2025 Vanderbilt Football Opponent Preview, Game 8: Missouri

Vanderbilt is seeking revenge against another team this upcoming season.

Last September, the Commodores nearly pulled off what would have been an incredible road upset against a No. 7 Missouri team that came out of gates of the 2024 season hot. Missouri escaped Vanderbilt 30-27 in a double overtime thriller.

Vanderbilt tied the game at 20 at the end of the third quarter and eventually took a 27-20 lead in the first overtime, but the Commodores just could not close the deal. Vanderbilt had a chance to send the game into a third overtime, but a missed 31-yard field goal allowed Missouri to avoid disaster.

Diego Pavia fought all night against Missouri last season. He completed 14 of his 23 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, but also was the Commodores leading rusher that night with 90 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Both teams ended the season still surpassing its original expectations after that night, but this season Vanderbilt is looking to make sure not to let a quality win slip away.

Missouri will certainly look different from last season’s game. Brady Cook, who threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt last season, has been replaced by Beau Pribula. Star wide receiver Luther Burden III, who caught both touchdowns from Cook against the Dores, was drafted by the Chicago Bears and has now been replaced by former Mississippi State pass catcher Kevin Coleman Jr.

This season, the two teams will meet in Nashville where Vanderbilt is hoping to defend home turf against Missouri. The two teams will face on October 25, 2025 at a time and channel to be determined later.

Offense

Missouri is trying to fill two major voids: former quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III. In the transfer portal the Tigers grabbed quarterback Beau Pribula from Penn State and wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. from Mississippi State.

Coleman Jr. nearly had a 1,000-yard season with the Bulldogs last season. He caught 74 passes for 932 yards and had six touchdowns in addition. Pribula saw minimal playing time his freshman year at Penn State. In the time he did play, he threw for 275 yards and 5 touchdowns with just one interception.

Defense

Missouri was top 20 in total defense in the FBS last season. As the Tigers hope to get back to that level of defense, they added two key players on defense.

Missouri added Georgia linebacker Damon Wilson II and former Appalachian State EDGE rusher Nate Johnson. In 2024, Johnson recorded 34 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Mountaineers. Wilson II collected 20 tackles and three sacks last season for Georgia.

Schedule

Missouri’s schedule features eight home games and just four road games. In fact, it will not even have to go on the road until October 18 when Missouri plays at Auburn. The other three places Missuri will travel to are Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

At home, Missouri’s non-conference opponents are Central Arkansas, Louisiana, Umass and its arch rival in Kansas. In SEC play, Missouri will host South Carolina, Alabama, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Outlook

Missouri is coming off a 10-3 season where it finished ranked No. 19 in the final rankings and a Music City Bowl victory over Iowa in December. Missouri was 6-1 and was knocking on the door on a possible College Football Playoff spot before a 34-0 loss to Alabama derailed its playoff hopes. The Tigers won three of its final four games last season and finished fourth in the SEC. Going into 2025, the Tigers will now likely have Penn State transfer Beau Pribula at the helm of the offense. It is tough to say how Pribula will do in his first season at Missouri, but it is safe to say the team will miss former quarterback Brady Cook. Missouri’s win total set by oddsmakers is set at 7.5, which the Tigers could absolutely surpass.

The Game

Date: October 25, 2025

Time: TBA

TV: TBA

Location: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

The Team

Head coach: Eliah Drinkwitz (Sixth season)

Offensive coordinator: Kirby Moore (Third season)

Defensive coordinator: Corey Batoon (Second season)

2024-2025 record: 10-3

2024 rankings: 63rd in total offense, 17th in total defense

The School

Location: Columbia, Missouri

Founded: 1839

Enrollment: 31,543 (Spring 2025)

Nickname: Tigers

School colors: Gold and Black

Mascot: Truman the Tiger

The Program

Series history: Missouri leads 12-4-1

Last bowl game appearance: 2024

Playoff Appearances: 0

National Championships: 2 (unclaimed)

The Schedule

August 28: vs Central Arkansas

September 6: vs Kansas

September 13: vs Louisiana

September 20: vs South Carolina

September 27: vs Ole Miss

October 11: vs Alabama

October 18: at Auburn

October 25: at Vanderbilt

November 8: vs Texas A&M

November 15: vs Mississippi State

November 22: at Oklahoma

November 28: at Arkansas