Columbia News

Missouri's late-game rally was not enough as the No. 15 Tigers fell to No. 10 Vanderbilt 17-10 on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The final play saw Kevin Coleman Jr. catch a 36-yard pass from Matt Zollers but come up just short of the end zone as time expired.

"It's disappointing," Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said after the loss, which dropped the Tigers to a 6-2 overall record and 2-2 in Southeastern Conference play. "You work so hard but fall short. But that's part of life in this league. And we'll bounce back."

Missouri's defense contained Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia for much of the game, holding him to 149 yards of total offense. However, Pavia scored a one-yard rushing touchdown with less than two minutes remaining to give Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC) the lead.

Backup quarterback Matt Zollers entered for injured starter Beau Pribula and led Missouri downfield in the final minute before Coleman's reception ended just shy of a tying score. Coleman finished with seven catches for 109 yards and totaled 162 all-purpose yards.

With the game tied at 10 early in the fourth quarter, Missouri lost possession at its own 44-yard line after Vanderbilt safety CJ Heard forced a fumble from running back Jamal Roberts during an exchange. A series of penalties aided Vanderbilt’s drive before Sedrick Alexander’s apparent fumble near the goal line was overturned upon review; Pavia then scored on the next play.

Earlier, Chris McClellan tipped a Pavia pass that Damon Wilson II intercepted and returned to set up Missouri deep in Vanderbilt territory, but Pribula was stopped at the one-yard line on fourth-and-goal and sustained an ankle injury described by Drinkwitz as an "ankle dislocation." He did not return for the second half.

Zollers replaced Pribula and led several drives but missed opportunities included Robert Meyer's field goal attempt hitting an upright and allowing Vandy running back Makhilyn Young to break free for an 80-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Despite trailing, Missouri responded with a long scoring drive capped by Zollers' six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jude James on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, tying it at ten points apiece.

Both teams struggled with penalties throughout, affecting key possessions. Missouri initially took a first-half lead following a lengthy drive ending with Meyer’s field goal; however, their chance for more points was negated by a tripping penalty that erased Pribula’s run inside Vandy’s one-yard line.

Vanderbilt tied it up before halftime through Brock Taylor's field goal after advancing into scoring range primarily via passing plays.

In relief duty, Zollers completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. "Really proud of him," Drinkwitz said regarding Zollers’ performance. "I thought he did an excellent job. Obviously, one turnover on a mesh read. But other than that, I mean, I thought he played really big."

Statistically, Missouri outgained Vanderbilt with 376 total yards compared to Vandy's 265 and held possession for over twelve minutes longer than their opponent. Linebacker Josiah Trotter led Missouri defensively with nine tackles while limiting Vanderbilt to just three conversions on ten third-down attempts.

"Really, really proud of the fight," Drinkwitz added postgame. "That's what this game is... We're going to be disappointed in three or four plays that we had opportunities to win and we didn't get it done… There's still a lot of football left... The reality of it is... we're probably not playing for the conference championship now with two losses, but we're darn sure playing for the playoffs... We've already accomplished one of our goals, which was to qualify for a bowl game... We'll take it one play, one game, one day at a time..."

Missouri will have a bye week before returning home against Texas A&M on November 8 at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia; kickoff time has yet to be announced.