Missouri came up just short in Nashville as Kevin Coleman Jr. was stopped inches from the goal line on the final play, and No. 10 Vanderbilt held on for a 17-10 win over the No. 15 Tigers at FirstBank Stadium. Missouri’s defense limited Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia for much of the game, but he scored the deciding touchdown with 1:52 remaining. Playing in relief of injured starter Beau Pribula, backup quarterback Matt Zollers led a final drive that ended just shy of the end zone. Coleman finished with seven catches for 109 yards and 162 all-purpose yards.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Beau Pribula is unlikely to return this season after tearing three ligaments in his ankle during Saturday’s loss to Vanderbilt. Although he avoided a fracture, imaging confirmed significant damage from the rare dislocation injury.
The game was marked by several key momentum swings. Missouri’s Jamal Roberts lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter, setting up Vanderbilt’s go-ahead drive, which was aided by penalties before Pavia’s short touchdown run. Earlier, Mizzou tied the game 10-10 on a Zollers-to-Jude James touchdown pass after an 80-yard scoring run by Vandy’s Makhilyn Young. Pribula exited in the third quarter with an ankle injury after being stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Missouri outgained Vanderbilt 376-265 and held the ball for more than 36 minutes, but costly penalties and turnovers proved decisive.
The Tigers (6-2, 2-2 SEC) now head into a bye week before hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 8 in Columbia.