Missouri beats Vanderbilt, moves to 5-0

Oct 5, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers tight end Eric Waters (81) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers came into their first SEC game this season with an attitude and a desire to go to 5-0 on the season, and they came out with a huge win against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Mizzou put up 51 points against Vandy, accumulating 523 yards of offense and rushing the ball for 245 yards. Individual standouts included James Franklin, who threw for 4 TD passes for the Tigers, and L’Damian Washington, who would catch three of those TD passes. It was a great win for Mizzou and puts them in great position in the SEC and for a bowl game at the end of the season.

Missouri started fast, getting out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter behind a pair of James Franklin TD passes and Andrew Baggett field goals. The Tigers were in the driver’s seat from that point on, building the lead to 30-7 at halftime and finishing the game with a 51-28 lead. The Tigers offense was firing on all cylinders, showing balance between the running and passing games. In addition to the 245 yards of offense on the ground, James Franklin helped the Tigers to 278 passing yards. An offense that is so balanced and so talented like Missouri’s is tough to stop, and Vandy learned that the hard way tonight.

The Tiger defense played overall well tonight, bending but not breaking all throughout the game. Vandy would end with 468 yards of total offense, but only had four TDs. There is some room for improvement on that side of the ball, especially in creating more turnovers, but overall it was a good game. One of the highlights for Mizzou’s defense was the continued dominance of Michael Sam, who had three more sacks tonight against Vandy. The Tigers need him to keep putting pressure on QBs as the competition gets tougher and tougher in SEC play.

It was a great win on the road for the Tigers, one that leads to lots of optimism for next week’s matchup against Georgia. After such a great performance, an upset against the Bulldogs doesn’t seem too far fetched. The Tigers would need to play their best game of the season against the Dawgs, but it could happen. In fact, with this kind of offense, so potent and efficient in the red zone, Mizzou is good enough to compete with any team in the country. Great win for the Tigers as they move to 5-0.