It’s Week 4, and it’s starting to mean more.

Missouri football and Vanderbilt will each open their respective SEC campaigns with a game at 3:15 p.m. Saturday on Faurot Field in Columbia. Mizzou (3-0) passed its first ranked test of the season last weekend with a 27-21 win over Boston College. The Commodores (2-1) are coming off a loss at Georgia State, but have a Power Four win over the ACC’s Virginia Tech this season.

Vandy might look a little different than in years past. There’s a new offensive staff, with Tim Beck in as offensive coordinator and Jerry Kill hired as a senior offensive advisor, both from New Mexico State. A good chunk of NMSU’s starters followed suit, including starting quarterback Diego Pavia.

Here’s what the Commodores’ players and head coach said ahead of the Missouri matchup:

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Vanderbilt on the Missouri football offense

The Commodores’ focus for the week seems to be finding a way to defend Missouri’s outside zone run scheme.

The ground game has been ticking for the Tigers through three games. Nate Noel bruised Boston College for 121 yards. Marcus Carroll has been a dynamic change-of-pace option for Missouri. Between them, they’ve rushed for 396 yards and three touchdowns this season.

It’s the bread and butter of what Missouri does. Vandy has taken note.

“One thing that sets them apart is definitely the stretch game,” defensive tackle Glenn Seabrooks III said. “That's what they're known for. That's what we've been drilling at practice; (what) we're gonna be drilling this whole week. I think the whole (team) is going to count on this defensive line because we're going to set the tone.

… “We have to become leaders and be able to not only stop their offense but also get the ball back to our offense so they can score. And that's not only once (or) twice, but the whole game. We’ve got to be able to do that.”

Lea mentioned Missouri’s “methodical” offense so far, specifically mentioning the short-yardage passing game that has been working so well for Brady Cook and company through three games.

The Tigers haven’t really taken the top off a defense so far, but Lea is wary.

“They formation-motion and design you to find spaces. … It's short completions that allow playmakers to make plays in space, and then the ability to go up and over the top as good as anybody,” Lea said. “So, we're gonna have to be patient. … We've got to perform better on third down, and we're going to have to suffocate the ball in the perimeter because any completion behind the line of five yards, or three yards, or seven yards has a chance to become an explosive if you're on your heels and you're playing passively.”

On Missouri’s player recruitment, retention

On the topic of some of those playmakers …

Lea said Missouri has become a “standard-bearer” in the conference, and, in his view, that's partly because he expects to see a few familiar faces on his second trip as a head coach to Columbia.

“These are the same guys that we were playing — a lot of them — in (2022) up there, you know? And there's something to be said for that,” Lea said. “Again, I credit Eli (Drinkwitz). I mean, I think they've seized on the opportunity in this new era as well as anyone. I mean, I really have a lot of respect for what he's built, because he's done it through high school recruiting and retaining, and then they've had success finding additions in the portal, too.

“With Burden, Cook and these guys, you're seeing them again now for the third time, but yet, I feel like they've strengthened around them, you know. So, I mean, this is a good outfit.”

Drinkwitz returned the favor Tuesday, saying he believes this is Lea’s best Vanderbilt team since the fourth-year head coach took over the program.

Last season, the Tigers defeated Vanderbilt 38-21 in Nashville. It was a much closer contest in the 2022 matchup in Columbia, as the Tigers held on for a 17-14 with a fourth-quarter, fourth-down stop with less than two minutes to play.

Quarterback Diego Pavia

Diego Pavia has been on Faurot Field before, as the quarterback of New Mexico State in a November matchup in 2022. Missouri won that game 45-14, but Pavia’s got some history in the league, helping the Aggies take down Auburn last season.

But this will be the playmaker’s first game against an SEC defense for an SEC team.

“They’ve got a great defense. They’ve got players all over,” Pavia said. … “They're gonna be a great team to go up against, and that's what makes me excited, is that they're a really good team; they're ranked seventh or sixth in the country. So, you know it's gonna be a really, really fun game to see what we’ve got. … We need to punch first.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here’s what Vanderbilt’s coach, QB said ahead of Missouri football game