Mizzou football: Vanderbilt game is an opportunity to make a statement

Mizzou football finds itself in first place in the SEC East but has the platform to make a big statement against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday.

With two division rivals falling on Saturday in the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs to the unranked South Carolina Gamecocks Between the Hedges in Athens and the No. 7 Florida Gators to the No. 5 LSU Tigers at night in Death Valley, the Missouri Tigers find themselves in first place in the SEC East standing. Mizzou football improved to 5-1 (2-0) on the year after beating the Ole Miss Rebels.

While we can expect both Florida and Georgia to get right in their upcoming games against South Carolina and the Kentucky Wildcats, respectively, Saturday is an opportunity for the Tigers to put some respect on their name when they travel to Nashville to take on the lowly Vanderbilt Commodores. Will Mizzou play down to the sunken ship that is Vandy or make a statement?

Frankly, we should anticipate the latter. Vanderbilt is terrible and has no home-field advantage whatsoever. Given that it’s not an 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff on Saturday, that only helps the Tigers in their quest to get to 6-1.

Things can get a little sleepy when taking on the ‘Dores in Nashville in the early window and with that defense, it can be a rude wakeup call from time to time. But do not expect that to be the case for Mizzou, so look for them to anchor the ‘Dores down in the SEC East cellar with another strong victory.

This is a game where quarterback Kelly Bryant can continue to build momentum running Derek Dooley’s Mizzou offense. If the Tigers can have the balanced attack they had at home with the pass and run versus Ole Miss last week, it would not be shocking if Bryant gets pulled at halftime or early in the third quarter of this certain rout of Vanderbilt on their turf.

Of course, Mizzou still has to await what the NCAA plans to do about their bowl-ban appeal. The response is eminent, but if the Tigers keep winning, why wouldn’t the NCAA waive the ban to keep another competitive team in the mix in the SEC East in Mizzou?

Even though Florida, Georgia and Missouri all still have to play each other this season, it looks to be a three-team race in the SEC East at this juncture. Mizzou might be the underdog here to both Florida and Georgia, but a dominating performance against Vandy might be what propels this Tigers team to the next level in the second half of the season. They can make a statement here.