Commodores conquest
Hindered by injuries, Mizzou falls to Vanderbilt 19-15
Mizzou, ravaged by injuries, dropped a close home contest Saturday night to Vanderbilt 19-15.
The Tigers (3-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) lost starting quarterback James Franklin to a sprained MCL (knee) after the game's second series. He had led Mizzou down the field twice for field goals on the game's opening drives. The Tigers also lost starting center Mitch Morse to a knee injury, backup running back/kick returner Marcus Murphy to a broken finger, and linebacker Will Ebner to a hamstring injury.
Backup quarterback Corbin Berkstresser, a first-year player from Lee's Summit, led the Tigers to a field goal to tie the score at 9 going into the fourth quarter. And after a Vanderbilt scoring drive, Berkstresser hit wide receiver Bud Sasser for an 85-yard touchdown, the longest scoring pass for Mizzou since 1976. A botched extra point left the Tigers trailing 16-15. Vanderbilt added a field goal, and the Tigers were unable to answer.
Next up for Mizzou is No. 1 Alabama. The game is the featured SEC contest on CBS and will be played to a national audience at 2:30 p.m.
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