Vanderbilt vs. Missouri 2012: Tigers fall to 0-3 in SEC play as injuries mount

The Missouri Tigers fell to 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday, losing 19-15 to the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores. Even worse, the Tigers suffered yet another injury this season, this time losing quarterback James Franklin to a knee injury early in the game. Franklin did not return.

Freshman quarterback Corbin Berkstresser struggled as the replacement for Franklin, completing just nine of 30 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.

The folks at SB Nation's Missouri blog Rock M Nation had this to say about the Tigers' injury woes this season:

Mizzou has not played a single snap with more than nine its ideal 11 offensive players on the field this year. Its ideal running back and left guard have not played. Its ideal left tackle has missed 3.5 games. Its ideal center has had issues (for which he would have probably been benched in favor of Ruth), then got hurt last night. The ideal right guard has missed most of the season; plus, he was forced to play RT last week, got hurt, and (I think) played only a partial role last night. The ideal RT has spent half the season at LT. And the ideal quarterback overcame an offseason shoulder injury, reaggravated it after two games, then suffered an entirely different injury, a strained MCL that will at least keep him out for next week's game ... which happens to be against the No. 1 team in the country.

Missouri faces a difficult task next week as the Tigers host the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Faurot Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.