Man, Vanderbilt is not good. Missouri is winning 21-0 and it should actually probably be more lopsided. Mizzou out-gained the Commodores 325-93. The Tigers ran 16 more plays and had 19 first downs to Vandy's six. Missouri crossed midfield on each of its six possessions in that half, and if not for a doinked field goal and a missed throw on fourth and three, the Tigers would be winning by even more. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, crossed midfield just once, then promptly went backward 18 yards. Credit to Missouri, though. This is what you should do against an inferior opponent, especially in a season when there's few if any easy games.
A few thoughts on individual players/aspects:
-- It’s hard to know how much of this is due to Vanderbilt’s defense being bad/disinterested and how much is due to the returns of Larry Borom and Xavier Delgado, but Missouri’s running backs all of a sudden have huge holes to run through after finding little running room the past couple games. Larry Rountree III ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Excluding the two late sacks, Missouri as a team averaged 6.6 yards per carry after averaging less than three yards per tote in each of the past two games. Luke Griffin actually played at least one series in place of Delgado, apparently in an effort to manage Delgado’s snaps.
-- Tauskie Dove has become this team’s number one receiver. He had eight catches for 62 yards in that half. The staff is making a clear effort to get the ball in his hands. That’s pretty cool for a guy who joined the team well after signing day and was a complete afterthought for basically all of his first two years on campus. He has a good shot to become Mizzou’s first 100-yard receiver in a game this season. However, he did limp off with an apparent injury late in the first half, so that's something to keep an eye on.
-- Connor Bazelak has somewhat quietly completed 23 of 28 passes for 235 yards. He hasn’t taken many downfield shots but has been quick and accurate on most of his throws. That’s never a bad thing when you don’t feel like he’s played his best half ever yet has still completed 82 percent of his passes, which would have been higher if not for a Dove drop. Credit the staff for drawing up some easy completions. Bazelak had one bad miss on the fourth down throw to Banister and probably shouldn't have taken that sack on third down prior to halftime, but other than that he's been solid.
-- What more can we say about Nick Bolton at this point? He has seven tackles, all solo, including a sack. He should have an interception. He certainly deserves to be in the conversation for SEC defensive player of the year. Just enjoy watching him, because it might be a while before we see another defensive player this good in a Missouri uniform.
-- Kobie Whiteside came back and immediately made an impact. Same with Trajan Jeffcoat, who has two sacks. Good for them. Mizzou has gotten good pressure on Vandy QB Ken Seals, who looked clearly unfomfortable in the pocket by the end of the half. That's not something we've seen from Mizzou too often in the past few years.
-- No Sarah Fuller sighting yet. Will be interested to see if she attempts the kickoff after halftime. I didn't see her attempt kickoffs before the game. Here's hoping she gets into the game for at least one snap and succeeds at whatever she's asked to do.
A few thoughts on individual players/aspects:
-- It’s hard to know how much of this is due to Vanderbilt’s defense being bad/disinterested and how much is due to the returns of Larry Borom and Xavier Delgado, but Missouri’s running backs all of a sudden have huge holes to run through after finding little running room the past couple games. Larry Rountree III ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Excluding the two late sacks, Missouri as a team averaged 6.6 yards per carry after averaging less than three yards per tote in each of the past two games. Luke Griffin actually played at least one series in place of Delgado, apparently in an effort to manage Delgado’s snaps.
-- Tauskie Dove has become this team’s number one receiver. He had eight catches for 62 yards in that half. The staff is making a clear effort to get the ball in his hands. That’s pretty cool for a guy who joined the team well after signing day and was a complete afterthought for basically all of his first two years on campus. He has a good shot to become Mizzou’s first 100-yard receiver in a game this season. However, he did limp off with an apparent injury late in the first half, so that's something to keep an eye on.
-- Connor Bazelak has somewhat quietly completed 23 of 28 passes for 235 yards. He hasn’t taken many downfield shots but has been quick and accurate on most of his throws. That’s never a bad thing when you don’t feel like he’s played his best half ever yet has still completed 82 percent of his passes, which would have been higher if not for a Dove drop. Credit the staff for drawing up some easy completions. Bazelak had one bad miss on the fourth down throw to Banister and probably shouldn't have taken that sack on third down prior to halftime, but other than that he's been solid.
-- What more can we say about Nick Bolton at this point? He has seven tackles, all solo, including a sack. He should have an interception. He certainly deserves to be in the conversation for SEC defensive player of the year. Just enjoy watching him, because it might be a while before we see another defensive player this good in a Missouri uniform.
-- Kobie Whiteside came back and immediately made an impact. Same with Trajan Jeffcoat, who has two sacks. Good for them. Mizzou has gotten good pressure on Vandy QB Ken Seals, who looked clearly unfomfortable in the pocket by the end of the half. That's not something we've seen from Mizzou too often in the past few years.
-- No Sarah Fuller sighting yet. Will be interested to see if she attempts the kickoff after halftime. I didn't see her attempt kickoffs before the game. Here's hoping she gets into the game for at least one snap and succeeds at whatever she's asked to do.
