COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football defeated SEC East foe Vanderbilt, 41-0, Saturday afternoon (Nov. 28) at Memorial Stadium, improving to 4-3 (4-3 SEC) in head coach Eliah Drinkwitz‘s first season at the helm of the program. The Tigers used a stout defensive effort, limiting Vanderbilt to 196 total yards, and a dominant rushing attack from Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie who helped Mizzou rush for 223 yards on the ground in the win.
The win marked Mizzou’s first SEC shutout since the 2018 season-finale when Mizzou defeated Arkansas, 38-0. It was Mizzou’s first shutout since a 50-0 win over SEMO, Sept. 14, 2019. The win was Mizzou’s largest margin of victory in an SEC game since joining the league.
The Tigers have now won four of the last five games, with its only loss in that span coming at No. 10 Florida on Halloween night. Mizzou has allowed just 20 points over its last three wins.
Junior Nick Bolton once again anchored a dominant defensive performance, posting nine tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack with a pass breakup. Rountree also rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 160 yards on 21 carries to lead the offense. Thanks to the rushing attack, Mizzou never punted in the game.
A Quick Recap
Mizzou got on the board early thanks to a momentum-grabbing fourth-down stop on Vanderbilt’s first series of the game. Junior All-SEC LB Nick Bolton stopped RB Keyon Henry-Brooks for no gain on a fourth-and-one, giving Mizzou the ball on the Commodore 44. The Tigers then covered 44 yards on just six plays, capped by a Larry Rountree III seven-yard touchdown. It was Rountree’s fourth-straight game with a touchdown.
Rountree added another second-quarter score, giving him his seventh career game with multiple scores, while extending Mizzou’s lead to 14-0 with 7:51 remaining in the second quarter. On Mizzou’s third touchdown drive, it was Rountree’s backfield partner, RB Tyler Badie, who did most of the heavy lifting. He had two catches and four carries, accounting for 67 yards on the drive, and he punched in a one-yard TD score as Mizzou took a 21-0 lead into intermission.
The defense continued to dominate the game in the second half, forcing a fumble on Vanderbilt’s second possession of the third quarter. Harrison Mevis connected on a pair of third-quarter field goals as Mizzou took a 27-0 lead into the fourth.
Rountree added his third score from 25 yards out to extend the lead to 34-0 and put the game on ice.
Seeing the field as a reserve, freshman QB Brady Cook hit WR Damon Hazelton for a 25-yard touchdown strike to put the Tigers up 41-0.
Top Tigers
- Junior LB Nick Bolton keyed Mizzou’s dominant defensive performance, posting nine tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and one sack. He also added a pass breakup to his stat sheet Saturday.
- Senior RB Larry Rountree III tallied his 12th career 100-yard rushing game, second-most in school history. He ran for 160 yards on 21 carries and scored three times, matching his career high. It was his seventh career multi-TD performance.
- Sophomore WR Tauskie Dove posted a career-high eight catches for 62 yards, all in the first half.
- Junior RB Tyler Badie posted seven catches and 102 yards (both career-highs) while rushing for 18 yards on five carries with a score. He is the first Mizzou running back to post a 100-yard receiving game since Michael Jones (1987-90) had 118 yards receiving against Nebraska.
- Sophomore LB Devin Nicholson posted a forced fumble in the third quarter, his second straight game with a turnover forced. He added five tackles and a tackle for loss in what was another solid performance.
- Even though she is not a Tiger, Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller made her college football debut by kicking off to begin the second half. She became the first female ever to play in an SEC or Power 5 football game.
Game Notes
- Mizzou now leads the all-time series over Vanderbilt, 8-4-1, and possess a 5-2-1 mark in games played in Columbia.
- The Tigers have won six of nine meetings against the Commodores since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012.
- Mizzou secured its first shutout victory since blanking Southeast Missouri a year ago (Sept. 14, 2019).
- The Tigers’ dominant 41-point triumph Saturday marked their largest-ever margin of victory against an SEC opponent. Mizzou’s previous standard was 38 points, as it shutout Arkansas two years ago in Columbia (Nov. 23, 2018).
- Mizzou’s offense was clicking on all cylinders against Vanderbilt, accumulating 603 total yards (380 passing yards, 223 rushing yards). It’s the most single-game total yards produced by the Tigers in two years, as they tallied a collective 637 total yards vs. Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31, 2018).
- Senior RB Larry Rountree III tallied a 7-yard rushing touchdown on Mizzou’s opening drive, marking his fourth consecutive game with a score on the ground. The four-straight contests with a rushing touchdown is tied for the longest of Rountree’s career (final game of 2018, plus opening three games in 2019).
- Rountree’s impressive four-game streak is the longest by a Tiger since Marcus Murphy, as he accomplished the feat over Mizzou’s first four games in 2013. Additionally, Kendial Lawrence was the last Tiger to also produce four consecutive rushing scores in SEC play (2012).
- With a pair of 25-plus yard rushes Saturday, Rountree III now possesses 18-such rushes in his career. He now moves into solo possession of third place all-time of 25-plus yard rushing plays.
- In the second quarter, Rountree added another 7-yard rushing touchdown, clinching the seventh multi-rushing touchdown game of his career. The Raleigh, N.C. native tacked on a 25-yard rushing score early in the fourth quarter, tying his single-game career-best mark of three rushing touchdowns. Rountree III is now responsible for the last two Tigers individual performances of three-plus rushing touchdowns, joining his performance two years ago vs. Memphis (Oct. 20, 2018).
- Rountree III’s fourth quarter score gave Mizzou four overall rushing touchdowns Saturday. It’s the first time the Tigers tallied four rushing scores in a single-game in two years (Sept. 22, 2018 vs. Georgia).
- Junior RB Tyler Badie filled the stat sheet Saturday, totaling 18 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while totaling 102 yards on seven receptions in the passing game. The seven receptions matched his single-game career-high (seven at Wyoming – Aug. 31, 2019) and his 102 receiving yards easily established a new career-best, surpassing his previous standard of 82 (at Kentucky – Oct. 26, 2019).
- Badie’s 102 receiving yards marked the Tigers’ first 100-plus receiving yards performance by a running back in 30 years. Mike Jones last accomplished the feat with 118 receiving yards from the running back position against Nebraska (Oct. 13, 1990).
- Redshirt freshman QB Connor Bazelak was highly productive and efficient despite not throwing a touchdown Saturday, going 30-of-37 (81%) with 318 passing yards. It stood as his second game this season with a completion percentage greater than 81% and 300-plus passing yards. Since 2000, Bazelak and Chase Daniel are the only Tiger QB’s with multiple contests of 81% or higher completion percentages.
- Behind an uber-productive first half (8 rec., 62 yards), redshirt sophomore WR Tauskie Dove surpassed his single-game career-high in receptions. It surpassed his previous high of six receptions earlier this season vs. LSU (Oct. 10).
- Freshman RB Elijah Young easily enjoyed his most productive outing yet as a Tiger, totaling a season-high 52 yards on four attempts. His rush of 35 yards in the fourth quarter was the longest by any player from either squad Saturday.
- Freshman QB Brady Cook made his Mizzou debut in the fourth quarter, leading the Tigers to a five play, 67-yard touchdown producing drive. He capped off the impressive drive with his first career touchdown throw, connecting with graduate WR Damon Hazelton on a 25-yard strike in the corner of the endzone. It also marked Hazelton’s first career touchdown reception as a Tiger.
- For the second-straight game, Mizzou shut out its opposition in the first half. The Tigers limited the Commodores’ offense to only 93 total yards (44 passing yards, 49 rushing yards) in the first 30 minutes of action Saturday. Additionally, Vanderbilt only managed six first downs in the opening half.
- The Tigers routinely pressured Vanderbilt’s quarterback, leading to 3.0 total sacks. Redshirt sophomore DE Trajan Jeffcoat added onto his team-high sack total, now possessing 4.0 takedowns on the year.
- Mizzou recorded its first turnover of the afternoon in the third quarter, as sophomore MLB Devin Nicholson registered his first forced fumble of the season and junior CB Jarvis Ware earned his first fumble recovery this year. Following his game-clinching interception last week vs. South Carolina (Nov. 21), Nicholson has now posted turnovers in back to back contests.
- Freshman K Harrison Mevis capped off Mizzou’s opening drive of the second half with a 21-yard field goal. He has produced at least one made field goal in all seven contests this season.
- Mevis added a 44-yard field goal in the Tigers’ next drive of the third quarter, marking his third 40-plus yard field goal this season.
Up Next
Mizzou will return home next Saturday for a Dec. 5 tilt with SEC West Division rival Arkansas at a time TBD.
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