Missouri to face struggling Vanderbilt on the road

COLUMBIA - Missouri football's motto during the past month, on social media and in the locker room, has been 'Keep it rolling, baby.'

The Tigers (5-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) are in Nashville today looking to do just that against a 4-6 Vanderbilt team that is still winless in conference play. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

A hot start for the Commodores turned to their own five-game losing streak, something these two teams share. Vanderbilt, however, is still trying to emerge from its funk while Missouri seems to have kicked the habit entirely.

A defensive shift before the Idaho game has resulted in massive improvement for the Tigers, and that improvement came at the same time their offensive scheme really started clicking.

Missouri has taken care of the ball better since its bye week. The Tigers turned the ball over 12 times in their first four games and seven times in the following six. At the same time, the defense has found a way to force more turnovers, from three takeaways in the first four games to 10 in the last six.

The two teams play very different styles. Missouri plays at one of the fastest paces in college football, while Vanderbilt is not quite as quick. The Commodores hold the ball for an average of about 28 minutes per game, low for college football, but the Tigers, at an average of 24:16, possess the ball the least of any team in the nation.

Missouri has cumulatively held the ball for less time - 242:38 in 10 games - than 127 other teams in FBS. Only Memphis (six fewer minutes in nine games) and Arkansas State (30 minutes fewer in eight games) have had the ball less.

Missouri still has the 16th-best offense by points per game in the country. They make up the gap between lack of possession and 37.9 points per game by being explosive in both the run and pass game: the Tigers are fifth-best in yards per play (7.35) and 11th in yards per game (501.6).

Drew Lock is fifth in yards per attempt, averaging close to a first down (9.5 yards) with each throw. Emanuel Hall is third overall of every FBS wide receiver in yards per reception, averaging nearly 23 per catch on three receptions. Johnathon Johnson is 49th (16.78 yards per reception) and J'Mon Moore is 56th (16.58). Larry Rountree III is 40th overall in rushing yards per carry, averaging 6.39, and Ish Witter is 50th at 6.21. Damarea Crockett's 6.01 yards per carry would be tied for 64th if he was healthy.

For Vanderbilt, Kyle Shurmur distributes the ball fairly evenly between C.J. Duncan, Trent Sherfield and Kalija Lipscomb. Lipscomb, with seven touchdown receptions and an average of 17.3 yards per reception, is Vanderbilt's deep threat, and Sherfield is its leading receiver by yardage with 40 receptions for 621 yards and three TDs.

Senior running back Ralph Webb began the season with a chance to break into the SEC's top-5 in all-time career rushing, needing 1,244 yards to join Herschel Walker, Darren McFadden, Kevin Faulk and Bo Jackson. Though he's no longer on track to accomplish that feat, he's still started in 47 consecutive games for the Commodores and needs just 41 yards to break the 4,000-yard career mark.

Related media:

Missouri Tigers Football Podcast [Vanderbilt preview, Nov. 18, 2017]