Well, that sucked. We were pretty confident Vanderbilt would beat Georgia State last week, but no, quite the opposite. Vanderbilt came back late, took the lead, and then let Georgia State run 75 yards in a minute for the game-winning touchdown.
Sigh.
Missouri is this week and the SEC says this is the first SEC game of the season, which can’t be true, but that’s what the schedule says. Anyway, let’s see if our writers are at all confident about that.
Tom Stephenson
Honestly, I don’t know what to make of this team right now. They still beat Virginia Tech. Was the loss to Georgia State an indication that opponents were starting to see through Diego Pavia’s offense now that they have film, or was it an indication that the team was simply preparing for a game and we’ll see a bounce back this week? Based on Clark Lea’s comments to the media, I’m guessing the latter.
That probably won’t be enough to score against Missouri’s defense. But their offense hasn’t impressed, so I expect a respectable result and extreme disappointment for us.
The selection: Missouri 35, Vanderbilt 17
The SEC surprise tip of the week: I’m choosing MISSISSIPPI STATE (+7) over Florida, not because I think Mississippi State is good (it’s not), but because I’ve seen Florida play football.
Andrew VU ’04
This is going to be carnage. If we can’t stop Georgia State, Luther Burden Jr. is going to take all of our damn lunches.
Anyway, if getting beat up is cool, consider Clark Lea Miles Davis.
The selection: Missourah (spits) 53 – Vanderbilt 20.
The SEC surprise tip of the week: Arky will call the pigs, and Auburn will not do well in the slop. I prefer the Woo Pig Sooies (+3.5) over the War Tigers.
Patrick Sawyer
That may just be blind optimism, but it feels like these Commodores are doing everything they can to rebound. The offense sputtered a few times against Georgia State when the plan was clearly to protect Pavia. I doubt we’ll see any of that against Missouri. Burden will be a problem, especially without CJ Taylor, who can help at an elite level as a safety in the first half. I think Dontae Carter could get a little more use to help with that.
The question is, does it matter if Vanderbilt is motivated and focused? The Georgia State game seemed to be a focus and discipline issue, but Missouri is in a whole different category. My first thought is that this game can go one of three ways. Either they win by a small margin…or the Yankee Tigers beat our Commodores by a mile. Missouri’s offense seems to be on fire, and Vanderbilt’s defense has struggled with the passing game. Up until the Georgia State game, they were very good against the run game, so maybe they can make Missouri one-dimensional and then force a turnover or two.
The selection: Vanderbilt 24, Missouri 31
The SEC surprise tip of the week: I’m rooting for Oklahoma, does that count? If not, Arkansas is more likely than Auburn. Yay.
Cole Sullivan
I still believe.
The selection: Vanderbilt 20 – Missouri 17
The SEC surprise tip of the week: I think this week will be full of surprises, but the one I’m most excited about is the Sooners. boomAttend this school in the East.
