Vanderbilt football outclassed by Missouri offense in 38-21 loss as Ken Seals starts
Vanderbilt football was overwhelmed Saturday by the play of Missouri's quarterback and skill-position players. The Commodores had no answer for the trio of quarterback Brady Cook and wide receivers Luther Burden and Theo Wease.
Backup quarterback Ken Seals started in place of AJ Swann and played well for Vanderbilt. But Cook and the Tigers' receivers played even better, as both Burden and Wease had double-digit catches, more than 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown. Cook completed 33 of his 41 passes for 395 yards and four TDs.
This game wasn't full of back-breaking mistakes like the previous three losses for Vanderbilt, but instead the Commodores (2-4, 0-2 SEC) were outclassed by a more dominant Missouri (5-0, 1-0) in the 38-21 loss.
Ken Seals' start as Vanderbilt starting QB
Seals got his first start since November 2021 for Vanderbilt after sitting out all of 2022, as AJ Swann has continued to deal with an elbow contusion.
Seals was serviceable, showing good accuracy and avoiding poor decisions, but his play lacked explosiveness. It didn't help that wide receiver London Humphreys, dealing with a lower-body injury, didn't see any time, but the offensive game plan was also more conservative, eschewing some of the deep balls Swann would've normally tried.
In the third quarter, Seals threw an interception in the end zone, his first turnover of the game.
Vanderbilt's offense came more to life in the fourth quarter as Seals led two quick touchdown drives and Junior Sherrill scored his first career touchdown.
Seals finished 20-for-31 with 259 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
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Luther Burden, Missouri's receivers a challenge
Burden and Wease proved nearly impossible for Vanderbilt's defense to stop. Cook, who set a record in the game for consecutive passes without an interception, showed off his accuracy.
Burden finished with 140 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. Wease had 118 yards with one TD on 10 catches.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt dominated by Luther Burden, Missouri as Ken Seals starts
