After a week of anticipation, and with ESPN’s “College GameDay” coming to campus, No. 10 Vanderbilt took on No. 15 Missouri at FirstBank Stadium. While many of the Commodore Faithful’s day started with the “College GameDay” festivities, fans showed out in full force for the 2:30 p.m. game — a four-hour slugfest that Vanderbilt won 17-10.

The game’s first half was quiet offensively for both teams, as defense showed out and dominated. The score at halftime was 3-3 as both teams struggled to find offensive momentum. Running back MK Young finally broke away for an 80-yard touchdown in the third quarter to break things open. This lead was short-lived, however, as Missouri matched the ‘Dores later that quarter despite having backup quarterback Matt Zoller in for Beau Pribula, who went down with an injury. When it was all said and done, Vanderbilt walked away with the win to improve to 7-1 on the season — the program’s best start since 1941.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Shutdown defense

It was clear before the game that star Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy would dictate the outcome of this game. This came to fruition as Hardy was held to 33 yards in the first half but exploded for 97 yards in the second. Hardy shared the rushing burden with four other Tigers, who all combined for 170 yards. In the second quarter, the Commodores forfeited significant yardage when Kevin Coleman Jr. found the edge and gashed Vanderbilt for a 34-yard rush. Despite giving up the large play, the defense remained composed and did not break, albeit aided by Missouri penalties. Going into the half, there was little head coach Clark Lea could have asked more of from his defense.

The second half started no differently. After Pavia threw a pick deep in his own territory, the defense held on a goal-line stand, forcing a Missouri turnover on downs. After the Pribula injury, Missouri pivoted even more to its run game. This made the time of possession disparity even more apparent, as Vanderbilt’s defense seemed to wear and tear as the second half went on. Despite the evident exhaustion, the unit’s mental toughness was on full display. Safety CJ Heard even managed to strip RB Jamal Roberts for a massive Vanderbilt turnover that turned into a Pavia touchdown. With less than two minutes left in the game, the defense was once again asked to step up. While there were significant setbacks — namely, a pass interference penalty that reset the downs and an eventual heart-attack moment with the end-of-game Hail Mary coming just short of the goal line — the unit was undeterred and still able to close out the game.

Penalty prone

Much of the Commodores’ imperfect win was due to the team racking up many penalty yards. Vanderbilt was in prime scoring position twice in the first half, but penalties drove the ‘Dores first away from a potential field goal and then a touchdown. The potential touchdown was a Heisman moment touchdown run by Pavia, which was spoiled by two holding penalties. Later in that drive, a false start penalty hurt Vanderbilt’s chances of securing a much-needed first down. The penalties, however, were not limited to Vanderbilt’s offense. Special teams gave 15 yards to the Tigers after a kickoff, and the first half concluded with a staggering 50 yards of penalties.

The second half was cleaner, but penalties came at arguably more critical moments. CJ Heard was flagged, which reignited the drive for the Tigers that led to a touchdown. Late in the fourth, a run by Kayleb Barnett down into the five was called back due to a holding penalty. Luckily for the Commodores, a pass interference call on the following play erased the loss. Vanderbilt will need to clean these penalties up if they want to succeed in tougher games down the road.

The head-body mentality

While Vanderbilt’s defensive unit showed its resilience, especially since they were on the field for over 36 minutes of game time, the third and fourth quarter rally on both sides of the ball can be attributed to the culture that Lea has built at Vanderbilt. Pavia, Heard and Young in the postgame briefer all stressed the impact of Lea’s “head-body mentality,” a philosophy centered on mental clarity, physical execution and an unwavering focus on the mission of winning. That mindset, instilled through daily preparation and accountability, has created a sense of unity that carries over into high-pressure moments and has bonded the team together, fostering faith in the other side of the ball executing its duty to win. This certainly wasn’t Vanderbilt’s cleanest performance, but it banded together to earn yet another marquee win over a top-15 opponent. That grind it out mentality is showing.

Vanderbilt will next travel to play No. 22 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 1.