Vanderbilt football vs Missouri score prediction, scouting report for Week 4

Vanderbilt football travels to its second straight road contest and its first SEC game of the season against No. 8 Missouri this weekend.

On Saturday (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network), the two teams will meet at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz has turned the eighth-ranked Tigers into a top-tier program over his time in Columbia, and Missouri (3-0) has notched wins so far over Boston College, Buffalo and Murray State, the latter two by shutout.

Vanderbilt (2-1) started off with wins over Virginia Tech and Alcorn State but lost on the road to Georgia State a week ago. The Commodores are looking to rebound from that loss but will face a stiff test as a significant underdog.

Here’s what to know about the matchup:

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Missouri is very healthy for Vanderbilt game

On its availability report released Wednesday, Missouri had just three players listed, one as questionable and two as out. One of the injured players, quarterback Sam Horn, got hurt playing baseball and was unlikely to factor in anyway with Brady Cook entrenched as the starter.

The one questionable player, safety Joseph Charleston, has recorded eight tackles this season.

Vanderbilt has several key defensive players on the injury report. Defensive end Zaylin Wood is out and edge rusher Khordae Sydnor is questionable, while safety CJ Taylor will miss the first half with a targeting suspension.

Vanderbilt vs Missouri football history

Before the SEC eliminated divisions, the two teams played every year since Missouri joined the league in 2012. The last matchup in Columbia was in 2022, which the Tigers won, 17-14.

All time, Vanderbilt is 4-12-1 against Missouri.

Vanderbilt faces streak that goes back to James Franklin era

Vanderbilt has not won an SEC game in September since 2011. With an open date coming next week, this will be the Commodores’ only chance to break that streak this year.

James Franklin was in his first season as coach at Vanderbilt and current college freshmen were in kindergarten the last time Vanderbilt won a September SEC game.

Vanderbilt score prediction vs Missouri

Missouri 37, Vanderbilt 21: Missouri’s elite playmaking at receiver and an experienced quarterback are a nightmare for a very banged-up Vanderbilt defense.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.