizzou's first road win at a top-15 opponent since 2014 when the Tigers defeated No. 13 South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium, 21-20. It matches the highest-ranked team that Mizzou has defeated on the road since toppling No. 7 Georgia in Athens in 2013. Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Florida, 5-3, winning two straight, and now holds an all-time record of 6-2 against teams ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
- Mizzou opened a 21-3 lead with a four-yard TD run by junior RB Damarea Crockett with 6:06 remaining in the second quarter as Crockett was part of a Mizzou offense that rushed for 148 yards on 20 attempts in the opening 30 minutes (7.4 yards per carry). Florida scored late in the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-10 at intermission.
- The Tigers then forced stops on Florida's first two possessions of the second half and countered with TDs of their own to open a 35-10 lead to put the game away.
- Mizzou's 38-17 win at No. 13 Florida Saturday marked the program's largest road win at a ranked opponent in 42 years - since Mizzou won a 46-25 game at No. 8 USC in 1976. If you dig deeper into the history books, you'll see that that was a very rare occurrence at Mizzou for a long time. The program had zero road wins against ranked opponents from 1998 through 2010. If you extend the time frame back a little further, from 1982 through 2010 (28 seasons) Mizzou had exactly one of those wins (1997 at Oklahoma State).
VANDY vs. ARKANSAS RECAP
- Vanderbilt is coming off of its bye week, but is two weeks removed from drubbing SEC West foe Arkansas, 45-31, in Fayetteville. That snapped a three-game losing skid for the Commodores, all against SEC East teams. Vandy scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to turn a 31-24 advantage into a 45-24 lead before Arkansas scored with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
LOCK SHINES AGAINST ONE OF NATION'S ELITE DEFENSES
- Mizzou senior QB Drew Lock played arguably his best game of the season last Saturday at No. 13 Florida, throwing for 250 yards on 24-of-32 passing with three TDs. His 250 passing yards were the most against the Gators in 15 contests while his three TDs match the most by a single QB against Florida since Sept. 24, 2016, when Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs had four. In the 31 games since Dobbs threw for four TDs vs. the Gators lauded secondary, only five times has a QB thrown for three TDs in a game - Lock has done so twice in that span after throwing three in a 45-16 win over the Gators a year ago. The others to do so are Kentucky's Stephen Johnson, Vanderbilt's Kyle Shurmur and Georgia's Jake Fromm.
- Lock's QB rating of 171.6 last Saturday was his best against an SEC team this season while his 75 percent completion percentage matched his best ever in an SEC game (he did so against Florida last year as well). Since 2009, Florida has allowed opposing QBs to complete 75 percent of their passes just three times in 124 games. Lock has two of those three games. The other was Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel during his Heisman season in 2012.
GROUND GAME THE KEY TO SUCCESS
- While Drew Lock and the Mizzou passing attack certainly steal most of the headlines, it's the Tiger ground game that has been the key to the offensive success this season. Last Saturday, Mizzou rushed for 221 yards against Florida, the third-most allowed by the Gators on the year.
- Only Kentucky and Alabama have been able to slow Mizzou's ground attack this season and of course, Mizzou is 0-2 in those games. In the other seven games, Mizzou is 5-2 and has 1,552 rushing yards in those games (221.7 per game). In those games, Mizzou is averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
THOSE WHO WIN IN NOVEMBER, WILL BE REMEMBERED
- Mizzou's 38-17 win at No. 13 Florida last Saturday may have come as a shock to many national pundits, but not to those who have followed Mizzou's program over the years. Anyone who has followed the program over the years knows that Mizzou has had a marvelous track record of winning during the month of November. Mizzou is 7-2 in games played in November under third-year head coach Barry Odom. After winning the final game of the 2016 season over Arkansas, all four games in November last year, and Saturday's game at Florida, Mizzou is currently riding a six-game winning streak in the month of November. Since 2013, the year Mizzou won the first of back-to-back SEC East Championships, the Tigers are an incredible 16-5 in games played during November. That 16-5 record includes three perfect 4-0 slates in the month of November (2017, 2014 and 2013). It is no surprise that Mizzou has been to bowl games in three of those seasons while being on the cusp of bowl eligibility again this season.
LOCK LIVES AMONG SEC'S GREATNESS
- Mizzou senior QB Drew Lock's three TD passes at Florida moved him into sole possession of third place all-time among SEC quarterbacks with 90 career passing TDs. He passed Florida's Tim Tebow (2006-09) and Chris Leak (2003-06), who both had 88 in their careers, and Tennessee' Peyton Manning, who had 89. Lock has some work to do to catch the next QB on the list - Florida's Danny Wuerffel, so it is likely that Lock will finish his storied Mizzou career with the third-most TD passes in SEC history. Below is a list:
| Rank | TD Passes | Quarterback | School | Year |
| 1. | 121 | Aaron Murray | Georgia | 2010-13 |
| 2. | 114 | Danny Wuerrffel | Florida | 1993-96 |
| 3. | 90 | Drew Lock | Mizzou | 2015-18 |
| 4. | 89 | Peyton Manning | Tennessee | 1994-97 |
| 5. | 88 | Chris Leak | Florida | 2003-06 |
| 88 | Tim Tebow | Florida | 2006-09 |
- Additionally, Lock now has 11,089 career passing yards, making him just the 112th quarterback in college football history to surpass 10,000 career yards. Only nine SEC quarterbacks have ever thrown for more than 10,000 yards in a career and before Lock, the last to do so was Georgia's Aaron Murray in 2013. Lock is now sixth in career passing yards on the SEC's all-time list, which is below:
| Rank | Yards | Quarterback | School | Years |
| 1. | 13,166 | Aaron Murray | Georgia | 2010-13 |
| 2. | 11,528 | David Greene | Georgia | 2001-04 |
| 3. | 11,213 | Chris Leak | Florida | 2003-06 |
| 4. | 11,201 | Peyton Manning | Tennessee | 1994-97 |
| 5. | 11,153 | Eric Zeier | Georgia | 1991-94 |
| 6. | 11,089 | Drew Lock | Mizzou | 2015-18 |
| 7. | 10,875 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida | 1993-96 |
| 8. | 10,345 | Jared Lorenzen | Kentucky | 2000-03 |
| 9. | 10,119 | Eli Manning | Ole Miss | 2000-03 |
- Among active FBS quarterbacks, Lock is third with his 11,089 career passing yards. Only Boise State's Brett Rypien (12,655) and Washington's Jake Browning (11,347) rank ahead of Lock.
- Lock is just the second Mizzou QB to throw for more than 10,000 yards, trailing only 2007 Heisman finalist Chase Daniel, who holds the school record of 12,515 from 2005-09. That, by the way, ranks 26th in FBS history.
- Lock now has 30 career games with 200+ passing yards, second in school history.
- Lock has thrown for 200+ yards in 25 of his last 28 games. He had a streak of 15 straight games doing so snapped at No. 1 Alabama.
- With 350 yards vs. Memphis, Lock now has 12 career 300-yard games, second in school history behind only Daniel (20).
- Lock registered his 11th career game with four or more TDs vs. Memphis - he has nine such games among his last 13.
- Lock now has 48 career TD passes of 20+ yards, the most in school history.
THIRD DOWN DOMINANCE LAST WEEK
- Mizzou's performance last weekend at Florida was highlighted by several key categories, but none seemed more important than its ability to convert third downs, while limiting Florida from moving the chains. Mizzou converted 11-of-18 third downs (61 percent) while limiting Florida to just 3-of-15 (20 percent). Mizzou's 61 percent mark last week was its second-best mark of the season and best in an SEC game since Nov. 4, 2017, when the Tigers converted 63.6 percent, also against the Gators. Mizzou is converting third downs at a 44.1 percent clip this season (63-of-143) which is 30th nationally. Conversely, Mizzou ranks 27th nationally in third down defense and has limited its last two opponents (both top-15 teams nationally) to a combined 6-for-29 (21 percent).
- Last Saturday marked just the fifth time that Mizzou has limited an SEC team to 20 percent or worse on third down conversions since joining the league in 2012. It marked the first time since Sept. 19, 2015, against UConn that Mizzou had accomplished that feat against any team. Mizzou has held six of its nine opponents this year to below 40 percent on third down.
GARRETT IS ONE OF SEC'S BEST LINEBACKERS
- Mizzou junior captain LB Cale Garrett is coming off a strong performance again last Saturday at Florida. He tallied a team-high 12 tackles, giving him four straight games with 10+ stops. Two weeks ago against Kentucky, he posted a career-high 14 tackles to lead Mizzou's defense, including three on huge fourth-down stops to stall Kentucky drives. He is the first Tiger defender to post four consecutive games with 10 or more tackles since current Minnesota Viking Kentrell Brothers did so in 2015 when he led the nation in tackles.
- On the year, Garrett is now fifth in the SEC with his 81 total tackles while his 51 solo tackles lead the league.
- Over his last four games, he has 49 tackles with 28 of those being of the solo variety.
WELCOME BACK, E-MAN!
- It may not be fair to put the burden of success of the entire offense on one guy, but senior WR Emanuel Hall might be one of the more valuable players in the country. When healthy, he's undoubtedly one of the nation's top receivers, and most dangerous deep threats. Unfortunately for Mizzou, E-Man has missed a lot of action with an injured groin, and his absence affected the Tiger offense dearly, as the numbers show below.
- Hall began the season healthy, playing in the first three games, but he injured the groin the week of Mizzou's game at Purdue, and while he played early in that game, he missed the vast majority of the second half. He also started the next week against Georgia, but was nowhere near himself, and didn't catch a pass on the day. Hall returned to action this past Saturday at Florida, and his impact was noticeable, as he not only caught four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, but his presence opened things up for other Tiger receivers as well as the running game as MU put up 38 points and 471 yards of offense in its 38-17 win – both season highs against Florida's vaunted defense.
- For purposes of this analysis, the Georgia game is included in the five-game stretch where Hall wasn't healthy.
| Category | With Hall (4 games) | Injured Hall (5 games) |
| Record | 4-0 | 1-4 |
| Pass TDs/INTs | 14-to-1 | 5-to-5 |
| Pass Yards/Gm | 354.2 | 221.0 |
| Pass Efficiency | 174.82 | 113.21 |
| Total Offense | 559.5 | 398.0 |
| 20-yard TD Pass/TDs | 23/5 | 15/5 |
| # of Tigers w/ TD catch | 6 | 2 |
| Third Down Conversions | 55.1% | 33.8% |
RUN DEFENSE CONTINUES TO BE STOUT
- Against one of the nation's top rushing offenses last week, Mizzou once again proved why its run defense continues to be one of its strengths. Mizzou limited Florida to a season-low 113 yards while averaging just 4.04 yards per carry. Florida entered the contest boasting the SEC's No. 5 rushing offense (No. 42 nationally) at 193.9 yards per game. Mizzou held the Gators to 80 yards below their season average.
- The performance by Mizzou's defense defending the run came just one week removed from limiting Kentucky, one of the nation's elite rushing attacks, to just 91 yards on 35 attempts (2.6 avg.).
- Over the last 16 games, Mizzou is limiting opponents to 3.31 yards per carry and has held seven of its opponents to fewer than 100 yards during that 16-game stretch. For perspective's sake, Mizzou's 3.31 opponent yards per carry average would rank 19th nationally this season, 10th among Power Five teams and second in the SEC. The longest run Mizzou has allowed this season is just 23 yards, the nation's best mark.
MIZZOU RATES HIGHLY IN FPI
- Mizzou is 15th in the latest ESPN Football Power Index, with wins over FPI No. 20 Florida, No. 23 Purdue, and losses to FPI No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 31 Kentucky and No. 33 South Carolina.
The FPI has a "Win Out Pecentage" ranking for each team, and it has Mizzou at a 58.3 percent probability to win the rest of its games. Among Power 5 teams, that's the third-highest percentage, trailing only Clemson (75.7%) and Penn State (64.9%). - FPI's offensive efficiency rankings has Mizzou 16th (74.8 rating), 22nd in defense (73.9) and 13th overall (77.7).
- Mizzou is now 20th in the SB Nation S&P rankings.
- Mizzou is now 18th in the Sagarin rankings and Sagarin has Mizzou's strength of schedule at No. 4 nationally.
- Sagarin Top-10 Strength of Schedule
1. LSU – 78.94
2. Texas A&M – 78.90
3. UCLA – 78.84
4. Mizzou – 78.33
5. Iowa State – 78.33
6. Stanford – 77.58
7. Michigan State – 77.54
8. Tennessee – 76.69
9. Purdue – 76.66 - It's worth noting that Mizzou is 5-4 against the nation's fourth-toughest schedule, with two last-play losses, several tough breaks in those games, all while doing so without its top receiver (who is vital for Mizzou's offense) for half of the season.
DOMINANT DTs
- A key reason for Mizzou's success in stopping the run has been the production of a loaded group at the defensive tackle position. Led by senior captain Terry Beckner, Jr., Mizzou's coaching staff has been thrilled with the play of that position this season.
- On the year, the group - comprised of Beckner, seniors Walter Palmore and Rashad Brandon, and sophomores Jordan Elliott and Kobie Whiteside - has combined for 67 tackles, 17.5 of which have been tackles for loss. The DT group also has 3.0 sacks and eight QB hurries with a fumble recovery.
- Beckner leads the group with his 21 tackles and team-high 7.5 tackles for loss as he turned down a chance to pursue the NFL to return to Mizzou for his senior season.
- Last week at Florida, Mizzou's DTs were very disruptive while limiting the Gators to a season-low 113 yards on the ground, combining for seven tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and a QB hurry.
PASS DEFENSE IMPROVING
- Mizzou's defense has been slowly improving all season, and a key component to that improvement has been the shoring up of the back end. Mizzou has allowed just 32 points over the last two games - both against top-15 teams nationally - and is coming off of a very good defensive outing against Florida, limiting the Gators to just 17 points, their third-lowest output of the season.
- Mizzou allowed just 210 yards passing to the Gators, continuing a trend of recent good play against the pass. Since both CB Christian Holmes and S Tyree Gillespie took over starting roles in the Mizzou secondary, Mizzou's pass defense has been slowly improving. Over the first six games, Mizzou was allowing 300.7 yards per game through the air with 13 passing TDs against them. QBs were averaging an incredible 9.0 yards per attempt against Mizzou in that span. But over the last three games, Mizzou has seemed to reverse that trend, allowing just 237.3 yards per game through the air. The opposing QBs are averaging just 6.1 yards per attempt in that span and have thrown for just four TDs.
- Combine Mizzou's improving pass defense with an already dominant run defense, and things are trending in the right direction for DC Ryan Walters' defensive unit.
Players Mentioned
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