Vanderbilt defensive tackle Barron Dixon (44) celebrates with teammates after they defeated Missouri 19-15, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Both Vanderbilt and Mizzou were looking for their first SEC win of the season coming into this weekend’s match up and it was the visiting team that went home with a victory. With an 0-2 SEC record you could sense the desperation from the Tiger’s leading up to their game with the Commodores who are just 121-382-18 since joining the SEC:
Missouri targets Vandy for first SEC win | STL Today
If MU can’t win at home against a Vandy team averaging fewer than 10 points a game in FBS play, the Tigers will be making a dramatic statement about just how far they have to go be significant in the SEC.
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“It’s about time we get one,” MU defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. “We need one right now.”
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The Tigers’ first-team unit has produced just two touchdowns in the last nine quarters.
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he (Pinkel) expressed concern that a certain “anxiety” arises when an offense struggles as players are “almost waiting for somebody to drop the football or miss a block.”
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But unless it creates some breakthroughs to produce its first SEC win today, MU will start being seen as less “a player” in the league than as a distant wannabe.
The must win game apparently did not move Tiger fans to support their team by actually attending the home game at Faurot Field as ticket sales were well short of a sell out in one the SEC smallest stadiums:
Weak fan support for Tigers is embarrassing | KMOV Channel 4
We hear for months how fan support is going to increase so that we can hopefully fit in the SEC picture. Unless some large spike in support happens in between now and Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, Mizzou will fail to sellout its second-ever SEC home game.
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Mizzou could face some harsh ridicule from other SEC school fans. It should also be noted that Faurot Field is the tenth largest-capacity stadium in the SEC. So from where I’m sitting, we have our second-ever SEC home game, in an already undersized SEC-stadium, and will most likely not sellout the game.
Here’s a taste of what the media thinks of the SEC’s new pinata team:
Vandy hands Mizzou demoralizing defeat | STL Today
Challenging any lingering optimism about its debut season in the Southeastern Conference and calling into doubt its ability to reach an eighth straight bowl game, Mizzou tumbled to perennial SEC also-ran Vanderbilt 19-15 Saturday night at Faurot Field.
With the demoralizing defeat to one of the few SEC foes MU figured to beat, the Tigers fell to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in SEC play in its much-anticipated first season in the league as top-ranked Alabama comes calling next.
