Vanderbilt wins slugfest against Missouri, 10-3

Ralph Webb rushed for 99 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown, leading Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason to his first Southeastern Conference win in 12 tries with a 10-3 victory over Missouri on Saturday.

Missouri got all the way to the VU 13-yard line, but a final stand from the Vandy defense forced a turnover on downs that secured Mason’s first conference win.

Even with Fatony playing such a big role, his special team teammates did not hold up on their end as Baggett missed another field goal for the third straight week, and punt returner Cam Hilton had a costly fumble late in the 4th quarter. No team has turned the ball over more than Vanderbilt, yet the Commodores do rank 14th nationally holding the ball for 32 minutes, 53 seconds per game.

This game started out with a throwback to the Commodore alumni who had made it back to Nashville for Homecoming when the referees honored a timeless tradition: screwing Vanderbilt football.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (2-4, 0-3): The Commodores have moved the ball at a decent clip, but they can’t hang onto it, which could result in a demotion for quarterback Johnny McCrary, who has thrown an SEC-high 10 interceptions. Shurmur completed 10 of his 20 passes for 89 yards, while McCrary finished 6-7 for 47 yards in the win.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock (3) passes against Vanderbilt in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, October 24, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Missouri wide receiver Wesley Leftwich then caught a 17-yard pass from QB Drew Lock to set up first-and-10 on the 13. “Really”, said Mason, who was given the game ball by Vanderbilt athletics director David Williams. “I just couldn’t produce tonight”. However, the inexperience and lack of physical skill of the Tigers offense sank the drive. The Commodores (2-4, 0-3) are fifth in the SEC allowing 18.5 points a game and are the league’s best on third downs, allowing opponents to convert just 26.2 percent.

Four plays later, Baggett’s 35-yard field goal cut the Commodores’ lead to 7-3 with 49 seconds remaining in the half.

Vanderbilt could have added to its lead on the final second of the second quarter but Tommy Openshaw missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

After disappointing offensive outputs of three and six points the past two weeks, the Mizzou offense continued to struggle against Vanderbilt as the Tigers fell to the Commodores 10-3.

The game started with a review on the opening kickoff when Tigers junior John Gibson appeared to fumble, though it wasn’t ruled that way.