Timely plays push No. 10 Vanderbilt past No. 15 Missouri

Diego Pavia dove into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:52 remaining to give No. 10 Vanderbilt a 17-10 victory over No. 15 Missouri on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee.

On a day when Heisman Trophy candidate Pavia struggled, Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) survived thanks to a key defensive play by CJ Heard.

Released during a safety blitz, Heard stole a handoff from Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers to Jamal Roberts, giving the Commodores the ball at the Tigers’ 44 with 7:02 remaining.

Nine plays later, Pavia scored on a second down as the Commodores improved their College Football Playoff credentials and damaged those of the Tigers (6-2, 2-2).

It was a defensive struggle until Vanderbilt’s Makhilyn Young scored on an 80-yard sprint on an errant play late in the third quarter to give the Commodores a 10-3 lead.

Missouri responded early in the fourth quarter as Matt Zollers led a 75-yard drive, which he finished with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jude James on a fourth down play to tie the game.

Zollers, a true freshman who had thrown just six passes in his college career, entered in the third quarter after starting quarterback Beau Pribula injured his leg and was carted off the field.

Pribula, who completed 9 of 14 passes for 68 yards, was injured when he was pushed back by a quarterback keeper. Miles Capers made the stop at the 1-yard line on a fourth down play.

Zollers completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards. He led a late 74-yard drive that narrowly failed as Missouri tried to tie the game.

On the final play of the game, Kevin Coleman Jr. caught a 36-yard pass from Zollers but went down to the 1-yard line as time expired.

Pavie finished with 10 completions on 19 pass attempts for 129 yards with one interception. He covered 20 yards on eight carries. His two yard totals were the season’s lowest in a game this year.

The defenses dominated the first half. After the teams traded punts on the game’s first six possessions, Robert Meyer gave Missouri a 3–0 lead with a 39-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

Pavie responded with his best run of the game, completing four straight passes for 68 yards to set up a 38-yard field goal by Brock Taylor that tied the game 3-3.

Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy, who entered as the SEC’s leading rusher, carried 20 times for 97 yards.

The win will likely keep Vanderbilt in the top 10 for the second week in a row. Its last appearance in the top 10 was in 1947.

–Field level media