Vanderbilt's Big Win: A Look at Their Historic Season

Vanderbilt Commodores are making waves this season. They just beat the 15th-ranked Missouri Tigers 17-10. This win is a big deal. It's their seventh win of the season. That's something they haven't done in over 80 years. They are now 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Three of their wins are against top 25 teams. That's a first for Vanderbilt. Coach Clark Lea is proud of his team. He said they stepped up when it mattered. Safety CJ Heard helped set up the winning drive. He recovered a fumble with 7:02 left in the game. The game wasn't easy. There was a lot of drama. Sedrick Alexander initially fumbled at the 1-yard line. But the call was overturned. Diego Pavia scored the winning touchdown on the next play. Pavia said championship teams go through games like this. It's about how you prevail. Missouri had a tough time. Their quarterback, Beau Pribula, got hurt early in the third quarter. He hurt his left ankle. Freshman Matt Zollers stepped in. He threw a touchdown pass to tie the game at 10. But Missouri couldn't pull off another tie. They lost 17-10. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was disappointed. He said they worked hard but came up short. Pribula's injury is a big blow. His ankle was dislocated and needed to be popped back into place. Drinkwitz said they are still playing for the playoffs. But their chances for the conference championship are slim. Vanderbilt had a strong offense coming into the game. They average 41. 4 points per game. Missouri isn't far behind with 39 points per game. But Vanderbilt's defense stepped up. They held Missouri to just 10 points. Makhilyn Young scored an 80-yard touchdown to put Vanderbilt up 10-3 in the third quarter. Vanderbilt overcame many challenges. They had three three-and-outs. They had eight penalties for 83 yards. But they still won. That's a big deal for a team that usually loses games like this. Missouri has an open date before hosting No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 8. Vanderbilt visits No. 22 Texas on Nov. 1. Both teams have big games coming up. But for now, Vanderbilt is enjoying their historic season.