Three-minute preview: Vanderbilt at Missouri football

When/where: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia

TV/radio: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)

The series: Missouri leads 4-3-1

The line: Missouri by 3  1/2

What’s at stake

Infamy. Missouri would tie the program record for the longest conference losing streak at 12 games with a loss against Vanderbilt. The Tigers, who’ve lost 11 straight SEC games since a 24-10 win against South Carolina on Oct. 3 last season, once lost 12 consecutive Big Six games under Frank Carideo from 1932 to 1934. It’s not a record new coach Barry Odom wants any part of setting.

Cheers if ...

Missouri scores 20 points or more. Vanderbilt’s defense ranks second in the SEC, allowing 17.0 points per game in conference play. That’s actually better than Alabama (17.2) and only trails LSU (15.2). The Tigers’ offense only averages 18.0 points per game in conference, so three touchdowns would be impressive ... and perhaps enough to win.

Jeers if ...

Vanderbilt controls the game on the ground. The Commodores have a terrific running back in junior Ralph Webb, who is third in the conference with 901 yards rushing this season, but coach Derek Mason’s squad only checks in 13th with an average of 127.2 yards per game against SEC opponents. Mizzou’s is allowing 271.4 yards per game in conference. That must change to snap the skid.

Tod Palmer’s pick: Vanderbilt 23-14

Vanderbilt’s defense has played well, but has shown vulnerability against the run. Six of nine opponents have averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry this season, but Mizzou has yet to show it can exploit such weaknesses during conference play. Meanwhile, the Tigers haven’t kept any SEC team under 28 points.

Three things about Vanderbilt

1 Junior linebacker Zach Cunningham, a semifinalist for the Butkus and Bednarik Awards, leads the SEC with 94 tackles. He was the conference defensive player of the week during an upset at Georgia, recording 19 tackles with a game-saving stop in the closing seconds. Cunningham also hurdled the offensive line to block a Daniel Carlson field goal last week against Auburn. He’s a special talent and fun to watch.

2 Junior running back Ralph Webb needs 184 yards to break Zac Stacy’s rushing record for the Commodores. He’s at 2,960 yards, which is second in program history history behind Stacy’s 3,143. Webb has started 33 consecutive games.

3 Senior wide receiver Darius Sims should break Vanderbilt’s record for career kick-return yards against Missouri. His 2,247 yards trails only Mark Johnson (2,263), but he’s 17 yards away from claiming the record for himself.

Key matchup

Missouri’s red-zone defense vs. Vanderbilt’s red-zone offense: The Commodores have scored on 27 of 28 possessions inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, including 19 touchdowns. That 96.4-percent success rate ranks second in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Missouri has struggled keeping teams out of the end zone, allowing 24 touchdowns on 37 red-zone trips by opposing teams.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 8:46 AM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Vanderbilt at Missouri football."