Goin' back to Vandy: A B-Dawg dual NCAA '14/NCAA '07 flashback dynasty

[BDawg35]

Josh Vann of South Carolina caught 11 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns.


Cam Smith of South Carolina picks off a pass that he returned 40 yards for a touchdown.

Third-quarter meltdown
Vanderbilt outscored 28-0 in third,
loses for first time to South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — One of the worst quarters B-Dawg has experienced as a football coach actually began on a high note.

His Vanderbilt squad trailed South Carolina by only a 17-10 margin at halftime on Sept. 13, 2021 and got a big break when middle linebacker Ethan Barr picked off a pass 44 seconds into the third quarter, setting up the Commodores in plus territory at the 27-yard line.

But things went south in a hurry after that.

Vandy’s misfortunes began when receiver Cam Johnson dropped a second-and-seven pass past the sticks. The Commodores wound up attempting a 38-yard field goal that hit the left upright.

Perhaps EA Sports’ momentum code kicked into overdrive from there, because it was one disaster after another for the Commodores after that.

On South Carolina’s second play after the missed kick, Zeb Noland hit a wide-open Josh Vann for a 75-yard touchdown, sparking a 28-0 run in a span of 5 minutes and 19 seconds that propelled the host team to a 45-26 victory over Vanderbilt.

South Carolina was back in the end zone just 14 seconds later when Cam Smith took a pick 40 yards to the house.

It was the first of three Vanderbilt turnovers in the quarter that led to South Carolina touchdowns.

Quarterback Mike Wright fumbled while being sacked, a miscue that resulted in Vann’s third touchdown catch of the game. An interception by Jaylin Dickerson set up a 9-yard touchdown run by Kevin Harris with 1:38 left in the third.

“Ugliest quarter of football ever,” B-Dawg said. “When you have three turnovers that result in touchdowns for the other team, that’s about as bad as it gets.”

The third-quarter fiasco left Vanderbilt trailing 45-10 heading into the final quarter. The Commodores got some window dressing in the fourth when Wright ran five yards for a touchdown and hit Chris Pierce with a 41-yard touchdown strike.

Vann, an 81 OVR senior, caught 11 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. He also had three drops. Noland, a 78 OVR fifth-year senior, was 24-for-37 with 319 yards, three touchdowns and a pick.

Pierce was Vanderbilt’s most effective weapon, catching six passes for 137 yards and a score.


Chris Pierce makes a 41-yard touchdown catch.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES at SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Sept. 13, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-1)	0	10	0	16	26
South Carolina Gamecocks (1-2)	14	3	28	0	45

Team Stats Comparison
	VAN	SCAR
Total Offense	417	430
Rushing Yards	30-137	25-111
Passing Yards	280	319
First Downs	22	17
Punt Return Yards	21	10
Kick Return Yards	133	123
Total Yards	571	563
Turnovers	5	1
3rd Down Conversion	9-15	7-12
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	2-2	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-2-1	3-3-0
Penalties	2-24	3-20
Possession Time	19:15	16:45

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		VAN	SCAR
4:47	(SCAR) J. Vann 26 pass from Z. Noland (P. White kick)	0	7
1:55	(SCAR) J. McDowell 12 run (P. White kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		VAN	SCAR
6:33	(VAN) R. Davis 1 run (J. Bulovas kick)	7	14
:52	(VAN) J. Bulovas 35 field goal	10	14
:00	(SCAR) P. White 43 field goal	10	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		VAN	SCAR
6:57	(SCAR) J. Vann 75 pass from Z. Noland (P. White kick)	10	24
6:43	(SCAR) C. Smith 40 interception return (P. White kick)	10	31
2:31	(SCAR) J. Vann 12 pass from Z. Noland (P. White kick)	10	38
1:38	(SCAR) K. Harris 9 run (P. White kick)	10	45
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		VAN	SCAR
8:08	(VAN) M. Wright 5 run (R. Davis run)	18	45
5:37	(VAN) C. Pierce 41 pass from M. Wright (R. Griffin run)	26	45

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 22/43 280 1 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Mike Wright 18 94 5.2 1 Re'Mahn Davis 9 31 3.4 1 Brayden Bapst 3 12 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Chris Pierce 6 137 22.8 1 Will Sheppard 4 50 12.5 0 Re'Mahn Davis 4 21 5.2 0 Rocko Griffin 3 24 8.0 0 Devin Boddie 2 21 10.5 0 Ben Bresnahan 1 22 22.0 0 Cam Johnson 1 3 3.0 0 Gavin Schoenwald 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Bradley Ashmore 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Ethan Barr 7 4 0 1 Anfernee Orji 6 1 1 0 Gabe Jeudy'Lally 6 1 0 0 Jaylen Mahoney 6 0 0 0 Max Worship 5 0 0 0 Allan George 4 1 0 0 Dashaun Jerkins 4 0 0 0 Brendon Harris 3 2 1 0 Michael Owusu 2 0 0 0 Justin Harris 2 0 0 0 Nate Clifton 2 1 1 0 Devin Boddie 2 0 0 0 Will Sheppard 1 0 0 0 Wilkins/Wright 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 Pierce/Afemui 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Joseph Bulovas 1/2 1/1 4 36 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Harrison Smith 2 78 39.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Cam Johnson 5 133 26.6 42 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Cam Johnson 3 21 7.0 9

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Zeb Noland 24/37 319 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Kevin Harris 20 123 6.1 1 Juju McDowell 1 12 12.0 0 Zeb Noland 4 -24 -6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Josh Vann 11 211 19.1 3 Jalen Brooks 5 44 8.8 0 Nick Muse 3 21 7.0 0 Ahmarean Brown 2 20 10.0 0 Kevin Harris 2 14 7.0 0 Jaheim Bell 1 9 9.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Dylan Wonnum 0 1 Kevin Harris 0 1 Jaylen Nichols 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Jaylin Dickerson 10 0 0 1 Jaylan Foster 6 0 0 0 Sherrod Greene 6 0 0 0 Tyrese Ross 6 0 0 0 Marcellas Dial 5 1 0 1 Darius Rush 5 0 0 0 Dominick Hill 4 1 0 0 Brad Johnson 3 1 1 1 Kingsley Enagbare 3 3 0 0 Zacch Pickens 2 0 0 0 Ahmarean Brown 1 0 0 0 Jordan Burch 1 1 1 0 Jabari Ellis 1 0 0 0 Debo Williams 1 0 0 0 Cam Smith 0 0 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Parker White 1/1 6/6 9 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Kai Kroeger 4 173 43.3 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Juju McDowell 5 123 24.6 30 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Josh Vann 1 10 10.0 10

Jonathan Goff breaks through for the first blocked extra point in
B-Dawg’s coaching career.

Arkansas takes 2 picks to house,
pulls away to beat Vandy, 40-24

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Once again, Vanderbilt found itself in a position to win a football game.

Once again, the Commodores wilted down the stretch.

Vanderbilt rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, but 44th-ranked Arkansas scored 17 unanswered points in the final 6:38 to beat the 90th-ranked Commodores 40-24 on Sept. 16, 2006 in coach B-Dawg’s home debut.

Vanderbilt (0-3) took advantage of turnovers to score 21 straight points in a 3:50 stretch of the third quarter, tying the game 24-24 on fullback Steven Bright’s second 1-yard run of the game with 1:21 left in the third.

Arkansas broke the deadlock on a 10-yard pass from Casey Dick to Chris Baker with 6:38 left in the game. The Razorbacks (2-1) tacked on a field goal, then turned the game into a rout when Chris Houston took an interception 84 yards for a touchdown with 2:22 remaining. It was the second long interception return of the game for Arkansas, which got a 94-yard touchdown when Randy Kelly picked off a Hail Mary pass and scored as time expired in the first half.

Vanderbilt has now allowed four touchdowns on interception returns while scoring only four offensive touchdowns in its first three games. Three of those offensive touchdowns came less than four minutes apart in the third quarter.

“Arkansas is good, but not a whole lot better than us,” B-Dawg said. “I was very confident that we would find a way to win once we came back from that early 24-3 deficit. These guys were starting to look like most of my previous teams, teams that show heart and character in the face of adversity. We just need to learn how to finish. I guess we just get worn down as games go on.”

Vanderbilt was down only 16-13 in the fourth quarter last week to Alabama before a late scoring spree resulted in a 37-13 rout for the Crimson Tide. The Commodores have been outscored 61-3 in the fourth quarter in three games. The margin is only 57-26 in the other three quarters.

There were some bright spots for Vanderbilt on both sides of the ball.

Perhaps the biggest highlight came on special teams when middle linebacker Jonathan Goff had the first blocked kick in B-Dawg’s coaching career. Goff broke through the middle to block the extra point after the go-ahead touchdown pass to Baker. B-Dawg did have a blocked extra point in a Play Now game, giving him two in only five offline games.

“While it’s cool, this better not become a regular occurrence,” he said. “My radar is always up for signs of EA’s overblown new features. I may have found one.”

Goff continued to be a beast on defense, as well. He had double-digit tackles for the third time in as many games, getting 11 to go with one sack. In three games, Goff has 35 tackles, seven for losses, two sacks, a pick and a blocked kick. He also forced a fumble in the third quarter to set up Vanderbilt’s game-tying touchdown.

Another defensive standout so far is safety Reshard Langford, who had an interception for the third straight game. Langford’s pick ended a streak of 12 straight completions for Dick with 4:11 left in the third quarter and paved the way for a 55-yard touchdown pass from Chris Nickson to Earl Bennett.

On offense, Vanderbilt showed signs of a pulse with a 100-yard rusher, 100-yard receiver and 300-yard passer. Nickson was 22-for-42 for 300 yards, one touchdowns and three picks; Bennett caught nine passes for 155 yards and a touchdown; and Cassen Jackson-Garrison ran 24 times for 102 yards.

“I’m pretty encouraged to see that, especially getting a 100-yard rusher,” B-Dawg said. “Rushing has been extremely difficult so far, but we’ve gotten a little bit better each game.”

B-Dawg is looking forward to a visit next Saturday from Division I-AA cupcake Tennessee State.

“These first three games have been extremely frustrating,” B-Dawg said. “I cannot be held responsible for the beat-down we lay on Tennessee State next week. We will, of course, maintain our dynasty rules about not leaving in starters once we get up by 35 points, but I’m gonna do everything I can to get some numbers for our big guys and hopefully give them a shot at progressing. Tennessee State will be going up against an angry team and an angry coach next week.”

This will be the last game Vanderbilt plays against a Division I-AA team, as B-Dawg refuses to stoop that low.

PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
Randy Kelly, Arkansas; Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt

ARKANSAS 40, VANDERBILT 24
First quarter
ARK: Murphy 16 pass from Dick (Davis kick), 4:20
Second quarter
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 20 field goal, 6:15
ARK: Davis 37 field goal, 2:28
ARK: Fish 23 pass from Dick (Davis kick), :33
ARK: Kelly 94 interception return (Davis kick), :00
Third quarter
VANDY: Bright 1 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 5:11
VANDY: Bennett 55 pass from Nickson (Hahnfeldt kick), 3:50
VANDY: Bright 1 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 1:21
Fourth quarter
ARK: Baker 10 pass from Dick (kick blocked), 6:38
ARK: Davis 42 field goal, 3:30
ARK: Houston 84 interception return (Davis kick), 2:22

[Scuzz]

Looked like some messy, rainy weather - which also seemed indicative of your play on the field. Maybe a little EA foreshadowing...

Even though they don't have the greatest talent, I like the roster makeup of this team.. thought about running with Vandy myself. Wright and Cam Johnson seem like a fun duo, however, looked like they were pretty frustrating in this one (at least Cam with that huge drop).

Good bounce back opportunity next week to really run up the score

[bigjdotcom01]

This is bonkers! I am definitely going to be reading along! I love your stuff BDawg!

[BDawg35]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scuzz

Looked like some messy, rainy weather - which also seemed indicative of your play on the field. Maybe a little EA foreshadowing... Even though they don't have the greatest talent, I like the roster makeup of this team.. thought about running with Vandy myself. Wright and Cam Johnson seem like a fun duo, however, looked like they were pretty frustrating in this one (at least Cam with that huge drop). Good bounce back opportunity next week to really run up the score

I have some decent pieces, most of them on defense. I cranked up the defensive sliders for the user and CPU from 50 to 80 for this dynasty in an attempt to get closer, more defensive games. I don't like my video games to play like video games.

I LOVE mud games!!! I love seeing the muddy uniforms, the way football was meant to be played. Maybe I should've chosen a team that plays on grass. A thought for the next 'nasty ...

Quote: Originally Posted by bigjdotcom01

This is bonkers! I am definitely going to be reading along! I love your stuff BDawg!

BIGJ!!!!!! Awesome to see you checking in!!! I can't remember the last time we interacted (check texts).

[BDawg35]

Vanderbilt receiver Devin Boddie leaps to catch the ball in front of Colorado State free safety Jack Howell …


… heads toward the end zone with open field in front of him …


… eludes a diving defender …


… and scores the game-winning touchdown by diving into the end zone.

WALK IT OFF!
Boddie’s 68-yard catch and run
gives Vandy victory on final play

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Just four games into his return to Vanderbilt, coach B-Dawg has already manufactured one of the most memorable moments in his coaching career.

Devin Boddie hauled in a pass from Mike Wright and turned it into a 68-yard touchdown as time expired, giving Vanderbilt a 45-38 victory over Colorado State on Sept. 20, 2021.

It was the longest walk-off game-winning touchdown in B-Dawg’s coaching career, which dates back to NCAA 2004.

The previous record was a 56-yard pass from Western Michigan’s David Landrum to Corey Davis for a 30-24 victory at Northern Illinois on Sept. 30, 2017 in NCAA 2014. That play was one yard longer than a 55-yard bomb from Eastern Michigan’s Jason Williams to halfback Greg White for an 18-13 victory, also at Northern Illinois, on Oct. 15, 2011 in NCAA 2008.

B-Dawg did have a memorable 89-yard touchdown pass from Michigan’s Devin Gardner to Ryan King as time expired in a 53-52 victory over Iowa on Nov. 2, 2013 in NCAA 2012. However, the Wolverines didn’t win that game until Gardner ran in a 2-point conversion.

In Madden 2003, B-Dawg had a longer walk-off victory when Eli Manning threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Davenport to give the Detroit Lions a 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 2007 divisional playoffs.

The lead changed hands four times in a thrilling fourth quarter. Overtime seemed inevitable when Colorado State tied the game, 38-38, on a 33-yard field goal by Cayden Camper that caromed in off the left upright with 11 seconds left.

But as was the case for Patrick Mahomes against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC playoffs (sorry, BigJ), that was more than enough time for Vanderbilt.

B-Dawg chose to have James Ziglor return the kick, rather than conserve precious seconds, because overtime was still on the table. Ziglor’s return to the Vanderbilt 32-yard line left five seconds on the clock.

B-Dawg called a play that can often get him 30 to 35 yards, but has rarely gone the distance.

Wright bought time by rolling to his right while Boddie ran a route across the field from the left slot. Boddie won a jump ball at the Colorado State 37 in front of 74 OVR freshman free safety Jack Howell.

“This is the point where that play usually ends with a nice gain, but not much else,” B-Dawg said. “I certainly don’t expect anyone on my slowpoke team to do much more with the play when my guys at Air Force couldn’t get much YAC out of it.”

Boddie stunned his coach and everyone in the stadium by immediately getting in the clear with nothing but green grass in front of him. DeQuan Jackson and Henry Blackburn were in hot pursuit, but even a desperation diving tackle attempt couldn’t prevent an incredible finish.

With all of the lead changes and the walk-off nature of the victory, the game got 1,636 points on the ESPN Classic scale, which ranks No. 7 on B-Dawg’s NCAA 2014 profile, including online games.

The irony is that Boddie wouldn’t have been in the position to become the hero if not for an injury to receiver Cam Johnson, who sustained a broken collarbone in the first quarter. Johnson is expected to miss five weeks. That shifted receivers around in the Commodores’ formations, putting Boddie in position to make the big play.

It was Wright who got all the national love, becoming Vanderbilt’s first NCAA Offensive Player of the Week in this dynasty. He finished 22-for-34 for 305 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while running 13 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

“You are going to see a lot more read option with Mike Wright than with the quarterbacks I used in the latter half of my days at Air Force,” B-Dawg said. “Having a mobile quarterback is critical when you have a receiving corps that is unreliable.”

Wright’s completion percentage would have been better if not for five dropped passes. The fifth dropped pass was by Will Sheppard on third-and-four with 4:07 remaining. With Vanderbilt forced to punt, Colorado State’s Thomas Pannunzio took it 80 yards to the house with 3:49 remaining.

The Commodores regained the lead on a 10-yard run by Wright with 1:34 to go, then held Colorado State to a game-tying field goal.

Re’Mahn Davis continued to give Vanderbilt (3-1) a solid ground game, running 23 times for 140 yards and a touchdown.


Colorado State’s Thomas Pannunzio takes a punt 80 yards to the house in
the fourth quarter.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES at COLORADO STATE RAMS
Sept. 20, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Vanderbilt Commodores (3-1)	0	21	3	21	45
Colorado State Rams (1-2)	7	7	14	10	38

Team Stats Comparison
	VAN	CSU
Total Offense	525	438
Rushing Yards	39-220	30-132
Passing Yards	305	306
First Downs	25	20
Punt Return Yards	19	80
Kick Return Yards	156	124
Total Yards	700	642
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Conversion	6-11	5-11
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-5-1	3-2-1
Penalties	3-31	1-15
Possession Time	20:39	15:21

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CSU
4:23	(CSU) E. Scott 11 pass from T. Centeio (C. Camper kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CSU
8:22	(VAN) D. Boddie 9 pass from M. Wright (J. Bulovas kick)	7	7
3:51	(CSU) M. Wright 10 run (J. Bulovas kick)	14	7
2:37	(CSU) E. Scott 54 pass from T. Centeio (C. Camper kick)	14	14
:34	(VAN) C. Pierce 16 pass from M. Wright (J. Bulovas kick)	21	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CSU
5:38	(VAN) J. Bulovas 26 field goal	24	14
3:49	(CSU) T. Centeio 9 run (C. Camper kick)	24	21
:12	(CSU) E. Scott 32 pass from T. Centeio (C. Camper kick)	24	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CSU
7:10	(VAN) R. Davis 3 run (J. Bulovas kick)	31	28
3:49	(CSU) T. Pannunzio 80 punt return (C. Camper kick)	31	35
1:34	(VAN) M. Wright 10 run (J. Bulovas kick)	38	35
:11	(CSU) C. Camper 33 field goal	38	38
:00	(VAN) D. Boddie 68 pass from M. Wright (J. Bulovas kick)	45	38

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 22/34 305 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Re'Mahn Davis 23 140 6.0 1 Mike Wright 13 69 5.3 2 Rocko Griffin 3 11 3.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Devin Boddie 9 180 20.0 2 Re'Mahn Davis 4 19 4.8 0 Will Sheppard 3 38 12.7 0 Rocko Griffin 2 11 5.5 0 Ben Bresnahan 1 19 19.0 0 Chris Pierce 1 16 16.0 1 Logan Kyle 1 12 12.0 0 Amir Abdur-Rahman 1 10 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Julian Hernandez 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Allan George 8 2 1 0 Anfernee Orji 7 0 0 0 Max Worship 6 2 0 0 Gabe Jeudy'Lally 5 0 0 0 Jaylen Mahoney 4 0 0 0 Dashaun Jerkins 4 0 0 0 Ethan Barr 4 1 1 0 Michael Owusu 3 1 0 0 Brendon Harris 2 1 0 0 Brayden DeVault-Smith 2 0 0 0 Daevion Davis 2 2 1 0 Elijah McAllister 2 2 1 0 Raashaan Wilkins 2 1 1 0 Nate Clifton 1 1 0 0 De'Rickey Wright 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Joseph Bulovas 1/1 6/6 9 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Harrison Smith 4 165 41.3 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG James Ziglor 4 103 25.8 32 Cam Johnson 2 53 26.5 35 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG James Ziglor 1 19 19.0 19 Devin Boddie 1 0 0.0 0

COLORADO STATE RAMS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Todd Centeio 23/28 306 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD David Bailey 11 77 7.0 0 Tony Centeio 17 42 2.4 1 A'Jon Vivens 2 13 6.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Ty McCullouch 6 81 13.5 0 E.J. Scott 5 134 26.8 3 David Bailey 4 10 2.5 0 Dante Wright 3 48 16.0 0 Justice McCoy 2 15 7.5 0 Trey McBride 2 11 5.5 0 Jordan Kress 1 7 7.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK David Bailey 0 1 Tautai Li'o Marks 0 1 Joctavis Phillips 0 1 Elijah Johnson 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT DeQuan Jackson 9 1 0 0 Thomas Pannunzio 6 0 0 0 Henry Blackburn 6 0 0 0 Mohamed Kamara 5 1 0 0 Marshaun Cameron 5 1 0 0 Manny Jones 5 4 1 0 Rashad Ajayi 4 0 0 0 Robert Floyd 4 0 0 0 Tywan Francis 3 0 0 0 Cam'Ron Carter 3 0 0 0 Devin Phillips 3 1 0 0 Jack Howell 2 0 0 0 Cian Quioga 1 1 0 0 Chase Wilson 1 0 0 0 Scott Patchan 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Cayden Camper 1/3 5/5 8 33 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan Stonehouse 2 85 42.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Thomas Pannunzio 4 102 25.5 29 Dante Wright 1 22 22.0 22 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Thomas Pannunzio 1 80 80.0 80

Earl Bennett hauls in a game-tying 36-yard touchdown on fourth-and-
23 with 2:32 left in the game.

SHALLOW VICTORY
Vanderbilt needs miracle pass, late pick to
survive test from Division I-AA TSU, 27-24

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — B-Dawg got a Gatorade bath.

Vanderbilt’s football players, in turn, got a severe tongue-lashing.

B-Dawg would ordinarily have been overjoyed with the manner in which he got his first victory as Vanderbilt’s head coach, as the 97th-ranked Commodores battled back after trailing by 14 points early and seven points late.

There’s only one problem: The team that gave them such a tough challenge was Tennessee State, a Division I-AA program.

B-Dawg expected a stat-padding blowout, but needed a miracle fourth-and-23 touchdown pass to star receiver Earl Bennett to tie the game and a late interception to set up the winning field goal in a 27-24 victory over the Tigers on Sept. 23, 2006.

“I told them that they have absolutely nothing to be proud of, that we don’t celebrate like that when we beat teams like this,” B-Dawg said. “Now, if we beat the University of Tennessee instead of Tennessee State University, then I’ll let the boys have all the fun they want. Their performance today nearly disgraced our fine university and could have caused major damage when we go into kids’ houses to recruit in the offseason. What kid from Tennessee is gonna want to come to Vanderbilt when we may not even be the third-best program in the whole state? We’re definitely not up to Tennessee’s standards and I’d dare say that Memphis would slap us around, too. I’d hate to see what would have happened had we played this game on the road, because I’m not sure we could have pulled it out.”

Bennett’s tying touchdown came on a 36-yard pass from Chris Nickson into the left corner of the end zone with 2:32 left in the game. Vanderbilt’s next drive ended on an interception with 1:49 left, but budding star strong safety Reshard Langford grabbed his fourth interception in as many games with 42 seconds left to end a possible game-winning drive by the Tigers set up the Commodores at their own 46-yard line.

Nickson was injured while scrambling for a first down with 35 seconds left, which meant red-shirt freshman Mackenzi Adams was summoned from the bench. Adams went 3-for-4 for 29 yards to move the Commodores into field goal range, with Bennett making a diving catch at the 23 to get them there.

Bryant Hahnfeldt, who missed a 24-yard chip shot early in the game, came on and nailed a 40-yarder with five seconds left to give Vanderbilt the victory. Tennessee State had one last crack, but threw an incompletion.

The game got a 492-point score and ranks sixth on B-Dawg’s Greatest Games list.

The Tigers were not without at least a little talent. With an 88 OVR halfback and an 80 OVR quarterback, Tennessee State had Vanderbilt outmatched at those key positions. However, it was 65 OVR WR#19 (the Division I-AA rosters are totally botched!) who had a field day, catching nine passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Vanderbilt (1-3) fell behind early on two touchdown passes, but got back in the game in a hurry with two touchdowns in the final 37 seconds of the first half. Cassen Jackson-Garrison scored on a 2-yard run with 37 seconds to go in the half, capping an impressive 13-play, 86-yard drive. The Commodores got the ball back with enough time for Nickson to hit Bennett from 57 yards out as time expired for the tying touchdown.

A 24-yard field goal by Hahnfeldt gave Vanderbilt its first lead at 17-14 with 24 seconds left in the third quarter, but Tennessee State got a touchdown pass and field goal just 1:14 apart midway through the fourth quarter to take a 24-17 lead.

Bennett was the only Commodore who seemed able to take advantage of a mismatch against the lower-level talent at Tennessee State, catching nine passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson-Garrison found the going on the ground just as tough as it’s been against top-tier competition, needing 28 carries to get 102 yards.

Nickson, whose health status was unknown immediately after the game, threw three more interceptions. He has now thrown 12 interceptions and only four touchdown passes in four games.



PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
WR#19, Tennessee State; Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt

VANDERBILT 27, TENNESSEE ST. 24
First quarter
TSU: WR#19 11 pass from QB#8 (K#4 kick), :02
Second quarter
TSU: HB#22 16 pass from QB#8 (K#4 kick), 6:58
VANDY: Garrison 2 run (Hahnfeldt kick), :37
VANDY: Bennett 57 pass from Nickson (Hahnfeldt kick), :00
Third quarter
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 24 field goal, :24
Fourth quarter
TSU: WR#19 5 pass from QB#8 (K#4 kick), 5:41
TSU: K#4 34 field goal, 4:27
VANDY: Bennett 36 pass from Nickson (Hahnfeldt kick), 2:32
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 40 field goal, :05





Sidney Rice, South Carolina, WR
Stats: 23 catches, 420 yards, 8 TD

Jason Colson, West Virginia, HB
Stats: 101 carries, 713 yards, 8 TD; 10 catches, 225 yards, 2 TD

Graham Harrell, Texas Tech, QB
Stats: 111-for-171, 1,426 yards, 17 TD, 6 int.

Mike Hart, Michigan, HB
Stats: 93 carries, 658 yards, 5 TD; 8 catches, 187 yards, 2 TD

Mario Urrutia, Louisville, WR
Stats: 28 catches, 307 yards, 7 TD

[Scuzz]

An instant classic already, wow! So much for the “defensive-catered” sliders

Didn’t realize you ran madden chises as well. Love the history dive.

[BDawg35]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scuzz

An instant classic already, wow! So much for the “defensive-catered” sliders Didn’t realize you ran madden chises as well. Love the history dive.

Yeah, I'm not sure what you can actually do to end up with a bunch of 17-14 games, which is my preference. I don't mind punting 3-4 times in a row, so long as I'm not giving up 3-4 straight touchdowns. I think my favorite game in my last dynasty was a bowl game against Michigan where we both kicked four field goals until I scored a touchdown in the final minute. That was video game bliss!

I haven't run a Madden franchise since Madden 2009. I haven't enjoyed any of the versions since then. I was big into Madden in 2003, 2006 and 2009. In 2006, I detested NCAA (a version that a lot of folks here call the greatest ever, for some reason), so I played only Madden after bailing on my NCAA dynasty at some point in the third season. Sometimes I get the bug when I'm watching a real NFL game, but I prefer the college game for a video game.

[djp73]

man this takes me back... love it