It wasn’t pretty, but the Missouri Tigers battled their way to their third victory of the season, snapping an 11-game SEC losing streak in the process on Saturday at Faurot Field.

In a game filled with ugly football, missed opportunities and several breathtakingly bad penalties, the Tigers managed to make a couple fewer mistakes than Vanderbilt, holding on for a 26-17 victory over the Commodores.

Saturday’s game was meaningless for the Tigers, who have long since been eliminated from SEC East contention and lost a shot at bowl-eligibility last week, but it was nice to see a little fight from the Mizzou squad.

First-year coach Barry Odom picked up his first victory over an SEC opponent, and the Tigers inspired some confidence in their fanbase as the 2016 season nears its conclusion.

As they say, a win’s a win and it’s better to win ugly than lose pretty.

Here are some things I liked and some things that needed work from Saturday’s 26-17 Mizzou victory.

WHAT I LIKED

When the secondary makes plays, the Tigers have a chance

Early in Saturday afternoon’s game, the Tigers intercepted Vanderbilt QB Kyle Shurmur twice. The first came on the Commodores’ second offensive possession and was snagged by junior LB Joey Burkett.

The second, which was returned for a touchdown, came on a big play by senior CB Aarion Penton.

When the Tigers are able to make opportunistic plays in the secondary, it helps make up for the fact that the defense gives up too many yards. It also helps when Mizzou gets the momentum boost of a pick-six.

Charles Harris is getting hot

Mizzou fans have waited all season for star DE Charles Harris to get going. Harris recorded three sacks against Georgia in Week 3, but he didn’t really get going until last week.

Against South Carolina last Saturday, Harris sacked Jake Bentley twice, bringing his season total to 5.5. Needing a big performance to keep the Tigers in the game against Vanderbilt, Harris was up to the task.

On the Commodores’ first series, Harris sacked Shurmur on third down to force a punt and set the tone for the game. He recorded another sack on the first play of the fourth quarter.

He also defended a pass and played well against the run to lead the way for the much-maligned Tigers defense.

Watching Zach Cunningham play is special

No matter what team you root for, watching Vanderbilt LB Zach Cunningham play is a treat.

He didn’t make any big-time plays like the leaping field goal block he had against Auburn last weekend, but he was still all over the field, recording 9 tackles and two big stops in the backfield.

We’ll be seeing Cunningham make big plays on Sundays in the very near future.

Ditto Damarea Crockett

The Tigers have a gem in freshman RB Damarea Crockett. He’s a load to bring down and has the speed and elusiveness needed to become a special collegiate talent.

Against a tough Vanderbilt defense, Crockett had managed to rush for 154 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

He is very rarely brought down by the first defender and is capable of extending plays until the field opens up for him. Crockett is going to be a lot of fun to watch in 2017 and beyond.

WHAT NEEDS WORK

How do the Tigers stick with K Tucker McCann?

Another game, another pair of missed extra points for struggling freshman K Tucker McCann.

From a distance where even most amateurs can make kicks, McCann continues to struggle, hurting his team in the process. He also missed a 21-yard kick for good measure.

After Saturday’s debacle, it’s time to see what Ben Tesson, another freshman, can do next week.

Don’t hang your receivers out to dry

Drew Lock’s inaccuracy has led to his receivers taking big hits over the middle of the field.

On Saturday afternoon, a bad throw from Lock led to promising freshman WR Dimetrios Mason taking a shot and exiting the game. Mason returned to the game quickly, but you don’t want to see receivers taking hits to their exposed ribs.

No one likes taking hits when they’re unprotected, and Lock isn’t going to have many friends in the receiving corps if he can’t make more accurate throws.

Provide some resistance on defense

If the secondary isn’t snagging an interception or Charles Harris isn’t changing the game with his pass-rushing skills, opposing offenses are able to cut through the Mizzou defense like a hot knife through butter.

The Tigers need to be able to force three-and-outs on occasion without relying on superhero performances from one player.

If they can’t manage that, they’re going to continue wearing down in the fourth quarter and giving up even more yardage and big plays.

Red zone turnovers

In the third quarter, with Mizzou driving to the Vanderbilt 1-yard line, a fumble gave the Commodores the football.

Careless plays like that, taking points off the board, are what end up costing teams victories. It didn’t come back to bite the Tigers on Saturday, but with 12 points missed out on (potential touchdown, two missed extra points and a missed chip-shot field goal), eventually those points are going to cost the Tigers a victory.

Drops are bad, mmkay?

It feels like I could put the same thing in this section every week. The Tigers seemingly always drop too many passes, have a devastating red-zone turnover, give up too many yards and miss a couple of kicks.

J’Mon Moore had a great game, snagging two touchdown passes, but he and the other receivers (cough, Dimetrios Mason, cough) still drop way too many passes. Until they take more pride in keeping the ball from hitting the ground, the Tigers are going to struggle to sustain drives.

Odom will get a pass for whatever happens in his first year, but it feels like the Tigers are not improving on their weaknesses at all. If that continues next year, expect his job security to be called into question.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Mizzou (3-7) travels to Knoxville next weekend to try to play spoiler for the Tennessee Volunteers, who are in the mix to win the SEC East. The game can be seen at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Vanderbilt (4-6) will return home to Nashville to host SEC West rival Ole Miss. That game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and can be seen on the SEC Network.