The Sports Xchange
Nov 12, 2016
Missouri outlasted Vanderbilt 26-17 on Saturday in Columbia, Mo., giving first-year coach Barry Odom the first SEC victory of his career and the Tigers their first conference victory this season in a sloppy, mistake-filled game.
The win ended an 11-game SEC losing streak for Missouri (3-7, 1-5), one short of a school record.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock completed 22 of 37 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Damarea Crockett added 20 carries for 154 yards and a score.
Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb opened the second half with a 1-yard scoring run, pulling the Commodores within two after Tommy Openshaw's point-after.
Missouri then missed golden opportunities on their next two drives.
Kicker Tucker McCann missed a 21-yard field goal attempt and then Lock couldn't handle a snap on a first-and-goal from the Vandy 1. Safety LaDarius Wiley recovered the fumble at the line of scrimmage.
With help from penalties against the Vandy defense, Missouri extended its lead to 26-17 when Lock found J'Mon Moore for a 4-yard scoring strike with 8:39 left in the game.
Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5) couldn't take advantage when Missouri left the door open. The Commodores punted on four of its last five drives and turned the ball over on downs inside its 5 on its last possession.
Missouri led 19-10 at halftime despite a 276-234 disadvantage in total offense.
The Tigers scored on a 82-yard touchdown pass from Lock to Moore, and cornerback Aarion Penton's 19-yard interception return of a pass from Vandy quarterback Kyle Shurmur.
Both teams missed several first-half opportunities.
Vandy came up empty on a drive that went to the Missouri 19 but failed when running back Khari Blasingame, operating out of the wildcat, couldn't complete an easy throw on fourth-and-2.
Shurmur also was picked off in the red zone after a throw bounced off the helmet of tight end Jared Pinkney and into the hands of linebacker Joey Burkett.
As for Missouri, McCann missed two extra point attempts, one of which was partially blocked by Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham.
Blasingame and Crockett each had short first-half scoring runs.