|
|
|
Thread Tools |
07-25-2022, 02:48 PM
|
#33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
GAME 8 OF 2021/2006 SEASONS
 Backup quarterback Ken Seals of Vanderbilt throws a touchdown pass in the third quarter.  Vanderbilt running back Re’Mahn Davis scores the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 10 seconds left. LOOK OUT, SEC! Vanderbilt shocks the world with last-minute victory over Georgia NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was supposed to be Vanderbilt’s “Welcome to the SEC moment,” the game which would amplify the gap between the Commodores and the big boys in the league. Instead, it was B-Dawg’s coming-out party, a chance to show the rest of the SEC that Vanderbilt isn’t an automatic dub anymore. B-Dawg got his first signature victory in this dynasty just eight games in, pulling off a 31-30 victory over a 10th-ranked Georgia team that was the real-life national champion in 2021. The Commodores won the game on a 1-yard run by Re’Mahn Davis with 10 seconds left in the game. The game got an ESPN Classic score of 1,674 points, ranking seventh on B-Dawg’s NCAA ’14 profile. “I didn’t come here to get my brains beat in for three seasons like the last time I coached at Vandy,” B-Dawg said. “I’m here to win — now! We won’t be intimidated by any team on our schedule. As we’ve already proven, we can lose to any team and we can beat any team. It’s going to be quite the rollercoaster ride.” The victory came one week after Vanderbilt was on the other end of a mild upset, losing 30-14 to a 1-4 Army team. Even more stunning was that Vanderbilt pulled out the victory with a backup quarterback at the reins for most of the second half. When starter Mike Wright suffered a mild concussion midway through the third quarter, Ken Seals took the field for his first meaningful action. Seals threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chris Pierce shortly after entering the game to tie the game 24-24 with 4:44 left in the third quarter. The Commodores’ defense bent on Georgia’s next two drives, but held the Bulldogs to 34- and 25-yard field goals to make a comeback doable. A dropped pass over the middle on third down forced Georgia to kick the 25-yarder. Vanderbilt’s game-winning drive didn’t start on a promising note, with two dropped passes getting things started. A 16-yard pass to Amir Abdur-Rahman on third-and-10 was the spark the Commodores needed on an impressive 15-play, 69-yard march that consumed 5:10. Abdur-Rahman made another key catch, gaining five yards on third-and-four to move the ball to the 3-yard line with 1:51 remaining. “At this point, I’m almost certain we can score a touchdown on a toss play against a bunched-up goal-line defense,” B-Dawg said. “It’s probably 80% effective, so with three cracks at it we looked to be golden. But I was also worried about leaving too much time on the clock, like we did two games ago against Missouri. It worked out perfectly that we needed three plays to get into the end zone.” On first-and-goal, Davis had a 2-yard run to the 1-yard line. He inched the ball closer on the next play, but didn’t break the plane. On third down, Davis took a toss left and had a clear path to the end zone. “I considered having him hold up a bit to milk an extra second or two, but if something screwy happened and he didn’t score, we were out of timeouts,” B-Dawg said. Georgia tried to ice kicker Joseph Bulovas on the all-important go-ahead extra point, but it was a futile effort. Vanderbilt kicked it short to force Georgia to run some clock on the return, knowing that the CPU almost never goes house on kick returns. The return killed five seconds, giving the Bulldogs only one more play. Gabe Jeudy’Lally broke up a deep ball to end the game. A key to the victory was what each team did in the red zone. Both teams had five red-zone trips, but Vanderbilt had four touchdowns and Georgia settled for three field goals. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who is 98 OVR, wasn’t a factor in the game, making only one tackle.  Georgia’s Zamir White was held to 61 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
 RACHAAD WHITE, Arizona State, HB, rSr., 86 OVR 2021 stats: 124 carries, 717 yards, 13 TD; 14 catches, 186 yards, 2 TD CASEY THOMPSON, Texas, QB, rJr., 91 OVR 2021 stats: 115-for-200, 1,743 yards, 21 TD, 3 int.; 96 carries, 344 yards, 5 TD BRIAN ROBINSON, Alabama, HB, rSr., 91 OVR 2021 stats: 125 carries, 794 yards, 12 TD; 6 catches, 90 yards, 0 TD C.J. VERDELL, Oregon, HB, rSr., 88 OVR 2021 stats: 118 carries, 574 yards, 11 TD; 23 catches, 216 yards, 3 TD JAYLEN WARREN, Oklahoma State, HB, rJr., 89 OVR 2021 stats: 110 carries, 600 yards, 12 TD; 12 catches, 95 yards, 0 TD  1. Alabama (6-0) 2. Texas (6-0) 3. USC (6-0) 4. Penn State (6-0) 5. Clemson (7-0) 6. Oklahoma State (6-0) 7. Michigan State (7-0) 8. Oklahoma (5-1) 9. Ohio State (5-1) 10. North Carolina (6-1) 11. LSU (6-2) 12. Wisconsin (4-2) 13. Southern Methodist (5-1) 14. Arizona State (5-2) 15. Oregon (5-2) 16. Florida (5-2) 17. Cincinnati (5-1) 18. Washington (5-2) 19. Virginia Tech (7-1) 20. Baylor (6-0) 21. Arkansas (5-2) 22. Georgia (4-3) 23. Coastal Carolina (6-1) 24. Texas A&M (4-3) 25. Nevada (7-0)   The stench of impact/momentum B.S. was thick in the air as Sidney Rice makes a one-handed TD catch. South Carolina throws 6 TD passes, rallies from early deficit to beat Vandy NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — B-Dawg paid the Southeastern Conference the ultimate show of respect by choosing to roll with Vanderbilt because of the tradition and atmosphere of football down south. This from a long-time lover of Big Ten Conference football. And how does the SEC respond? By kicking him in the groin over and over again when the man is already down. Add South Carolina to B-Dawg’s enemies list after coach Steve Spurrier ran up the score in a 56-24 rout of the 106th-ranked Commodores on Oct. 21, 2006 after falling behind 10-0 early in the game. The 16th-rated Gamecocks (6-1) threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter after they’d already built a 42-0 lead. This latest outrage comes one week after Georgia threw a halfback option pass for a touchdown while holding a 49-7 lead against Vandy. “I guess this is how they roll in the SEC,” B-Dawg said. “Fine. Now we know the rules of engagement. We’re the small kid on the block right now and I guess it’s cool to beat up on us. But, I tell you what, we’re not going to be the whipping boy of this conference forever. I am taking names. The rest of the SEC is on notice: payback is a mo’ fo’!” B-Dawg’s plan was to double Heisman Trophy candidate Sidney Rice, the Gamecocks’ outstanding wide receiver. He did it early on, but backed of when South Carolina ran successfully. Whenever the CPU sensed Rice was no longer double-teamed, it went his way with ridiculous effectiveness. When it was over, he had seven catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Rice moved up to No. 2 on the Heisman watch list behind Iowa quarterback Drew Tate. Rice has 42 catches for 694 yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games. O.J. Murdock caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, finishing with five catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. In all, South Carolina quarterbacks Blake Mitchell and Cade Thompson threw for 423 yards and six touchdowns. The subject of running up the score was once again discussed during the broadcast. Kirk Herbstreit: “Some people look at it as running up the score. I’m sure the coach says he’s just running his offense.” Lee Corso: “He knows he can just run the ball and get out of here with a win. There’s no reason for him to throw touchdown passes at this time of the game.” “Lee’s the authority,” B-Dawg said. “He’s an old-school coach who knows the sacred code of football. He knows you don’t pass the ball with a big lead in the fourth quarter, especially deep.” B-Dawg would normally have put in his backups late in the game, but was so irate about South Carolina’s game plan that he decided to take advantage of the Gamecocks’ backups. Mackenzi Adams threw three touchdowns passes in the final 3:20, including a 53-yard bomb to star receiver Earl Bennett on fourth-and-one with the defense playing up to stop the run. Bennett was seven yards in the clear for an easy touchdown. He had nine catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns. “Hey, we’re just playing by their rules,” B-Dawg said. “I’m sure they would have done the same thing to us if we tried to sell out to stop the run on fourth-and-one.” An upset appeared to be brewing early on, as Vanderbilt put together an impressive 14-play, 78-yard drive to consume the first 3:48 of the game. Adams hit Bennett with a 3-yard touchdown pass to put the Commodores ahead 7-0. Josh Allen’s fourth interception of the season set up a 49-yard field goal by Bryant Hahnfeldt to make it 10-0 with 2:10 to go in the first. B-Dawg immediately bumped his human kick sliders from 30 percent to 25 percent after the 80 OVR kicker easily cleared the crossbar. South Carolina got its act together and scored on its next five possessions, not including a brief one late in the first half when the Gamecocks chose to run out the clock. An interception set up the Gamecocks’ second touchdown and put momentum irreversibly in their favor. Vanderbilt fell to 2-6 overall, 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina improved to 4-1 in the league, moving into a tie with Florida for first place in the SEC East. The Commodores are 0-4 against Top 25 teams and 0-5 on television this season. One of their final legitimate chances to win another game this season awaits them as they visit Duke next Saturday. “I would be worried if Deegeezy was at the sticks, but I think we can do some damage with the CPU running the show at Duke,” B-Dawg said. “We proved it against Mississippi. Of course, game momentum dictates so much of what happens. We just needed to grab it and keep it.” The only other possible victory in the four remaining games is against Kentucky. It would take JV mode for Vanderbilt to take down Florida or Tennessee. PLAYAZ OF DA GAME Sidney Rice, South Carolina; Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt SOUTH CAROLINA 56, VANDERBILT 24 First quarter VANDY: Bennett 3 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 4:09 VANDY: Hahnfeldt 49 field goal, 2:10 Second quarter SC: Boyd 4 run (Succop kick), 7:59 SC: Rice 11 pass from Mitchell (Succop kick), 4:36 SC: Davis 33 pass from Mitchell (Succop kick), 2:33 SC: Boyd 1 run (Succop kick), 1:01 Third quarter SC: Rice 34 pass from Mitchell (Succop kick), 5:56 SC: Rice 14 pass from Mitchell (Succop kick), 1:20 Fourth quarter SC: Murdock 80 pass from Thompson (Succop kick), 7:20 SC: Murdock 20 pass from Thompson (Succop kick), 5:17 VANDY: Garrison 5 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 3:20 VANDY: Bennett 53 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), :03 Last edited by BDawg35; 07-25-2022 at 02:50 PM. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
07-28-2022, 04:57 PM
|
#34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
GAME 9 OF THE 2021/2006 SEASONS
 Vanderbilt cornerback Allan George sacked Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada three times and had six tackles for losses.  Vanderbilt tight end Ben Bresnahan cuts toward end zone with a 1-yard touchdown catch. BLITZKRIEG! Vanderbilt cornerback gets 3 sacks in 27-17 triumph over Texas A&M COLLEGE STATION, Texas — It’s too early to get a gauge of how good a cover man Vanderbilt cornerback Allan George is, but he does appear to have a super power that could make him feared by SEC quarterbacks. George had three sacks and six tackles for losses, as the Commodores beat a top-25 team for the second straight week, knocking off No. 24 Texas A&M, 27-17. Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg had George, a nickel corner, blitz frequently out of a cover-2 nickel blitz. It’s a move that can backfire if the blitzer is picked up and the quarterback finds the uncovered receiver, but Zach Calzada never had enough time to make the Commodores pay. George set the tone with two sacks in the first quarter. Calzada, a 79 OVR red-shirt sophomore, seemed flustered at times against the pressure. “I expected a team like Texas A&M to have a better quarterback than a 79 OVR red-shirt sophomore,” B-Dawg said. “A quarterback more representative of their talent level might have picked us apart, but this kid looked scurred most of the day. The key for us moving forward is seeing if Allan can keep doing this week in and week out. Sometimes, a particular defense is cash money against one opponent, but gets shredded by another.” The Commodores will need unexpected heroes like George to step up, because 85 OVR sophomore outside linebacker Anfernee Orji suffered a foot fracture that will keep him out for seven weeks. His replacement is 75 OVR red-shirt senior Brayden Devault-Smith. “You saw what Anfernee is capable of when he had that pick and sack in the last minute against Eastern Michigan a couple weeks ago,” B-Dawg said. “The nice thing is that he has two more years with us and could be back for our bowl game.” Bowl game? Ah, yes. The Commodores are going bowling after improving their record to 6-3. In B-Dawg’s NCAA 2007 Vanderbilt dynasty, the Commodores didn’t make a bowl until their fourth season. It’s the second straight victory over a top-25 opponent for Vanderbilt, which beat No. 10 Georgia 31-30 last week. “I do like the long, slow, painful build, but I’m not going to lose on purpose to achieve that,” B-Dawg said. By the time Texas A&M realized it is supposed to beat teams like Vanderbilt, it was too late. The Commodores built a 27-3 lead through three quarters before the Aggies outscored them 14-0 in the fourth. Re’Mahn Davis enabled the Commodores to have a 22:19 to 13:41 advantage in time of possession, running 25 times for 111 yards. It didn’t help the Aggies’ cause that they were 0-for-8 on third down through three quarters.  Will Sheppard makes a 21-yard touchdown catch with six seconds left in the first half.
 Two-star center is Vandy’s first recruit Center Preston Moss of Opelika, Ala. will always have a special place in this dynasty as the first recruit to commit to Vanderbilt in the B-Dawg 2.0 era. Moss is a two-star prospect who is ranked 59th nationally among centers. Proximity to home was his No. 1 priority (B+), with academic prestige (A+) ranking second. He was able to overlook program tradition (C-). Moss chose Vanderbilt over Alabama-Birmingham and South Alabama. “I always try to do whatever I can to get my first recruit on the field, but Preston may have to wait a few years before he can crack the lineup,” B-Dawg said.  WALTER CAMP 5. Re’Mahn Davis, HB, Jr. BEDNARIK 3. Ethan Barr, MLB, Soph. 5. Dashaun Jerkins, FS, Sr. 11. Anfernee Orji, OLB, Soph. NAGURSKI 11. Ethan Barr, MLB, Soph. DOAK WALKER 4. Re’Mahn Davis, HB, Jr. BUTKUS 8. Ethan Barr, MLB, Soph. THORPE 3. Dashaun Jerkins, FS, Sr. 12. Allan George, CB, rSr. BEST RETURNER 11. James Ziglor, HB, Fr.  Aided by a huge dose of impact-momentum B.S., Justin Boyle breaks one tackle and drags another defender into the end zone for a TD. WHO NEEDS ’ROIDS? Fueled by overblown EA Sports momentum, lowly Duke looks unbeatable vs. Vandy DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Even one of the worst teams in college football can look like world beaters when a new EA feature goes horribly, horribly wrong. There was no turning back the instant that Duke got a momentum boost on an interception return for a touchdown midway through second quarter. A game that 107th-ranked Vanderbilt was leading 6-0 turned into a 44-13 laugher for the 82nd-ranked Blue Devils on Oct. 28, 2006. A 53-yard interception return for a touchdown by Michael Tauiliili with 3:29 left in the second quarter got Duke on the scoreboard and ignited a 21-point surge in a matter of just 2:06. The halftime break couldn’t shake Duke’s plus-five momentum, as the Blue Devils seemed to get an enormous, mysterious boost in AWR from EA’s lovely new feature. Duke (3-5) always seemed to know what Vanderbilt’s defense was designed to stop, throwing over the top for big plays when the Commodores were focusing on the run and plowing out big yards on the ground when Vanderbilt hedged its bets and honored the pass. “There was a defining moment for me in NCAA 2006 that caused me to put that dynasty to rest forever and never pick it up again, only a few months after the game released,” Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg said. “It was when the CPU, sensing I was selling out to stop the run on third-and-eight with the clock running late in a blowout, chose to lob a deep bomb down the field to pile up the score. “This game was utter B.S. and could very well becoming such a defining moment for me if I ever choose to go into another year of Madden hibernation. Duke is not good enough to be beating us like this. Yeah, they have some impact players in the secondary, but none of them would be considered the top players in college football. Yet, with the combination of two EA features — impact player and momentum — they turned into the greatest secondary in the history of college football. I need an aspirin now, if you don’t mind.” John Talley had three interceptions and Tauiliili had two, as Vanderbilt quarterback Mackenzi Adams was 19-for-36 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. The overblown momentum also turned Duke’s run defense into a major force, as Vanderbilt couldn’t even bow out gracefully by running the ball and getting this game over with. The Commodores (2-7) had only 24 yards on 23 carries, with only one sack factoring in to that total. Duke had 13 tackles for losses. This one was shaping up to be a welcome defensive struggle, with Vanderbilt leading 6-0 midway through the second quarter on a 22-yard pass from Adams to Marlon White with 5:59 left in the first half. The touchdown pass was the 10th straight completion for Adams, who gave no indication he was about to go irreversibly in the tank after leading an impressive 11-play, 73-yard drive. The extra point failed when Vanderbilt’s holder sprung up to avoid a block, then was totally confused and eventually threw the ball out of bounds. The botched extra point would prove to be the least of Vandy’s problems on this day. Tauiliili’s interception return put Duke ahead to stay at 7-6. It was quickly followed by two touchdown passes from Zack Asack to Jomar Wright, who caught four passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Duke’s lead eventually spiraled out of control at 41-6 before the Commodores just chucked the ole NCAA deep ball to Earl Bennett and got lucky for a season-long 83-yard touchdown with 6:25 left in the game. “This was a game I thought we would at least be extremely competitive in, if not win,” B-Dawg said. “But it turned out to be somewhat like our game against Temple. I don’t know if our guys get overconfident when we play the weaker teams. We seem to play better against top competition. What I do know is that EA has ruined an otherwise outstanding video game with yet another new feature that needs to be overblown to let us know it’s in there.” PLAYAZ OF DA GAME Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt; Michael Tauiliili, Duke DUKE 44, VANDERBILT 13 First quarter No scoring Second quarter VANDY: White 22 pass from Adams (kick failed), 5:59 DUKE: Tauiliili 53 interception return (Surgan kick), 3:29 DUKE: Wright 23 pass from Asack (Surgan kick), 2:41 DUKE: Wright 50 pass from Asack (Surgan kick), 1:23 Third quarter DUKE: Surgan 29 field goal, 5:29 DUKE: Robinson 5 run (Surgan kick), 4:14 DUKE: Boyle 4 run (Surgan kick), 2:45 Fourth quarter DUKE: Surgan 19 field goal, 7:18 VANDY: Bennett 83 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 6:25 DUKE: Surgan 30 field goal, 2:47 Drew Tate, Iowa, QB Stats: 190-for-328, 2,376 yards, 30 TD, 16 int. John David Booty, USC, QB Stats: 170-for-269, 2,387 yards, 23 TD, 8 int. Sidney Rice, South Carolina, WR Stats: 46 catches, 745 yards, 13 TD Jamaal Charles, Texas, HB Stats: 160 carries, 1,043 yards, 17 TD; 13 catches, 199 yards, 3 TD Zac Taylor, Nebraska, QB Stats: 167-for-273, 2,232 yards, 27 TD, 8 int. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
08-03-2022, 09:46 AM
|
#35 |
|
Rookie
|
Re: GAME 9 OF THE 2021/2006 SEASONS
BDawg35 likes this.
|
|
|
|
| Advertisements - Register to remove | ||
|
|
|
08-04-2022, 02:09 PM
|
#36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
Re: GAME 9 OF THE 2021/2006 SEASONS
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
08-05-2022, 02:34 PM
|
#37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
GAME 10 OF 2021/2006 SEASONS
 Florida quarterback Emory Jones bulls way into end zone.  Florida’s Malik Davis puts the game away by scoring on a 25-yard run with 52 seconds remaining. History nearly repeats Dropped pass on fourth-and-five ends Vandy’s hopes of rallying from 17 down GAINESVILLE, Fla. — B-Dawg rallied from being down 31-0 to win at The Swamp during his NCAA 2007 stint at Vanderbilt, so he wasn’t going to become unglued over a paltry 24-7 deficit. The Commodores battled back to within three points with 4:25 left in the game and had the ball in the final two minutes with a chance to lead, but couldn’t close the deal in a 38-28 loss to the 24th-ranked Gators on Nov. 8, 2021. The comeback from 31-0 down on Nov. 12, 2012 in NCAA 2007 was B-Dawg’s greatest in any video game. The difference between that Vanderbilt team and this one was that those Commodores were in their seventh season under B-Dawg and were ranked 13th in the country. This Vanderbilt team is ahead of schedule, but doesn’t quite possess the talent as its predecessor. For instance, most of the receivers at Vanderbilt seven years into the NCAA 2007 dynasty wouldn’t have dropped a key fourth-and-five pass like Will Sheppard did with 1:00 on the clock to end the Commodores’ comeback hopes. That was the seventh drop of the game by Vanderbilt. Two plays later, Florida put the game away when Malik Davis broke off a 25-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds to go. “There are no moral victories,” B-Dawg said. “This is a game we had no business winning, but it’s a game we could’ve won. We had the ball and had the momentum, but a sack and a dropped pass were killers.” Receiver Amir Abdur-Rahman caught two touchdown passes less than two minutes apart in the fourth quarter to get the Commodores within striking distance. Strong safety Max Worship stopped running back Dameon Pierce for no gain on third-and-eight with 2:10 left to give Vanderbilt a shot to at least tie the game. The Commodores started at their own 20-yard line with 2:04 remaining, but immediately went into reverse when Zachary Carter got his third sack of the game. After an incompletion and a 16-yard completion, Sheppard dropped a fourth-and-five slant. “Drops were an issue for my guys at Air Force when I first got there,” B-Dawg said. “Once we recruited guys who could hang on to the ball, we were unstoppable. We’re doing OK for a team that drops so many passes.” If Vanderbilt harbored any delusions of coming back from 10 points down following Davis’ touchdown run, those were wiped away when Trey Dean picked off a pass with 34 seconds left.  Amir Abdur-Rahman caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to get Vanderbilt back in the game.
 Dallas Baker (left) scores the go-ahead TD for Florida with 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Andre Caldwell takes a reverse from Jermaine McCollum en route to a 68-yard game-clinching punt return with 3:08 to go. CHOMPED! Gators bite back to beat Vandy after blowing early 14-0 advantage NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — B-Dawg’s assertion that his team plays its best against better competition could never have been more on-the-money than it’s been the last two weeks. Just one week after getting dominated in a 31-point blowout against a lowly Duke team, 112th-ranked Vanderbilt was actually leading national power Florida late in the third quarter before the 13th-ranked Gators came back with two big plays to win, 31-20 on Nov. 4, 2006. Two touchdown passes from Chris Leak to Andre Caldwell gave Florida a 14-0 lead just 2:43 into the game, but the Commodores finally found a way to overcome game momentum as two touchdown passes by Mackenzi Adams and two field goals by Bryant Hahnfeldt had them leading the game by a 20-17 score. Florida proved to be too powerful to contain, however, as the Gators took a 24-20 lead on a 30-yard pass from Chris Leak to Dallas Baker with 11 seconds left in the third quarter on a third-and-four play. Florida pretty much sealed the victory by using a bit of trickeration, as Jermaine McCollum fielded a punt and gave it to Caldwell on a reverse. Caldwell took off and ran 68 yards for his third touchdown of the day with 3:06 left in the game. “We have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,” Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg said. “We had one of the best teams in the country on the ropes for a while there, plus we showed some character by not folding after falling behind 14-0 so quickly. We will grow from this game, fo’ sho’.” An enormous reason why Vanderbilt (2-8) was able to hang around against Florida (7-2) was a defense that forced seven fumbles, recovering four of them. Middle linebacker Jonathan Goff led the charge with a beastly performance, forcing four fumbles and setting a dynasty record with 13 tackles. Goff’s tackle total tied the all-time record for a B-Dawg NCAA player. Buffalo’s Mark Graham had 13 against Akron on Sept. 27, 2003 in NCAA 2004, while Jammal Lavin did it twice and Willie McCloud once in B-Dawg’s NCAA 2005 Michigan dynasty. Goff’s fourth forced fumble gave Vanderbilt a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, as he jarred the ball loose from running back DeShawn Wynn with 3:59 left in the game. The ball was recovered by Vanderbilt’s Sean Dixon at the Commodores’ 26-yard line. However, after going three-and-out, the Commodores punted the ball away and Caldwell responded with the touchdown off the trick play to ice it. “In the interest of full disclosure, we amped up the Human tackle slider to combat the unstoppable CPU run game once it gets game momentum,” B-Dawg said. “What happens when that slider gets too high is your guys become user-stripping fools. That slider was gradually lowered throughout the game to what we hope will be a happy medium. Sliders are always a work in progress, y’know.” Another record was set with 2:13 left in the game when a catch by Earl Bennett allowed him to break the real-life single-season record of 1,213 yards set by Boo Mitchell in 1988. Bennett, only a sophomore, has 60 catches for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. Leak showed why he’s expected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the Madden draft, going 23-for-33 for 284 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The victory enabled Florida to stay atop the Southeastern Conference East Division with a 6-1 record. Tennessee is 4-1 in the SEC and presumably has come catching up to do schedule-wise. The Volunteers need some help from South Carolina next week in Florida’s SEC finale. Florida owns the tie-breaker over Tennessee, having beaten the Vols 42-35 in Week 3, so the Gators need to lose to the Gamecocks and Tennessee needs to win out to go to the SEC Championship Game. Vandy, meanwhile, has a game at Kentucky to determine which team will finish last in the division. Both teams are 1-5 in the conference. PLAYAZ OF DA GAME Andre Caldwell, Florida; Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt FLORIDA 31, VANDERBILT 20 First quarter FLA: Caldwell 6 pass from Leak (Hetland kick), 6:39 FLA: Caldwell 58 pass from Leak (Hetland kick), 5:17 VANDY: White 44 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 3:33 Second quarter FLA: Hetland 32 field goal, 6:54 VANDY: Bennett 47 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 5:17 Third quarter VANDY: Hahnfeldt 33 field goal, 5:37 VANDY: Hahnfeldt 33 field goal, 1:54 FLA: Baker 30 pass from Leak (Hetland kick), :11 Fourth quarter FLA: Caldwell 68 punt return (Hetland kick), 3:06 4 Commodores on awards list NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt is having another wretched season on the football field, but the Commodores have had some strong individual performances throughout the 2006 season. Four of those individuals have gained national attention, making the list of 12 semifinalists on the various awards lists that were released Monday. The player with the best shot at an award is middle linebacker Jonathan Goff, who is second for the Best Linebacker award, as well as seventh for the Bednarik as Defensive Player of the Year. Goff has 88 tackles, 20 for losses, four sacks, one pick and seven forced fumbles. Earl Bennett is sixth on the list for best wide receiver, having made 60 catches for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. Reshard Langford is ninth for the Thorpe as the nation’s top defensive back. He has 55 tackles, one for a loss, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. All four of his interceptions came in Vanderbilt’s first four games. He’s gone six games without a pick. Bryant Hahnfeldt is 11th for the Groza Award, which goes to the top kicker. Hahnfeldt is 12-for-13 on field goals, with a long of 49, and is perfect on 20 extra points. LEADERS ON LIST OF AWARD SEMIFINALISTS Maxwell: Jamil Walker, Wisconsin Bednarik: Steve Octavien, Nebraska; 7. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt Quarterback: Troy Smith, Ohio State Walker: Jamil Walker, Wisconsin Wide receiver: Calvin Davis, Iowa; 6. Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt Tight end: Matt Herian, Nebraska Offensive lineman: Kirk Barton, Ohio State Rimington: Doug Datish, Ohio State Lombardi: Lawrence Wilson, Ohio State Best Linebacker: Steve Octavien, Nebraska; 2. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt Thorpe: Roderick Rogers, Wisconsin; 9. Reshard Langford, Vanderbilt Groza: Mason Crosby, Colorado; 11. Bryant Hahnfeldt, Vanderbilt Last edited by BDawg35; 08-05-2022 at 04:04 PM. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
08-05-2022, 04:02 PM
|
#38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
GAME 11 OF 2021/2006 SEASONS
 Kentucky’s Vito Tisdale picks off a pass with 1:16 left to end Vanderbilt’s comeback hopes.  Vanderbilt receiver Chris Pierce dives into the end zone. DIGGING HOLES Vanderbilt falls behind at half again, falls short again in loss to Kentucky NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt isn’t a good enough football team to win games after spotting opponents huge leads. The Commodores can certainly make things interesting as they attempt to rise from the dead, but that’s no way to go about your business if you expect to have any success. For the second straight week, Vanderbilt had a chance to win a game after trailing by more than three scores, but couldn’t close the deal in a 41-35 loss to Kentucky on Nov. 15, 2021. The Wildcats shredded the Commodores in the first half, building a 38-13 halftime lead. One week earlier, Vanderbilt trailed 24-7 at Florida. As was the case last week, Vanderbilt’s defense showed some self-respect in the second half while the offense got rolling. A 32-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright ton Will Sheppard with 4:16 left in the game cut Kentucky’s lead to 41-35. Again, as was the case last week, Vanderbilt got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Instead of a dropped pass on fourth-and-five with 1:00 left, as happened at Florida, the dagger against Kentucky came in the form of Vito Tisdale’s second interception of the game with 1:16 remaining. The Commodores had driven to the Wildcats’ 32-yard line. “The game momentum seems to reset at halftime, so we’ve had a chance to make a new game of it the last two weeks,” B-Dawg said. “We probably got too comfortable once things were going well, figuring we would come back as my teams have done so often in the past. This team still needs to develop that winning pedigree. You’re not going to just pull off miracle comebacks because you have a coaching legend on the sidelines. Ballerz gotsta ball.” Kentucky quarterback Will Levis threw for four touchdown passes in the first half. His offense couldn’t manage more than a field goal after halftime. The 79 OVR red-shirt junior was 17-for-21 for 313 yards at halftime. He was only 5-for-8 for 47 yards in the second half. “I tell you, it’s all about EA’s game momentum,” B-Dawg said. “It resets at halftime. This guy was in ultimate robo-QB mode in the first half and was below average after that.”  Will Sheppard snags a touchdown pass with 4:16 left to get Vanderbilt within six points.
 Despite loss, Vandy gets four commits Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg was worried how a loss to Kentucky would impact recruiting when the Commodores had many of their prospects visiting last Saturday. It wasn’t a great haul, but it wasn’t a total loss. Four players committed to Vanderbilt, although only kicker Greg Mitchell will likely have an impact during his career. Mitchell is the 11th-ranked kicker in the country. The three-star prospect from Bayonet Point, Fla. chose Vanderbilt over Clemson and South Carolina. Keith Walker, the No. 74 offensive guard, is also a three-star prospect. The Valdosta, Ga. native picked the Commodores over Eastern Michigan and Wake Forest. Wake Forest also lost out on two-star offensive tackle Lance Griffin, who is ranked 131st at his position. Duke was third in the running for the St. Mary’s, Ga. product. After having to use tight ends to fill the void at fullback on the real Vanderbilt roster, B-Dawg landed two-star Andy Wilson of Decatur, Ala. Wilson is ranked 13th among fullbacks. He was also considering Alabama-Birmingham and Georgia Tech.  Vanderbilt was shut out when the finalists were named for the 2021 College Football Awards. Senior free safety Dashaun Jerkins came the closest to making the cut, ranking fourth for the Bednarik and fifth for the Thorpe. Sophomore middle linebacker Ethan Barr was fifth for the Butkus. Jerkins has 66 tackles, five for losses, one sack, one interception and six deflections. Barr has 65 tackles, 21 for losses, three sacks and one interception.  Cassen Jackson-Garrison leaps defenders on his way to a 278-yard, four-touchdown performance. THANK YOU, EA! CJG rushes for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns, Commodores ride early mo’ to victory at UK LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Across the way, Kentucky coach Rich Brooks was holding his postgame press conference and decrying the “momentum” feature in NCAA 2007. “Leave it to EA to overblow a new feature, just to let everyone know, hey lookie here, it’s in da game!” Brooks said. “We fumble one kickoff and all of a sudden we can’t stop an average running back like Cassen Jackson-Garrison? That’s pure B.S.!” Please forgive Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg if he doesn’t feel sorry for Mr. Brooks. B-Dawg has felt handcuffed by the momentum feature numerous times during the 2006 season, so he was more than happy to accept it when EA smiled happily upon his 112th-ranked Commodores in a 38-31 victory over 110th-ranked Kentucky on Nov. 11, 2006. The game really wasn’t as close as the final score indicated but, like in the team’s victory over Mississippi, a late rally made things more respectable. Kentucky (2-8) scored 23 points in the final 3:50 after falling behind 38-8. Garrison, who has had to scrape and claw for every yard he’s gotten this season, ran for big gains with ease. He had huge holes and great blocks on the outside all day, taking full advantage by running 42 times for 278 yards and four touchdowns. He almost certainly would have gone over 300 yards, but B-Dawg pulled his starters early in the fourth quarter, which may have contributed to Kentucky’s late rally. “Running backs, fueled by their impact status and game momentum, have run wild against us all year,” B-Dawg said. “It felt good to be on the other end of things. I know what they’re going through over there, but I’m not gonna shed a tear for them. I just had to call a dive play for CJG and he was guaranteed to move guys at least four or five yards off the line of scrimmage, if they were going to bring him down at all. It was B.S., but it was good B.S.” Garrison, a former fullback in real life, used power to get all those yards. He didn’t have a run longer than 24 yards and he had 12 broken tackles that led to 141 yards after contact. He finished with 345 all-purpose yards, having also gained 65 yards on two kick returns and two yards on one catch. Perhaps the tone was set when Kentucky fumbled the kickoff following Vanderbilt’s first touchdown, a 5-yard run by Garrison with 4:19 left in the first quarter. That fumble set up another touchdown run by Garrison and put the momentum meter at plus-five for Vanderbilt most of the game. The Wildcats also fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half during a rainstorm in Lexington. Vanderbilt’s domination was thorough for most of the first half, as the Commodores outgained Kentucky 249-21 and held a 12:07 to 2:55 advantage in time of possession while building a 24-0 lead. Kentucky got a spark going into halftime when Keenan Burton hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass and a 2-point conversion from Andre Woodson with one second to go in the second quarter. Any boost the Wildcats got from that score was undone when they fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half. Touchdown runs by Garrison and fullback Darnell Martemus gave Vanderbilt a seemingly comfortable 38-8 lead with 4:18 left in the game. A 71-yard bomb from Woodson to DeMoreo Ford with 3:50 left made it a 38-15 game. Kentucky recovered the onside kick and got within 38-23 on a 2-yard run by Rafael Little, plus a 2-point run by Little. Jared Hawkins of Vanderbilt recovered the next onside kick, but the Commodores quickly gave the ball back on a punt. An 11-yard pass from Woodson to Burton with 55 seconds left and Kentucky’s third 2-point conversion produced some nervous moments for Vanderbilt, which had put its starters back on the field by now. It came down to the ensuing onside kick, which Vanderbilt’s George Smith recovered to end any possibility of a miracle comeback. “I was scared to death on that last onside kick,” B-Dawg said. “You talk about ways in which game momentum can screw you big-time, the onside kick is one area where it surely can. The ball hits your guy in the leg and bounces just the right way for the CPU … yeah, it could happen.” With the ground game coming so easily, B-Dawg didn’t flirt with disaster through the air, especially with shaky No. 1 quarterback Chris Nickson returning from a six-week injury. Nickson threw only 13 times, completing six passes for 40 yards. The ground game enabled Vanderbilt to roll up a 22:41 to 9:19 advantage in time of possession. The victory moves Vanderbilt out of a tie for the Southeastern Conference East Division basement with Kentucky. Both teams were 1-5 in the SEC coming into the game. The Commodores will host in-state rival Tennessee in their season finale next Saturday. PLAYAZ OF DA GAME Cassen Jackson-Garrison, Vanderbilt; Keenan Burton, Kentucky VANDERBILT 38, KENTUCKY 31 First quarter VANDY: Garrison 5 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 4:19 VANDY: Garrison 1 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 2:35 Second quarter VANDY: Hahnfeldt 21 field goal, 4:57 VANDY: Garrison 1 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 1:02 UK: Burton 40 pass from Woodson (Burton pass from Woodson), :01 Third quarter VANDY: Garrison 7 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 1:00 Fourth quarter VANDY: Martemus 3 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 4:18 UK: Ford 71 pass from Woodson (Housley kick), 3:50 UK: Little 2 run (Little run), 2:36 UK: Burton 11 pass from Woodson (Bogue pass from Woodson), :55 CJG gets weekly national honor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Even if the competition was Kentucky and the two teams were battling to stay out of last place, Cassen Jackson-Garrison’s performance on Saturday was too impressive to ignore. Vanderbilt’s junior impact running back became the second Commodore this season to earn NCAA Player of the Week honors, doing so on the offensive side of the ball after running 42 times for 278 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 victory over Kentucky. The man known around town as CJG had 345 all-purpose yards. He joins cornerback Josh Allen as the two Vanderbilt players who have won the national weekly award this season. Allen got it when he had three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, in a victory over Mississippi. Texas Tech cornerback Antonio Huffman is the NCAA Defensive Player of the Week. He returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown in a 44-31 victory at Oklahoma. 1. Drew Tate, Iowa, QB STATS: 241-for-409, 3,090 yards, 36 TD, 19 int. 2. John David Booty, USC, QB STATS: 209-for-326, 2,837 yards, 29 TD, 9 int. 3. Sidney Rice, South Carolina, WR STATS: 55 catches, 943 yards, 14 TD 4. Calvin Davis, Iowa, WR STATS: 59 catches, 875 yards, 13 TD 5. Steve Smith, USC, WR STATS: 64 catches, 958 yards, 10 TD |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
08-05-2022, 04:49 PM
|
#40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MVP
|
GAME 12 OF 2021/2006 SEASONS
 Vanderbilt kicker Joseph Bulovas celebrates his game-winning field goal as time expires.  Vanderbilt receiver Chris Pierce makes a 15-yard catch on fourth-and-eight with 1:20 left in the game, setting up the winning field goal. GUTLESS CPU ’Dores take advantage of CPU choices in walk-off victory over Tennessee KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The difference between winning and losing in NCAA ’14 often comes down to how the coaches of each team are wired. EA Sports programmed its CPU coaches to make gutless decisions when going for it wouldn’t be that much of a risk. User-controlled teams, thankfully, are usually controlled by someone who can bring some common sense to the table when decisions need to be made. Tennessee’s unwillingness to go for it and settle for field goals twice on fourth-and-one, while B-Dawg’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-eight late in the game made all the difference in Vanderbilt’s 30-27 victory over the Vols on a rare snowy Nov. 22 day in the south. Tennessee had fourth down at the 1-yard line when it chose to kick a 17-yard field goal in the second quarter. Facing fourth-and-one from the 16 in the third quarter, Tennessee kicked a 33-yard field goal. “Anyone who has watched our defense knows it can be had,” B-Dawg said. “It’s safe to say Tennessee left eight points out there by settling for field goals. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the coach get fired after making those spineless decisions in a rivalry game they don’t expect to ever lose.” B-Dawg’s big fourth-down decision came when Vanderbilt had the ball at Tennessee’s 38-yard line, needing eight yards to move the chains. Quarterback Mike Wright was sacked for a 2-yard loss by defensive tackle Matthew Butler on the previous play. “A punt wouldn’t have done us any good, unless we really pinned them inside the 5,” B-Dawg said. “I don’t trust my defense to hold them off and get us to overtime.” So, B-Dawg went for it, despite the risk of giving the Vols good field position with enough time to do some damage. Wright hit receiver Chris Pierce for a 15-yard gain on an out route with 1:20 remaining to keep the drive alive and ultimately set up Joseph Bulovas’ 25-yard walk-off field goal. Bulovas’ kick capped a fourth-quarter comeback from a 10-point deficit. Devin Boddie sparked the rally by catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from Wright with 8:57 left in the game. The Commodores had to settle for a game-tying 26-yard field goal from Bulovas with 5:54 left after a 44-yard scramble by Wright moved the ball to Tennessee’s 8-yard line. Wright was lucky to not have a pass intended for Logan Kyle at the goal line intercepted on third down. The Commodores got the ball back when cornerback Allan George blew up running back Tiyon Evans for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2 from the Vanderbilt 40. Tennessee’s Paxton Brooks pinned Vanderbilt at the 7-yard line with a rare intelligent punt by the CPU with 4:12 remaining. From there, Vanderbilt milked the rest of the clock by running 14 plays before kicking the walk-off field goal. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was in full-on robo-QB mode, completing 27 of 29 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns. His only incompletions were two drops in his first six passes. He completed his final 23 attempts. As for the snow, B-Dawg was shocked when the game loaded. “I figure I had seen the last of snow games when I came to the SEC to coach,” B-Dawg said. “I know it can snow in Knoxville. I was actually in the Knoxville area when it snowed in 2009, but that was between Christmas and New Year’s. In Michigan where I’ve lived most of my life, we are just starting to get snow around this time of year. I’m glad I didn’t put us in the all-white pants and the white helmets, or it would’ve been difficult spotting our receivers.”  Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright has a 44-yard scramble to set up a fourth-quarter field goal.
Vanderbilt appears to have upgraded its defense by adding three-star strong safety Anthony Smiley to its 2022 recruiting class during the bye week following a victory at Tennessee. Smiley is the 13th-ranked strong safety in the country, rated 73 OVR. The Pueblo West, Colo. native chose the Commodores over Kentucky and Rutgers. Smiley visited campus during the loss to Kentucky.  Cassen Jackson-Garrison wasn’t going to run for 278 yards this week, not if Tennessee’s Justin Harrell had anything to say about it. Vols hold Vandy to 124 yards, grab four picks in 40-3 rout NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt hopes one day to rule the national college football scene under the guidance of coach B-Dawg. For the time being, just ruling their own backyard is a major challenge. The team that struggled to beat Division I-AA Tennessee State got an expected beatdown from the big boys on the block, losing 40-3 to fifth-ranked Tennessee in the Commodores’ season finale on Nov. 18, 2006. Vanderbilt finished its first season under B-Dawg with a 3-9 overall record, 2-6 in the Southeastern Conference. The Commodores’ victories came over Tennessee State, Mississippi and Kentucky. “We really thought we should have had two more victories this season with teams like Temple and Duke on our schedule, but I guess we’re one of those teams ourselves,” B-Dawg said. “I cannot get on the recruiting trail quickly enough.” The 101st-ranked Commodores held out hope that they could hang with Tennessee after having a lead late in the third quarter against Florida two weeks ago and running wild against Kentucky in a 38-31 victory last Saturday. It certainly looked like Vanderbilt might position itself for an upset, as a 23-yard field goal by Bryant Hahnfeldt gave the Commodores a 3-0 lead after one quarter. However, things totally unraveled in the second quarter. Tennessee (10-1) outscored Vanderbilt 30-0 in the second quarter, intercepting three passes, including one which was returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Marvin Mitchell. The Vols scored four touchdowns in a 2:48 span late in the first half, as EA game momentum went into overdrive following a Roshaun Fellows pick with 5:37 left in the second quarter. A blocked extra point by Brandon Holmes was Vanderbilt’s only highlight after the first quarter. Quarterback Chris Nickson could not have been more horrible, posting a pitiful 3.5 quarterback rating by going 5-for-15 for 42 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. He led an offense and managed only 124 yards of total offense. “I can’t blame Chris totally, because once game momentum kicked in, he never had time to catch his breath back there,” B-Dawg said. “Their defenders went through our line like it didn’t even exist.” Realizing that it just wasn’t going to happen on this day, B-Dawg tried to just run the ball, keep the clock running and get on to the offseason. Even running proved to be a major chore, as Cassen Jackson-Garrison was held to 78 yards on 23 carries after rushing for 278 yards and four touchdowns last week. Star receiver Earl Bennett had only one catch for zero yards, but is still fifth in the national in receiving yards with a school-record 1,237 yards on 64 catches. Middle linebacker Jonathan Goff had eight tackles, but fell two short of becoming B-Dawg’s first NCAA player to ever rack up 100 for a season. His 98 tackles are an all-time B-Dawg record for NCAA Football, breaking the 89 racked up by Paul Tithof of Western Michigan in the 2006 season of NCAA 2006. “Both of those guys will be back next season and should do even bigger and better things as we get this thing turned in the right direction,” B-Dawg said. PLAYAZ OF DA GAME Marvin Mitchell, Tennessee; David Carter, Vanderbilt TENNESSEE 40, VANDERBILT 3 First quarter VANDY: Hahnfeldt 23 field goal, 1:37 Second quarter TENN: Wilhoit 33 field goal, 6:28 TENN: Holbert 10 pass from Ainge (Wilhoit kick), 3:54 TENN: Mitchell 40 interception return (Wilhoit kick), 3:06 TENN: Hefney 55 punt return (Wilhoit kick), 2:15 TENN: Foster 18 run (kick blocked), 1:06 Third quarter TENN: Wilhoit 25 field goal, 5:40 Fourth quarter TENN: Hardesty 4 run (Wilhoit kick), 2:29 1. Drew Tate, Iowa, QB STATS: 264-for-448, 3,277 yards, 39 TD, 19 int. 2. John David Booty, USC, QB STATS: 233-for-360, 3,128 yards, 31 TD, 11 int. 3. Sidney Rice, South Carolina, WR STATS: 62 catches, 990 yards, 16 TD 4. Calvin Davis, Iowa, WR STATS: 68 catches, 924 yards, 14 TD 5. Steve Smith, USC, WR STATS: 69 catches, 978 yards, 10 TD Maxwell 1. Jamil Walker, Wisconsin 2. Amir Pinnix, Minnesota 3. Kenneth Darby, Alabama Bednarik 1. Steve Octavien, Nebraska 2. Maurice Mack, Kansas State 3. Anthony Waters, Clemson Missed cut — 8. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt Best quarterback 1. John David Booty, USC 2. Drew Tate, Iowa 3. Troy Smith, Ohio State Walker 1. Jamil Walker, Wisconsin 2. Kenneth Darby, Alabama 3. Amir Pinnix, Minnesota Best wide receiver 1. Sidney Rice, South Carolina 2. Steve Smith, USC 3. Calvin Davis, Iowa Missed cut — 8. Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt Best tight end 1. Tate Casey, Florida 2. Joe Jon Finley, Oklahoma 3. Rylan Reed, Texas Tech Best offensive lineman 1. Kirk Barton, Ohio State 2. Doug Datish, Ohio State 3. Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin Rimington 1. Doug Datish, Ohio State 2. Tyson Swaggert, Minnesota 3. Mark Fenton, Colorado Lombardi 1. Cody Pree, Houston 2. Adam Carriker, Nebraska 3. Lawrence Wilson, Ohio State Best linebacker 1. Steve Octavien, Nebraska 2. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt 3. Anthony Waters, Clemson Thorpe 1. Roderick Rogers, Wisconsin 2. Michael Hamlin, Clemson 3. A.J. Tuitele, Oregon Missed cut — 5. Reshard Langford, Vanderbilt Groza 1. James Wilhoit, Tennessee 2. Mason Crosby, Colorado 3. Ryan Pretorius, Ohio State Missed cut — 12. Bryant Hahnfeldt, Vanderbilt Best punter 1. Brian Monroe, Miami 2. Jeremy Kapinos, Penn State 3. A.J. Trapasso, Ohio State Best returner 1. Terry Richardson, Arizona State 2. Steve Breaston, Michigan 3. Tre Smith, Auburn Coach of the year 1. George O’Leary, Central Florida 2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah 3. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:54 PM.
|
Top -
|
