The Coaching Legacy of Gus Malzahn: Vandy's Rise to Greatness

[TomahawkChop10]

Vandy Pulls Away From Cowboys, Win 8th Game of the Year



Warren Norman caps off a long second half touchdown run






Rob Lohr makes a key quarterback sack in the fourth quarter






Brandon Barden eludes an Oklahoma State defender for a touchdown

Vanderbilt (8-3, 5-2) at Oklahoma State (4-7, 2-6)
Nov 12, 2011 1 2 3 4 F #24 Vanderbilt 3 17 7 10 37 Oklahoma State 3 10 3 0 16 Top Performers Vanderbilt L. Smith: 7/14, 131 yds, 1 TD, 117 rush yds, 2 TD S. Clarke: 8 tkls, 4 tfl, sack Oklahoma State B. Weeden: 20/32, 315 yds, 1 TD C. Bassett: 9 tkl, 4 tfl	Team Stats Comparison VAND OKST First Downs 13 17 3rd Down Efficiency 8-14 5-11 4th Down Efficiency 1-3 0-0 Total Yards 490 360 Passing Yards 131 315 Rushing Yards 359 45 Penalties-Penalty Yards 5-45 1-10 Turnovers 1 0 Time of Possession 16:24 11:36
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING VAND OKST 3:58 (VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 47 yd FG 3 0 1:18 (OKST) FG Ok St: T. Massey, 54 yd FG 3 3 SECOND QUARTER SCORING VAND OKST 5:43 (VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 27 yd FG 6 3 4:49 (OKST) TD Ok St: J. Blackmon, 24 yd pass from B. Weeden ( T. Massey kick) 6 10 4:14 (VAND) TD Vandy: B. Barden, 59 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick) 13 10 0:38 (VAND) TD Vandy: L. Smith, 32 yd run (R. Fowler kick) 20 10 0:01 (OKST) FG Ok St: T. Massey, 40 yd FG 20 13 THIRD QUARTER SCORING VAND OKST 2:59 (VAND) TD Vandy: W. Norman, 51 yd run (R. Fowler kick) 27 13 1:26 (OKST) FG Ok St: T. Massey, 25 yd FG 27 16 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING VAND OKST 4:22 (VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 17 yd FG 30 16 1:18 (VAND) TD Vandy: L. Smith, 1 yd run (R. Fowler kick) 37 16
Vanderbilt PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT L. Smith 7/14 131 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD W. Norman 26 223 8.5 1 L. Smith 10 117 11.7 2 Z. Stacy 5 19 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD B. Barden 2 64 32.0 1 J. Krause 2 23 11.5 0 J. Matthews 2 36 18.0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG R. Fowler 3/3 4/4 13 48 Oklahoma State PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT B. Weeden 20/32 315 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Smith 9 21 2.3 0 J. Cooper 2 23 11.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD H. Anyiam 8 128 16.0 0 J. Smith 3 47 15.6 0 J. Blackmon 3 27 9.0 1 J. Cooper 3 59 19.6 0 J. Smith 2 33 16.5 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG T. Massey 3/5 1/1 10 54

Top 25 Games (Week 12)
1 Southern Cal 33 - 22 Arizona 29
2 Boise State 28 - Idaho 10
3 Wisconsin 28 - 17 Michigan State 14
4 Oklahoma 35 - Texas Tech 23
5 Alabama 25 - Auburn 0
6 Virginia Tech 21 - Virginia 17
7 Miami 53 - UTEP 6
9 Iowa 34 - Ohio State 10
10 LSU 19 - Ole Miss 14
14 Texas 33 - UCLA 21
15 Penn State 24 - Minnesota 17
16 UAB 23 - Houston 45
18 Utah 27 - BYU 10
19 West Virginia 44 - South Florida 20
21 North Carolina 9 - Duke 30
23 Nevada 29 - San Jose State 3
24 Vanderbilt 37 - Oklahoma State 16
25 Missouri 28 - Kansas State 3



National Players of the Week (Week 12)
QB Russel Wilson, NC St: 21/41, 577 yds, 7 TD
OLB Nathan Stupar, Penn St: 13 tkl, 7 tfl, 2 sacks, FF, FR

SEC Players of the Week (Week 12)
QB Larry Smith, Vandy: 7/14, 131 yds, 117 rush yds, 3 total TD
OLB Danny Trevanthan, Kentucky: 8 tkl, tfl, INT, FR

[TomahawkChop10]

Vanderbilt Loses Heartbreaker to Rival Tennessee in Knoxville


Knoxville, TN -- After falling behind early, Vanderbilt remained resilient and took a 34-28 lead in the fourth quarter. Facing a crucial point in the game, Tennessee was facing a 4th and 4 from their own 39 yard line. With 1:32 left in the game, and all three time outs, Coach Dooley rolled the dice and went for the first down with his team trailing 34-31. Simms would hit his favorite target on the day (Milton: 9 catches, 158 yds, 2 TD) and convert for a first down. Three plays later, Tennessee was facing another 4th down. This time on the Vanderbilt 16 yard line with the clock rolling towards 0:00 and out of timeouts, Simms rolled out of the pocket to buy some time, and he saw his man Milton streaking across the back of the endzone. Miraculously Simms' pass split two Vanderbilt defenders and Milton made the game winning touchdown catch with 0:08 left on the clock.

Gus Malzahn
"I'm shocked right now. To lose a game like that just hurts worse than I can even explain. We fought so hard to come back and get the lead late and then they make a great play and rip our hearts out of our chests at the very end. This one is going to sit with me for a while. It's going to be very hard to get this loss off my mind."

The loss was much more than adding one to Vandy's 'L' column. Their loss also eliminated them from playing in the SEC Championship Game. Vanderbilt came in just needing to win in order to finish first in the SEC. The loss, though, dropped them into a four way tie with Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. Florida held the tiebreaker over the others, and the Gators will represent the East in the SEC Championship game against Alabama.

Nov 19, 2010 - VAND at TENN
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#22 Vanderbilt (8-4, 5-3)	7	3	17	7	34
Tennessee (6-6, 3-5)	14	7	7	10	38

Team Stats Comparison
VAND		TENN
488	Total Offense	368
123	Rushing Yards	131
365	Passing Yards	237
13	First Downs	15
31	Punt Return Yards	107
100	Kick Return Yards	59
376	Total Yards	534
2	Turnovers	1
6-14	3rd Down Converstion	7-15
1-1	4th Down Conversion	0-0
0-0	2-Point Conversion	0-0
5-4-1	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-4-1
5-28	Penalties	6-40
16:44	Posession Time	11:16

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		VAND	TENN
6:15	(VAND) TD Vandy: J. Cole, 13 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick)	7	0
4:58	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Rivera, 8 yd pass from M. Simms (M. Palardy kick)	7	7
1:14	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Milton, 18 yd pass from M. Simms (M. Palardy kick)	7	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		VAND	TENN
4:06	(TENN) TD Tenn: D. Rogers, 24 yd pass from M. Simms (M. Palardy kick)	7	21
1:38	(VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 34 yd FG	10	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		VAND	TENN
5:02	(VAND) TD Vandy: J. Matthews, 14 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick)	17	21
3:48	(VAND) TD Vandy: W. Norman, 8 yd run (R. Fowler kick)	24	21
2:19	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Simms, 2 yd run (M. Palardy kick)	24	28
0:14	(VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 33 yd FG	27	28
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		VAND	TENN
5:02	(VAND) TD Vandy: B. Braden, 23 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick)	34	28
3:08	(TENN) FG Tenn: M. Palardy, 44 yd FG	34	31
0:08	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Milton, 16 yd pass from M. Simms (M. Palardy kick)	34	38

Top 25 Games (Week 13)
1 Southern California 48 - 12 Oregon 24
2 Boise State 34 - Utah State 0
3 Wisconsin 17 - Illinois 13
4 Oklahoma 37 - BYU 7
5 Alabama 49 - FCS SE 0
7 Miami 37 - Virginia 0
8 Iowa 16 - Minnesota 7
9 TCU 26 - 16 Utah 23
10 LSU 33 - Arkansas 10
11 Clemson 30 - South Carolina 7
13 Notre Dame 31 - Stanford 10
14 Texas 49 - Texas A&M 21
15 Penn State 17 - 20 Michigan State 12
17 West Virginia 34 - 25 Cincinnati 41
18 Florida State 31 - 24 Florida 24
19 Nevada 40 - Hawai'i 7
21 UAB 27 - East Carolina 24
22 Vanderbilt 34 - Tennessee 38



National Players of the Week (Week 13)
QB Matt Barkley, USC: 32/46, 500 yds, 4 TD
OLB Darin Davis, MTSU: 10 tkl, 6 tfl, 2 sacks, FF, FR, TD


SEC Players of the Week (Week 13)
WR Marquis Maze, Alabama: 10 rec, 168 yds, 4 TD
LE Taylor Wyndham, Kentucky: 6 tkls, 3 tfl, sack, FF, FR, TD





Week 14

Top 25 Games
1 Southern Cal 45 - UCLA 3
2 Boise State 37 - 18 Utah 44
6 Virginia Tech 28 - Arkansas State 26
7 Miami 41 - Kansas State 20
8 Iowa 21 - 21 Missouri
9 TCU 19 - Auburn 34
11 Clemson 42 - Florida Atlantic 10
12 Notre Dame 21 - Pittsburgh 19
14 Penn State 24 - 24 Temple 38
15 Oregon 22 - Oregon State 28
16 Nevada 9 - Texas Tech 6
17 UAB 28 - Troy 23
22 Arizona 17 - Arizona State 22
25 Southern Mississippi 20 - Virginia 27





Week 15

Top 25 Games
11 Notre Dame 41 - Wyoming 17

[TomahawkChop10]

Conference Championship Weekend



SEC Championship Game

#16 (8-4, 5-3) vs. #4 (11-1, 7-1)

Florida (8-5) at Alabama (12-1)
Dec 10, 2011 1 2 3 4 F #16 Florida 3 10 3 3 19 #4 Alabama 3 10 7 0 20 Top Performers Florida J. Demps, Florida: 30 car, 145 yds, 4.8 ypc, TD O. Hunter, Florida: 9 tkl, 5 tfl, 2 sacks Alabama T. Richardson, Alabama: 30 car, 137 yds, 2 TD J. Harris, alabama: 10 tkl, 3 tfl, sack, FF	Team Stats Comparison UF BAMA First Downs 17 18 3rd Down Efficiency 10-20 7-16 4th Down Efficiency 1-1 0-1 Total Yards 281 277 Passing Yards 127 152 Rushing Yards 154 125 Penalties-Penalty Yards 7-58 9-52 Turnovers 1 0 Time of Possession 31:56 28:04

Big 12 Championship Game

#23 (9-3, 7-1) vs. #3 (11-1, 8-0)

Missouri (9-4, 7-2) at Oklahoma (12-1, 9-0)
Dec 10, 2011 1 2 3 4 OT F #23 Missouri 7 7 0 10 0 24 #3 Oklahoma 7 7 7 3 3 27 Top Performers Missouri M. Egnew, Missouri: 9 rec, 159 yds, 17.6 ypc, 2 TD A. Smith, Missouri: 6 tkl, 3 tfl, sack Oklahoma L. Jones, Oklahoma: 22/35, 294 yds, 2 TD F. Alexander, Oklahoma: 11 tkl, 4 tfl, 1.5 sacks	Team Stats Comparison MIZ OU First Downs 17 16 3rd Down Efficiency 9-22 7-19 4th Down Efficiency 1-1 1-1 Total Yards 403 388 Passing Yards 325 294 Rushing Yards 78 94 Penalties-Penalty Yards 4-23 6-40 Turnovers 2 1 Time of Possession 30:55 31:00

ACC Championship Game

#5 (11-1, 7-1) vs. #10 (11-1, 7-1)

Virginia Tech (11-2, 7-2) at Clemson (12-1, 8-1)
Dec 10, 2011 1 2 3 4 F #5 Virginia Tech 0 7 0 10 17 #10 Clemson 3 9 7 14 33 Top Performers Virginia Tech L. Thomas, VT: 11/23, 139 yds, 2 TD, 24 rush yds B. Rivers, VT: 10 tkl, 4 tfl, FF Clemson K. Parker, Clemson: 17/29, 242 yds, 3 TD A. Branch, Clemson: 9 tkl, 4 tfl, 2 sacks	Team Stats Comparison VT CLEM First Downs 15 19 3rd Down Efficiency 8-20 6-16 4th Down Efficiency 1-4 1-1 Total Yards 239 402 Passing Yards 139 242 Rushing Yards 100 160 Penalties-Penalty Yards 7-35 8-80 Turnovers 0 2 Time of Possession 27:16 32:42

C-USA Championship Game

#20 (10-2, 6-2) vs. #15 (11-1, 7-1)

Dec 10, 2011 - HOU at UAB
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
#20 Houston (10-3, 6-3)	3	7	6	8	0	24
#15 UAB (12-1, 8-1)	7	7	0	10	3	27

MAC Championship Game

(9-3, 6-2) vs. #19 (11-1, 7-1)

Dec 10, 2011 - BALL at TEMP
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Ball State (9-4, 6-3)	3	0	0	0	3
#19 Temple (12-1, 8-1)	7	17	10	0	34

[mm boost]

oh man what a way to end the season, that is completely gut wrenching to lose out on the SEC championship game on a last second pass. So what bowl game are you looking at now? it seems like everytime you get ranked, you lose the very next game - gosh that sucks lol.

[TomahawkChop10]

Quote: Originally Posted by mm boost

oh man what a way to end the season, that is completely gut wrenching to lose out on the SEC championship game on a last second pass. So what bowl game are you looking at now? it seems like everytime you get ranked, you lose the very next game - gosh that sucks lol.

I'm still not sure if I've fully recovered from that loss. I mean they jumped out on me, I fought back and had a very late lead, only to lose like that.

I don't know if it's because I'm Vanderbilt, or what, but I actually go into about every game expecting to lose. It's like I have the same mentality as a Vanderbilt player and fan. I think that played a part in me losing some of my games early in the season. Once I realized I had a team that could compete with anyone I started playing with more confidence, and it actually felt like it carried over to my players, as weird as that sounds haha.

But yeah, losing twice the week after cracking the 25 sucked, but at the same time it felt like quite an accomplishment to just crack the top 25 with Vandy.

I'm not exactly sure on the exact bowl but it's one of the 3 or 4 SEC vs. Big 10 games. I wanna say I'm playing Penn State. I'm getting ready to turn on the PS3 and check it out and post all of that information.

[TomahawkChop10]

2011-2012 Bowl Season


BCS Bowls

Rose Bowl
#7 (10-2, 7-1) vs. #6 (11-1, 7-1)

Jan 1, 2012 - IOWA at MIA
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#7 Iowa (10-3, 7-1)	0	3	0	0	3
#6 Miami (12-1, 7-1)	14	14	7	7	42

Sugar Bowl
#4 (12-1, 8-1) vs. #18 (10-2, 7-0)

Jan 1, 2012 - BAMA at CIN
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#4 Alabama (12-1, 8-1)	10	21	3	15	49
#18 Cincinnati (10-3, 7-0)	7	14	7	6	34

Orange Bowl
#5 (12-1, 8-1) vs. #9 (10-2, 7-1)

Jan 1, 2012 - CLEM at LSU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#5 Clemson (13-1, 8-1)	14	13	14	0	41
#9 LSU (10-3, 7-1)	0	7	0	14	21

Fiesta Bowl
#3 (11-1, 7-1) vs. #8 (11-1, 8-0)

Jan 1, 2012 - WISC at BSU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#3 Wisconsin (11-2, 7-1)	0	7	10	0	17
#8 Boise State (12-1, 8-0)	7	21	7	14	49

BCS National Championship Game
#2 (12-1, 9-0) vs. #1 (12-0, 9-0)

Jan 10, 2012 - OU at USC
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#2 Oklahoma (13-1, 9-0)	3	7	7	17	34
#1 Southern California (12-1, 9-0)	10	3	0	3	16

Non-BCS Bowl Games
New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State (6-6) 34 - Idaho (6-6) 27
St. Petersburg Bowl: Nebraska (6-6) 42 - Southern Miss (8-4) 19
New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee St. (11-1) 38 - Marshall (7-5) 14
Las Vegas Bowl: Stanford (7-5) 45 - #16 TCU (10-2) 20
Poinsettia Bowl: #13 Utah (10-2) 44 - Pittsburgh (7-5) 28
Hawai'i Bowl: Tulsa (7-5) 34 - Northern Illinois (7-5) 6
Little Caesars Bowl: #18 Temple (12-1) 39 - Illinois (6-6) 36
Meineke Car Care Bowl: W. Kentucky (7-5) 29 - North Carolina (7-5) 23
Emerald Bowl: Washington (7-5) 23 - #14 Nevada (10-2) 0
Music City Bowl: UTEP (8-4) 13 - Kentucky (7-5) 10
Independence Bowl: Louisville (6-6) 35 - BYU (8-4) 17
EagleBank Bowl: California (6-6) 41 - Ball State (9-4) 17
Champs Sports Bowl: #20 Florida State (8-4) 34 - Ohio (8-4) 12
Roady Humanitarian Bowl: #19 West Virginia (8-4) 58 - Hawai'i (9-3) 14
Holiday Bowl: Texas A&M (8-4) 20 - UCLA (6-6) 3
Brut Sun Bowl: Rutgers (8-4) 29 - Arizona (8-4) 26
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force (6-6) 31 - #24 Houston (10-3) 27
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: #15 UAB (12-1) 20 - Auburn (6-6) 17
Texas Bowl: Ohio State (6-6) 52 - Colorado (6-6) 31
Insight Bowl: Baylor (8-4) 32 - #22 Michigan State (8-4) 28
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida (8-4) 37 - #10 Virginia Tech (11-2) 20
Outback Bowl: #23 Georgia (9-3) 31 - Northwestern (7-5) 24
Capital One Bowl: Vanderbilt (8-4) vs. #21 Penn State (8-4)
Gator Bowl: Michigan (8-4) 41 - Tennessee (6-6) 38
Alamo Bowl: #25 Oregon (8-3) 45 - #12 Texas (10-2) 24
GMAC Bowl: #11 Notre Dame (10-1) 35 - Toledo (7-5) 6
AT&T Cotton Bowl: South Carolina (7-5) 35 - Missouri (9-4) 34
Papajohns.com Bowl: South Florida (6-6) 19 - Arkansas State (6-6) 6



Bowl Record by Conference
ACC: 3-2
Big 12: 4-3
Big Ten: 2-6
Big East: 4-2
C-USA: 3-3
MAC: 1-4
MWC: 3-2
Pac-10: 4-3
SEC: 5-4
Sun Belt: 2-1
WAC: 1-3
Independents: 1-0

[Assassin]

Good luck with the Capitalone Bowl against Penn St. Hopefully you'll be able to get win number nine.

[TomahawkChop10]

2012 Capital One Bowl

January 1, 2010, 1:00 PM



8-4 (5-3)

Wins: UConn 56-42, GT, 28-0, Ole Miss 45-10, UGA 30-27, S. Carolina 41-35, 1Alabama 53-50 (OT), Kentucky 42-20 Oklahoma State 37-16
Losses: 6 Virginia Tech, 33-45, 16 Arkansas, 24-48, at Florida, 27-38, Tennessee, 34-38

Overall Rating: B
Offense Rating: B+
Defense Rating: B-

Points Per Game: 33.8 (12th)
Total Offene: 5,500 (41st)
Rush Offense: 2,008 (16th)
Pass Offense: 3,492 (26th)

Total Defense: 4,075 (45th)
Rush Defense: 1,676 (104th)
Pass Defense: 2,399 (17th)
Turnover Diff: -17 (117th)

#21 8-4 (6-2)

Wins: FCS W 38-0, Eastern Michigan 28-7, Illinois 33-3, 14 Iowa 38-19, Northwestern 35-21, Purdue 37-10, Minnesota 24-17, 24 Michigan State 17-12
Losses: 1 Alabama 7-24, Ohio State 7-19, 6 Wisconsin 14-32, 21 Temple 24-38

Overall Rating: A-
Offense Rating: A-
Defense Rating: A-

Points Per Game: 25.1 (45th)
Total Offense: 4,026 (88th)
Rush Offense: 1,618 (49th)
Pass Offense: 2,408 (92nd)

Total Defense: 3,385 (3rd)
Rush Defense: 1,309 (38th)
Pass Defense: 2,076 (4th)
Turnover Diff: 13 (8th)

Penn State, Vanderbilt, Play Overtime Thriller in Captial One Bowl

Warren Norman drags a Nittany Lion across the goal line for a touchdown

Orlando, FL (AP) - It was a rainy, overcast day in Orlando for the Capital One Bowl. Vanderbilt began the game with the ball and the Commodores would get on the board first with a 7 yard touchdown run by Warren Norman. Facing a 3rd and 1, Penn State quarterback Robert Bolden audibled out of the original play into a pass play. That proved to be a big mistake as Bolden's pass was intercepted by Vanderbilt's senior defensive back Casey Hayward.

Vanderbilt defensive back Casey Hayward makes an interception in the first quarter

Vanderbilt set up shop near mid-field. On 3rd and 12, Vandy quarterback Larry Smith eluded pressure, and ran up the sideline for a 32 yard gain. That would be where the Vanderbilt possession ended, as they settled for a 40 yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead.

Warren Norman hushes the crowd after one of his two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter

Larry Smith continued to hurt Penn State with his legs. Smith got loose for a 52 yard run, and almost found the endzone, before being chased down and tackled at the Penn State two yard line. Warren Norman found the endzone on the next play for his second touchdown of the game, and Vanderbilt lead 17-0 with 6:41 left in the first half.

Penn State wasted no time responding to get their first touchdown of the game. After a touchback on the kickoff, Penn State running back Stephon Green found a hole up the middle and ran 80 yards for a touchdown.

Penn State running back Stephon Green runs for an 80 yard TD

Penn State put themselves in great position to cut into their 10 point deficit as linebacker Glenn Carson intercepted a Larry Smith pass. Penn State started their next drive on the Vanderbilt 29 yard line. The Nittany Lions would get a field goal after the turnover to make it a 17-10 game with 3:38 left in the first half. A failed 4th and 1 by Vanderbilt on the Penn State 39 yard line gave the ball back to Penn State with time to add one more score before the half. They would do just that with a 27 yard field goal by Darius Tyler. Vanderbilt took over with just 0:44 left in the half, and a struggling Larry Smith lead a remarkable drive. Smith was 3/3 for 80 yards on the drive. He capped it off with a 33 yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews. The touchdown gave Vanderbilt a 24-13 lead after two quarters of play.

Larry Smith hits Jordan Matthews for a touchdown right before the half

Second Half

A 41 yard run by Stephon Green on Penn State's first drive of the second half set up the Nittany Lions deep in Vanderbilt territory. Unfortunately for Penn State, the drive would stall after Robert Bolden was sacked Vanderbilt freshman defensive end Thomas Ryan for a 7 yard loss on 3rd and 12. Penn State would attempt a 46 yard field goal and come up empty. Another failed 4th and 1 by Vanderbilt in Penn State territory gave the ball back to the Nittany Lions down 11 with 3:48 left in the third quarter. Stephon Green would put together a series of highlight worthy runs, and capped the drive off with a 21 yard touchdown scamper. A 46 yard pass from Larry Smith to Jordan Matthews set the Commodores up on the Penn State nine yard line. Vanderbilt pushed their lead back up to 11 after a Larry Smith 11 yard touchdown run on 2nd and Goal. After three quarters of play Vanderbilt held onto a 31-20 lead.

Jordan Matthews makes a catch through the out stretched arms of a Penn State defender in the fourth quarter

Penn State converted a 3rd and 15 on their next drive to keep their hopes alive. The Nittany Lions would find paydirt a few plays later after a 1 yard touchdown run by Silas Redd. A successful two point conversion made it a 31-28 ballgame with 4:47 left in the game.

Things would get even more interesting after Glenn Carson came up with his second interception of the game on the very first play of Vanderbilt's next drive. With only 31 yards to go for a touchdown, Penn State was in prime position to take their first lead of the game. Two plays later Bolden hit his tight end Kevin Haplea for a 30 yard touchdown, and Penn State lead 35-31 with 4:10 left in the game.

This touchdown by Kevin Haplea in the fourth quarter gave Penn State their first lead of the ballgame, 35-31

Vanderbilt's fate appeared to be sealed after Larry Smith threw his third interception of the game. Nathan Stupar picked off Smith's pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to give Penn State a 41-31 lead after a missed PAT. Vanderbilt kept their slim hopes alive with a quick touchdown drive ended by a 37 yard touchdown pass from Smith to Jonathan Krause.

Nathan Stupar returns an interception for a touchdown to give Penn State a 41-31 lead in the fourth quarter

Jonathan Krause goes in for a touchdown to pull Vanderbilt within three points of Penn State in the fourth quarter

Penn State would go three and out on their next drive after three straight runs. Vanderbilt took over with 0:40 left on the clock on their own 40 yard line. Vanderbilt would get the ball down to Penn State's 26 yard line. After failing to pick up a first down, Ricky Fowler nailed a 39 yard field goal to tie the game 41-41 with 0:08 left on the clock. We were headed to overtime.

Overtime

Penn State would get the ball first, and after picking up one first down, had to settle for a field goal. Enter dual-threat Larry Smith, on the very first play of their first overtime possession, needing a touchdown to win, a field goal to send the game into a second overtime....

Larry Smith runs for a game-winning 25 yard touchdown in overtime

Vanderbilt (8-4) at Penn State (8-4)
Jan 1, 2012 1 2 3 4 OT F Vanderbilt 10 14 7 10 6 47 #21 Penn State 0 13 7 21 3 44 Top Performers Vanderbilt L. Smith: 17/37, 371 yds, 2 TD, 175 rush yds, 2 TD A. Barnes: 8 tkl, 4 tfl, sack Penn State S. Green: 25 car, 270 yds, 10.8 ypc, 2 TD G. Carson: 7 tkl, tfl, 2 INT	Team Stats Comparison VAND PSU First Downs 19 16 3rd Down Efficiency 5-12 4-11 4th Down Efficiency 1-3 0-1 Total Yards 574 434 Passing Yards 371 152 Rushing Yards 203 282 Penalties-Penalty Yards 1-8 0-0 Turnovers 4 1 Time of Possession 12:55 6:57
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING VAND PSU 4:29 (VAND) TD Vandy: W. Norman, 7 yd run (R. Fowler kick) 7 0 2:17 (VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 39 yd FG 10 0 SECOND QUARTER SCORING VAND PSU 6:40 (VAND) TD Vandy: W. Norman, 2 yd run (R. Fowler kick) 17 0 6:21 (PSU) TD PSU: S. Green, 80 yd run (D. Tyler kick) 17 7 3:45 (PSU) FG PSU: D. Tyler, 19 yd FG 17 10 0:50 (PSU) FG PSU: D. Tyler, 27 yd FG 17 13 0:22 (VAND) TD Vandy: J. Matthews, 33 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick) 24 13 THIRD QUARTER SCORING VAND PSU 2:19 (PSU) TD PSU: S. Green, 21 yd run (D. Tyler kick) 24 20 0:52 (VAND) TD Vandy: L. Smith, 11 yd run (R. Fowler) 31 20 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING VAND PSU 4:46 (PSU) TD PSU: R. Redd, 3 yd run (2-pt good) 31 28 4:09 (PSU) TD PSU: K. Haplea, 30 yd pass from R. Bolden (D. Tyler kick) 31 35 2:44 (PSU) TD PSU: N. Stupar, returned interception 48 yds (missed kick) 31 41 1:59 (VAND) TD Vandy: J. Krause, 37 yd pass from L. Smith (R. Fowler kick) 38 41 0:07 (VAND) FG Vandy: R. Fowler, 38 yd FG 41 41 OVERTIME SCORING VAND PSU -- (PSU) FG PSU: D. Tyler, 35 yd FG 41 44 -- (VAND) TD Vandy: L. Smith, 25 yd run 47 44
Vanderbilt PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT L. Smith 17/37 371 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD W. Norman 16 28 1.7 2 L. Smith 13 175 13.4 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD B. Barden 5 87 17.4 0 J. Matthews 4 122 30.5 1 J. Cole 3 48 16.0 0 J. Krause 3 84 28.0 1 M. Johnston 1 21 21.0 0 Penn State PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT R. Bolden 10/19 152 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Green 25 270 10.8 2 S. Redd 4 28 7.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD K. Haplea 3 46 15.3 1 D. Moye 2 46 23.0 0 C. Drake 2 23 11.5 0 D. Smith 1 12 12.0 0 J. Brown 1 20 20.0 0