NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Vanderbilt Commodores are too busy building their present and future to worry about the past.
Diego Pavia dove across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:52 left as No. 10 Vanderbilt beat 15th-ranked Missouri 17-10 Saturday to extend the Commodores’ best start in more than 80 years.
Vanderbilt improved to 7-1 overall (3-1 Southeastern Conference) putting the Commodores a win off the 1941 squad that started 8-1. It’s also the first time Vanderbilt has won seven games before November since 1915, a squad that had one of the program’s four nine-win seasons.
Better yet, three wins have come against AP Top 25 teams — a first in Vanderbilt history.
“We’re not getting where we want to go if we don’t find ways to win games like this tonight,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “I thought a great moment for us to step up. And we did.”
Safety CJ Heard set up the winning drive for Vanderbilt by recovering a fumble by Jamal Roberts with 7:02 left.
The finish didn't come without plenty of drama.
Sedrick Alexander initially was ruled by officials to have fumbled at the 1 only to be overturned upon review with 1:49 left. Pavia finished the drive on the next play.
“Championship teams, you know, go through games like this," Pavia said. “It's just how you prevail.”
No. 15 Missouri (6-2, 2-2) lost quarterback Beau Pribula early in the third quarter when he hurt his left ankle on fourth-and-goal. Trainers placed his ankle in an air cast and carted him off the field.
Freshman Matt Zollers, who threw a 6-yard TD pass to Jude James early in the fourth to tie it at 10, tried to tie it once more. He threw to Kevin Coleman Jr. as time expired and was ruled an incompletion. After review, officials said Coleman caught the ball short of the goal line.
“We could’ve had a cleaner finish to this game, but we finished,” Lea said.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said it was disappointing to work so hard and come up short. He also said Pribula needed his dislocated ankle popped back into joint with the quarterback out for a while.
“We’re probably not playing for the conference championship now with two losses," Drinkwitz said. "But we’re darn sure playing for the playoffs. ... We’ve already accomplished one of our goals, which was to qualify for a bowl game. And so now it’s free football to see what kind of opportunity we have next.”
Makhilyn Young put Vandy up 10-3 lead late in the third with an 80-yard touchdown run.
Missouri has dominated this series since joining the SEC in 2012. With two of top scoring offenses in the country, these teams scrapped to a 3-3 halftime tie. Vanderbilt came in eighth-best, averaging 41.4 points a game, with Missouri 12th managing 39 a game.
A kicking penalty on Missouri left guard Dominick Giudice erased a 20-yard run by Pribula down to the Vandy 1. Robert Meyer put Missouri up 3-0 with 5:11 left in the first half. Meyer missed a 29-yard field goal wide left in the third.
Brock Taylor, who hasn't missed since a double overtime loss last season at Missouri, tied it up with a 38-yard field goal with 2:00 left in the first half. That came after Vanderbilt had first-and-goal at the Missouri 8 before a holding penalty and a false start.
The Takeaway
Missouri: Zoller came in having completed all six passes he had attempted with one TD pass. He went 14 of 23 for 138 yards and a gutsy performance ... Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s best rusher and third in the country, ran for 97 yards on 20 carries.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores overcame a bevy of issues that usually turned into losses in seasons past. They went three-and-out three times, had eight penalties for 83 yards and were held to a season-low 265 yards total offense.
Up next
Missouri has an open date before hosting No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 8.
Vanderbilt visits No. 22 Texas on Nov. 1.
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