COLUMBIA, Missouri — Blake Craig made up for three missed field goals in regulation by hitting a 37-yard strike in the second overtime. Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor missed a 31-yard strike to keep the game going and No. 7 Missouri escaped with a 30-27 second overtime victory on Saturday night.
Brady Cook threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns and Nate Noel ran for 199 yards for Missouri. The Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) avoided a major upset that would have hampered their College Football Playoff chances by beating the Commodores (2-2, 0-1) for the fifth straight year.
Diego Pavia rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns and 84 yards for Vanderbilt, which beat Virginia Tech in overtime earlier this season.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores easily could have been 4-0 this season, but they blew a lead in the final minute of a 36-32 loss to Georgia State and then failed to capitalize on a series of Missouri errors in a loss to the Tigers.
Missouri: The Tigers overcame a series of mental errors and penalties for the second straight game. Last week, they trailed at halftime against Boston College but rallied in the second half and pulled out another narrow win to remain undefeated on the season.
Missouri kicker Blake Craig missed field goals from 40 and 46 yards in the fourth quarter that would have given the Tigers a 23-20 lead. Brock Taylor missed from 50 yards just over three minutes into the game that would have done the same for Vanderbilt. As a result, the Tigers and Commodores had to decide the game in overtime.
3 – That’s how many field goal attempts Craig missed before scoring his game-winning goal in the second overtime.
Vanderbilt and Missouri both have next week off. The Commodores return to face No. 4 Alabama and the Tigers travel to No. 25 Texas A&M on Oct. 5.
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