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The Vanderbilt Commodores need to shore up a defense that is allowing 39.43 points per game before their contest on Saturday. The Commodores and the Missouri Tigers will face off in an SEC battle at 4 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Vanderbilt was pulverized by the Georgia Bulldogs 55 to nothing last week. Vanderbilt was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 28 to nothing. One thing holding Vanderbilt back was the mediocre play of QB AJ Swann, who did not have his best game: he passed for only 105 yards on 23 attempts.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 10-10 at halftime, but Mizzou was not quite the Florida Gators' equal in the second half when they met two weeks ago. Mizzou came up short against the Gators, falling 24-17. Despite the defeat, the Tigers got a solid performance out of RB Nathaniel Peat, who rushed for one TD and 117 yards on 20 carries. That nimble footwork stands out as the first time Peat has hit the 100-yard rushing mark this season.
The Commodores are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Now might not be the best time to take Vanderbilt against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past three consecutive games.
The losses put Vanderbilt at 3-4 and Mizzou at 2-4. Vanderbilt and Mizzou are both 1-2 after wins this year, but that symmetry won't hold for long.
