Missouri football began conference play this Saturday with a 38-21 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. At 5-0, the Tigers are now one of just three undefeated teams in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Although it was a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Tigers stepped up in crucial moments to leave Music City with a win.

When junior defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals late in the third quarter, it appeared that the Tigers might have sealed the victory. The Tigers led 24-7 when Abrams-Draine came away with the interception, but the Missouri offensive drive that followed stalled and gave Vanderbilt an  opportunity to come back.

Vanderbilt took the advantage of the opportunity when senior wide receiver Will Shepherd scored a 31-yard touchdown that brought Vanderbilt within 10 points. 

In need of a response, the Missouri offense rose to the occasion when junior quarterback Brady Cook rainbowed a 44-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Marquis Johson.

The timely touchdown pass was one of four for Cook in the best statistical performance of his career. His 395 passing yards and four touchdowns were both single-game career highs. Cook also broke the SEC record for the most consecutive passing attempts without an interception — 326. He finished the game with a quarterback rating of 193.6, the fifth best for any Missouri quarterback in a single game. After the game, head coach Eli Drinkwitz complimented his quarterback’s sound decision making this season.

“We talked about being a smart, disciplined decision maker,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s really the hallmark of a good quarterback. He [Cook] is playing smart, not conservative.”

Cook’s leading receiver in the game was, as usual, sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III. After the game, Burden showed support for his quarterback.

“Brady’s my guy, so I’m going to ride with him through it all. Just let him cook,” Burden said. 

Burden ended the day with 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Burden’s fellow wide receiver, Theo Wease Jr., had his best game as a Tiger with 118 receiving yards and one touchdown that he scored late in the first half. The  Oklahoma transfer already has three touchdowns this season for Missouri.

Defensively, Missouri allowed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but came up big on a key fourth down late in the game. With Vanderbilt down 10 and needing a first down to keep hopes of a comeback alive, freshman defensive lineman Austin Firestone burst through the Commodores’ offensive line and brought down Seals for the first sack of his career, which sealed the victory for the Tigers. Next weekend, the Missouri defense will have their hands full when they face off against the powerful Louisiana offense, which is currently averaging 44 points per game. Louisiana will travel to a sold out Faurot Field next Saturday for what will be Missouri’s most important game so far in the 2023 season.