Missouri Tigers’ offense will face this challenge against Vanderbilt’s safeties
Brady Cook is still looking for the right recipe for downfield success. Missouri’s senior quarterback has attempted 10 passes of 20 yards or more this season, completing just two of them.
That trend has done little to decelerate Mizzou (3-0) entering the first Southeastern Conference matchup of the season against Vanderbilt (2-1) on Saturday.
But the Tigers know they must unlock their explosiveness.
Last season, the deep ball was a crucial part of an MU offense that proved to be among the best in the country. Of his 62 attempts of 20-plus yards downfield in 2023, Cook completed 46.8% of them. And with the entire receiver room returning this season, many expected that trend to continue.
It hasn’t yet, and with Vanderbilt’s safety trio of C.J. Taylor, De’Rickey Wright and Randon Fontenette coming to town, Week 4 will provide another challenge for the offense.
“I think this is Clark Lea’s best team since he’s been there,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “He’s got guys that have been there for a long time - De’Rickey Wright being one of them. I think C.J. Taylor is one of the best defenders in our league and has been consistent in that in the three years that we’ve gone against him.”
Frankly, though, Vanderbilt’s pass defense has not looked like a strength so far this season. The Commodores have allowed an average of 207.3 yards per game through the air, including the 322 yards and two touchdowns they permitted against Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones in a Week 1 victory.
In a loss to Georgia State last Saturday, Vanderbilt allowed 269 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
That shaky defensive performance is what Cook and the Tigers’ receiving corps will look to exploit, like they did last season. Cook threw for 395 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over the Commodores last season, while both Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. eclipsed the 100-yard plateau in the winning effort.
Lackluster cornerback play hampered Vanderbilt in last year’s tilt, and the same themes are emerging this season as the position group deals with various injuries. But the Commodores’ defense features a new lineup at safety - one that could pose quite the test for Missouri’s offense, despite its unknowns in the cornerback room.
The new-look set-up starts with Wright, who manned the short side of the field last season as Vanderbilt’s boundary safety. Wright, a fifth-year player, originally entered the transfer portal after last season, verbally committing to Texas. A&M. However, he later withdrew from the portal to stay with the Commodores, shifting positions to the field safety, where he would play the wide side of the field.
The new position is not unfamiliar for the senior, who played as the field safety two seasons ago and excelled in that role. Wright had the best season of his career in 2022, totaling 55 tackles, three tackles for loss, seven passes defended and three interceptions.
“I’m moving back to the field, so I’m going to be playing in more spacious areas,” Wright said to Vanderbilt reporters before the season. “It should be fun.”
Taking over the boundary safety spot is Taylor, who many consider to be Vanderbilt’s best defensive player. Taylor slotted in at STAR, which is a linebacker-safety hybrid position, last season - the same position that Daylan Carnell plays for Missouri. In that spot, Taylor was a force last season, racking up 55 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions for the Commodores.
The switch makes sense for the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Taylor, who possesses the physical makeup of a safety, moreso than a linebacker.
“I love it,” Taylor said ahead of the season about the positional change. “It feels natural. Seeing (the game) last year from the second level, the speed gets up on you fast. Repping it over and over again, I (will) get used to (safety).”
The adjustment has produced positive results for Taylor, who picked off former Missouri and current Alcorn State quarterback Tyler Macon in Vanderbilt’s 55-0 win over the Braves on Sept. 7 in Nashville.
However, perhaps the biggest advantage that the Missouri offense has entering the matchup is that Taylor will not be available to play in the first half of the game.
The senior was ejected on a targeting call in the second half of Vanderbilt’s loss to Georgia State, ending his day with just three tackles and preventing him from taking the field in the first half against the Tigers.
“I know (Taylor) will be out in the first half because of a targeting penalty, but he is a really, really good player,” Drinkwitz said.
Taylor’s transition to safety would not have been possible if not for the arrival of Fontenette, who transferred to Vanderbilt from TCU. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Fontenette has taken over the STAR position, aiming to fill the big shoes that Taylor left. Fontenette was a safety for the Horned Frogs but possesses the size to be a perfect candidate to play in that hybrid role.
So far this season, the sophomore has totaled 15 tackles, one shy of his single-season career-high. Fontenette led the team with eight tackles against Georgia State.
“Last year, I was more of a free safety,” Fontenette said to Commodores’ media before the season. “This year, I’m playing to my strengths. I’m able to put out what I’m able to do. It’s a way different level here with what I’m doing, and I love it.”
“If (Fontenette) ever has any questions about it, he comes to me,” Taylor said. “When he first got here we had some conversations about how I saw some things last year on film.”
With all three players playing in different positions than they were last season, perfection is unrealistic. Against three nonconference opponents this season, the group has fared well. But their toughest test of the season comes against a Missouri offense that is determined to unlock a something they’ve been unable to find much success with thus far - the deep ball.
“We haven’t had as many explosive plays as we should,” Cook said. “It starts with me and it starts in practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We can’t just assume we are going to show up on Saturday and hit these explosive passes. There’s a lot left to put on tape that we haven’t put on tape (yet).”
Cook and Missouri look to continue their undefeated start to the season when they host one-loss Vanderbilt at 3:15 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Missouri Tigers’ offense will face this challenge against Vanderbilt’s safeties."