Vanderbilt on Tap For Mizzou Following Monday Schedule Change

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SCHEDULE CHANGE BRINGS VANDERBILT TO CoMO FOR THANKSGIVING WEEKEND TILT

• Mizzou Football (3-3, 3-3 SEC) had its schedule altered again this week due to COVID-19 concerns and will now play Vanderbilt (0-7, 0-7 SEC) this Saturday (Nov. 28) at 11 a.m. on SEC Network. Mizzou was originally slated to host SEC West permanent cross-division rival Arkansas, but COVID issues within the Razorback program forced the postponement of that game. Mizzou was originally scheduled to play Vanderbilt first on Oct. 17 before it was moved to Dec. 12. It will now be contested this weekend.
• Mizzou is coming off of a win in another trophy game, claiming the Mayor’s Cup after defeating South Carolina, 17-10, last Saturday night (Nov. 21) in Columbia East. Mizzou opened a 17-0 halftime lead and held on for the win thanks to a stout defensive showing, led by junior All-American candidate LB Nick Bolton.
• Vanderbilt is coming off of a 38-17 loss to Florida last Saturday in Nashville.

Schedule Flexibility Key for Drinkwitz, Tigers

• The Arkansas game being moved and Vanderbilt being put on Mizzou’s schedule this week is another in a long line of schedule changes that the Tigers will need to endure this season. It marks the sixth time Mizzou has had a game altered in 10 weeks this season. Below is a look:
  • Oct. 10 vs. LSU – moved from Baton Rouge to Columbia due to Hurricane Delta.
  • Oct. 17 vs. Vanderbilt – Postponed until Dec. 12 due to COVID issues within Vanderbilt program.
  • Oct. 24/31 – Mizzou flip-flopped its scheduled games with Florida and Kentucky due to COVID issues within
  the Florida program. The Tigers played UK on Oct. 24 (originally scheduled for Oct. 31) and UF on Oct. 31
  (originally scheduled for Oct. 24).
  • Nov. 14 – Georgia game postponed due to COVID issues in the Mizzou program.
  • Nov. 28 – Arkansas game postponed and Vanderbilt game moved from Dec. 12 to Nov. 28.

Series with Vanderbilt

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 7-4-1, including a 4-2-1 mark in Columbia.
• The Tigers had won three straight in the all-time series, before dropping a 21-14 decision in Nashville a season ago, despite coming into that game nationally-ranked and riding a five-game win streak.
• Prior to that, Mizzou had last lost to Vanderbilt in 2015, a 10-3 decision in Nashville and is 2-1 all-time in Nashville.
• The Tigers have won five of eight meetings with the Commodores since joining the SEC.
• The all-time series dates back to 1895, a 16-0 Tiger win, and is Mizzou’s oldest against any SEC team.

Last Time Out

• Mizzou Football defeated South Carolina, 17-10, last Saturday night (Nov. 21) to claim the Mayor’s Cup for the second consecutive season. Despite a limited roster numbers due to COVID issues and injuries, Mizzou opened a 17-0 halftime lead and never looked back to even its record and earn first-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz his third win at Mizzou and his first away from Columbia.
• The win came despite a 20-day layoff between games as well, the longest such break between regular season games for Mizzou since 2001 when the 9/11 attacks paused the college football season.
• Senior Larry Rountree III became the school’s all-time leading rusher at the RB position, passing Zack Abron to move into second place with his 3,238 career rushing yards. Only legendary QB Brad Smith ranks ahead of Rountree with 4,289 in his career.
• Mizzou’s defense was the story Saturday, limiting SC to just 283 yards on 11 drives, as junior All-SEC LB Nick Bolton led the way with a team-high 14 tackles, two of which went for a loss, in another performance that showcased his All-America caliber skillset. Mizzou did all of that defensively despite defensive coordinator Ryan Walters missing the game due to contact tracing.
• Mizzou used a stout defense and a pair of early scores to open a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter. QB Connor Bazelak found WR Tauskie Dove on a 20-yard strike to the left pilon as Dove went up-and-over a South Carolina defender for an incredible score, his second of the season. Rountree scored from one yard out with 11:58 remaining in the second quarter to extend the lead, and Mizzou added a 20-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis as time expired in the half to take a 17-0 lead into the intermission.
• South Carolina made a QB change coming out of the half, opting for Luke Doty, who sparked the Gamecock offense to a field goal with 10:13 remaining in the third quarter. Mizzou’s offense sputtered a bit in the third quarter, but the defense held tough allowing just the field goal as the Tigers took a 17-3 lead into the fourth.
• In the fourth, South Carolina was able to pull within a score, using a 13-play, 77-yard touchdown drive to make it a 17-10 game. With 4:59 left in the game, Mizzou was able to run two minutes off of the clock, while a 38-yard punt from Grant McKinniss pinned the Gamecocks on their 1-yard line with 2:37 left in the game. South Carolina drove to its 36-yard line, but Doty was picked off by LB Devin Nicholson to clinch a win for Mizzou.

By The Numbers

• 6: Number of games altered, postponed or changed on Mizzou’s football schedule this season. That number increased to six Monday (Nov. 23) as it was announced that Mizzou would now play Vanderbilt instead of Arkansas, due to COVID positive tests and subsequent contact tracing within the Razorback program.
• 4-1: Mizzou QB Connor Bazelak’s career record as a starter after he and the Tigers defeated South Carolina last Saturday night. Bazelak of course made his first career start in Mizzou’s 24-14 win over Arkansas last season, before tearing his ACL early in that game.
• 11.17: The number of tackles/game from junior LB Nick Bolton this season, which ranks 13th nationally. He had a game-high 14 tackles with 2.0 TFLs last time out at South Carolina. Bolton earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after accounting for 26 percent (7-of-26) of Mizzou’s tackles and a sack in its victory over Kentucky. His 17 stops  at No. 21/20 Tennessee tied for the second-most at Mizzou since the turn of the century and were the most since a 20-tackle performance by LB Sean Weatherspoon against Buffalo on Sept. 20, 2008. He was named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week following Mizzou’s win over LSU.
• 14.5: South Carolina’s average starting field position in last week’s Mizzou win over the Gamecocks. A key reason for that was senior P Grant McKinniss, who pinned the Gamecocks inside the 15 five times, including twice at the 1-yard line. He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
• 3,238: Career rushing yards for Mizzou senior RB Larry Rountree III after he rushed for 58 last weekend at South Carolina. He is now Mizzou’s all-time leading rusher at the RB position and trails only Mizzou QB Brad Smith on the Tigers’ all-time career rushing list. He is seventh in the NCAA among active career rushers as well.

 Bolton Balls Out

• If you asked anyone who watched last Saturday’s game vs. the Gamecocks who the best player on the field was, most would undoubtedly have the same answer: Mizzou LB Nick Bolton. Some may have answered P Grant McKinniss (more on that later), but the film showed Bolton flying all over the field.
• He posted a 14-tackle, 2.0-tackle-for-loss performance as he helped limited SC to just 283 total yards, including just 114 yards on the ground, both of which were the second-worst totals of the year for SC. Considering the Gamecocks ran for 318 yards (8.15 yards per attempt) the previous week at Ole Miss, the defensive effort led by Bolton was truly impressive.
• Mizzou needed its defense as the offense was shutout following 17 points in the first half as the Tigers hung on for their third victory of the season
• Bolton’s 11.17 tackles per game average ranks third in the SEC and tops in the SEC East. He is 13th nationally in tackles per game and fifth among Power 5 players. He has 24 more tackles than the next-closest Tiger defender, all while having teams gameplan to move the ball away from his area.
• He leads the team in tackles for loss (5.0) as well after posting 2.0 at South Carolina.
• Last week, Bolton was announced as a semifinalst for the Jason Witten Man of the Year Award.

We Weren’t Kidding About Having More on P Grant McKinniss

• If Nick Bolton was Mizzou’s best player last Saturday, then Grant McKinniss was easily Mizzou’s most valuable player. A grad transfer from Kentucky, McKinniss punted seven times for 305 yards, averaging 43.6 yards per kick with a long of 51.
• More importantly, he pinned South Carolina inside its own 15 five times, twice at the 1-yard-line, including SC’s final drive as it attempted to tie the game with 2:37 remaining.
• South Carolina’s average starting line of scrimmage was the 14.5-yard line and on drives that began following a Mizzou punt, the average line of scrimmage start was the 12.
• SC had just one punt-return yard as McKinniss’ net average was 43.4 for the game. For perspective, that 43.4 net average would be ninth nationally spread out over this season.
• Last Saturday’s game largely came down to field position, and McKinniss’ performance was paramount in that area.
• He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

Other Notables from Last Saturday’s Win

• Mizzou has now won three of its last four games, with its only loss coming at Top-10 Florida in that span. Mizzou has wins over LSU, Kentucky and South Carolina during that span.
• Junior RB Larry Rountree III ran for 58 yards on 21 carries with one score. He became Mizzou’s all-time leading rusher by a running back as he now has 3,238 total yards to pass Zack Abron (3,198). He trails only legendary Mizzou QB Brad Smith on Mizzou’s all-time rushing list.
• RS Freshman QB Connor Bazelak went 20-for-32 for 198 yards and a TD as he improves to 4-1 as a starter in his career, with his only loss coming at Top-10-ranked Florida on Halloween night.
• Sophomore WR Tauskie Dove scored his second TD of the season on a 20-yard strike from Bazelak in the first quarter.
• Junior RB Tyler Badie accounted for 77 all-purpose yards Saturday night.
• Sophomore S Martez Manuel came into the game with a sack in his career, but left the first half with a career-high 1.5 sacks. He also added a pass breakup in an impressive outing.
• Sophomore LB Devin Nicholson recorded his first career interception on South Carolina’s final drive to clinch the Mizzou victory. Nicholson was tied for third on the team with five tackles, adding a 0.5 sack.