Game report: Vanderbilt 10, Mizzou 3

First quarter

Key play: Missouri junior John Gibson appeared to fumble the opening kickoff inside the Missouri 10-yard line, but the referees disagreed and the call was upheld upon review.

Key stat: Missouri gained a first down on its opening snap from scrimmage, a 13-yard pass from Lock to senior running back Russell Hansbrough. It was the only first down of the first half for the Tigers.

Second quarter

Key play: Sophomore defensive end Charles Harris sacked Kyle Shurmur for an 8-yard loss, his third tackle for a loss in the game, and also forced a fumble, which redshirt freshman Walter Brady recovered. It led to a Tigers field goal.

Key stat: Sophomore running back Ralph Webb somersaulted into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown on the 11th play of a 72-yard drive that netted the only touchdown in the first half.

Third quarter

Key play: Brady was initially credited with a sack and forced fumble, which junior defensive tackle Rickey Hatley scooped up and returned 56 yards for a touchdown. The play was reviewed and reversed as Shurmur’s arm was going forward.

Key stat: Missouri was 0 for 4 on third down in the third quarter and finished 0 of 14 for the game. The offense is 3 for 41 on third down during the three-game skid.

Fourth quarter

Key play: Freshman Cam Hilton muffed a punt with 4:25 remaining. Missouri still got the ball back with a chance to force overtime after Vanderbilt missed a field goal, but more time might have helped.

Key stat: Missouri finished with 188 yards, including 80 yards rushing in 19 carries. The Tigers’ running backs only accounted for 15 yards in 10 carries.

Offense

F

Missouri managed to make things interesting down the stretch thanks in large part to a 33-yard Drew Lock scramble, but he shouldn’t be leading the team in rushing. The offense went three-and-out seven times.

Defense

A-

Missouri continues to play well defensively despite massive time-of-possession deficits and no margin for error because of the offensive struggles.

Special teams

C-

Freshman punter Corey Fatony was fantastic, averaging 47.7 yards on a career-high nine punts. He also had a 26-yard run on a fake punt, but the return game remains MIA and Cam Hilton’s muff was costly.

Coaching

D+

Defensively, things couldn’t be going much better and the team, at least publicly, isn’t pointing fingers. Offensively, the guys paid big bucks to find solutions remain at a loss.

Player of the game: Sophomore defensive end Charles Harris. He was responsible for Missouri’s points with a sack and forced fumble to set up the field goal. Harris finished with six tackles, including three for a loss.

Reason to hope: Missouri’s defense is playing so well, no game is ever out of reach. The Tigers allowed 304 yards, but Vanderbilt only averaged 3.9 yards per snap. The Commodores ran 24 more plays and had a 17-minute edge in time of possession.

Reason to mope: Missouri’s offense can’t run the football, can’t convert on third down and can’t seem to connect in the passing game.

Looking ahead: Missouri gets a bye week to rest, recover and search for solutions on offense. The Tigers return to action Nov. 5 against Mississippi State in a rare Thursday night ESPN game at Memorial Stadium.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Game report: Vanderbilt 10, Mizzou 3."