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

[bh446066]

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

I know I take these hiatuses sometimes, but I love coming back and seeing BDawg still going at it!

[BDawg35]

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

I know I take these hiatuses sometimes, but I love coming back and seeing BDawg still going at it!

Doing these reports sometimes feels like work, since writing about sports is what I do for my actual work. When I started getting busy again with high school sports in the fall, I got really behind on doing my dynasty reports. I would play a game or two a week, but that would just get me further behind. I just finished posting the wrap-up for the 2022 season on here and I'm about to play my final regular-season game of 2024. So, I'm about two seasons behind. Hopefully, I can knock off some game reports in chunks soon. I know it's always better to have a steady stream of reports, rather than a bunch of reports then silence, but that seems to be how it goes for me.

Thanks for continuing to follow this little obsession of mine.

[BDawg35]

CLASSES OF 2023/2008 RECRUITING




Vandy climbs 70 spots in recruiting

Led by wide receiver Michael Johnson, Vanderbilt has vaulted from the 91st recruiting class a year ago to No. 21 this season.

Johnson is the third overall recruit in the nation behind wide receivers Brian Long (Texas A&M) and Jonathan Rucker (Purdue). He is the first five-star recruit landed by B-Dawg in his two recruiting classes.

Johnson is the only Commodore recruit in the top 100. Blessed with 94 SPD, he will be the fastest player so far in this dynasty.

The Commodores also signed three four-star prospects in center Mike Meeks, outside linebacker Brian Davidson and halfback Wesley Walker.

With Johnson committing during the season, Vanderbilt tried to strengthen that group even more by throwing the kitchen sink at Rucker, but wound up second to Purdue in that recruiting battle.

Vanderbilt signed six players after the season, while 16 targets went elsewhere. The Commodores had an in-season class of 12. Johnson is the only player who will probably play a key role as a true freshman, but other players should progress into starters within a year or two.

CLASS OF 2023 IN-SEASON RECRUITS
MICHAEL JOHNSON, WR-3, 6-2, 199, Fairhope, Ala., 78 OVR, 5 stars
MIKE MEEKS, C-4, 6-0, 283, Union Springs, Ala., 73 OVR, 4 stars
AARON JONES, FB-31, 6-0, 243, Booneville, Miss., 72 OVR, 1 star (JUCO soph.)
BRIAN DAVIDSON, OLB-11, 6-3, 228, Mullins, S.C., 69 OVR, 4 stars
JUSTIN KING, DE-80, 6-1, 216, Norton, Ohio, 69 OVR, 3 stars
WESLEY WALKER, HB-22, 6-1, 208, Clinton, Miss., 68 OVR, 4 stars
SCOTT ROSARIO, CB-51, 6-1, 172, Simpsonville, S.C., 67 OVR, 3 stars
CEDRIC GORE, C-22, 6-4, 318, Winter Springs, Fla., 67 OVR, 3 stars
KASEY DAVIDSON, SS-29, 6-4, 205, Carlsbad, Calif., 66 OVR, 3 stars
AARON BAKER, CB-81, 5-11, 174, Del City, Okla., 64 OVR, 3 stars
COREY WATKINS, FS-54, 6-2, 200, Gaines School, Ga., 63 OVR, 3 stars
DANIEL NOBLE, SS-24, 5-11, 192, Akron, Ohio, 63 OVR, 3 stars

CLASS OF 2023 OFFSEASON RECRUITS
EDWARD WASHINGTON, OG-21, 6-4, 331, Moultrie, Ga., 69 OVR, 3 stars
D.J. BAKER, CB-57, 5-11, 167, Leisure City, Fla., 67 OVR, 3 stars (CUT)
STEVE HIGGINS, OT-40, 6-5, 282, Forest Miss., 64 OVR, 3 stars
CHRIS JACKSON, OLB-148, 6-7, 223, McAllen, Texas, 64 OVR, 2 stars
BRANDON NASH, DT-128, 6-1, 266, Huntingdon, Tenn., 54 OVR, 2 stars (CUT)
DEREK MALLOY, TE-60, 6-4, 270, Tooele, Utah, 52 OVR, 3 stars

WALK-ON
JOSH HAMPTON, MLB, 6-1, 224, Burkburnett, Texas, 43 OVR

2023 RECRUITING CLASS RANKINGS
1. Michigan
2. Oklahoma
3. Clemson
4. Texas A&M
5. Florida
6. Alabama
7. Georgia
8. Stanford
9. Virginia Tech
10. LSU
15. Mississippi
21. VANDERBILT
24. Auburn
29. Kentucky
34. South Carolina
45. Tennessee
59. Missouri
60. Mississippi State
76. Arkansas
126. New Mexico





B-Dawg may have a freak-in-waiting in quarterback Antwan Smith.

B-Dawg scraps more rules after
another horrible recruiting season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It seemed like a good idea at the time.

B-Dawg would come up with strict standards for the type of person he would bring into his Vanderbilt football program, thus making recruiting more of a challenge and giving a nod to the school’s reputation as an elite university.

After two disastrous recruiting seasons, B-Dawg has scrapped nearly all his rules.

Vanderbilt has now signed only nine players in two seasons, bringing in seven players in 2008. Two of those players made commitments during the season, while another five were signed during the offseason.

“It’s great to come up with all these rules to make things more challenging, realistic and whatnot,” B-Dawg said. “However, those rules were based on how easy it has been in past versions of NCAA Football. Recruiting seems to be harder this season and is practically impossible when you impose stringent restrictions on the players you bring in. Recruiting is the best part of NCAA Football and is the only way we’re going to get better as a program. From now on, we’ll have a much looser standard.”

B-Dawg started out by recruiting only players with A- AWR and “good” discipline. He dropped that to B+ AWR and “average” discipline after signing only two players last year. Now a player just needs C AWR and “average” discipline as revealed in a mandatory Week 1 scouting period. After Week 1, B-Dawg no longer needs to scout players, but can only go after players who are listed at B AWR or higher.

“That will still cost us a few players who aren’t Vandy material without totally gutting our program,” B-Dawg said. “We are lucky I created 13 2006 true freshmen before this dynasty started or else we’d be down to very tiny numbers and a ton of walk-ons. We found we were wasting value points and time scouting guys who would be great in one area, but fall short in another. We could hardly ever make a strong push for a player.”

The Commodores once again had the smallest recruiting class in the nation, but ranked 94th out of 119 teams because there is some quality in those small numbers.

Vanderbilt signed two four-star recruits, three three-stars and two two-stars.

The player B-Dawg messed his pants over is Antwan Smith of Fort Wayne, Ind. Smith is the third-rated athlete in the nation and checks in at 80 OVR as a quarterback. He could be a Troy Smith or even a Vince Young type, possessing 87 SPD, 92 THP and 82 THA. He ranks fourth on Vanderbilt’s depth chart in OVR and will be red-shirted.

“If he progresses like he should, he’s going to be a total freak by his fifth year in our program,” B-Dawg said. “I can easily see Antwan becoming an all-time great for me. We still have Mackenzi Adams for two more years and he’s chasing some of Jay Cutler’s records. We will probably rotate Mackenzi and Antwan after this season to keep Antwan from transferring and to start getting him some numbers. Besides, 87 SPD is going to be insane. If we can get him some linemen in the next few years, it’s going to be criminal how I use this kid.”

The other four-star recruit was kind of wasted, turning into a 59 OVR punter. Josh Hayden, the seventh-rated athlete, is better-suited at quarterback, but the presence of Adams (red-shirt junior), Jared Funk (red-shirt sophomore) and Smith (true freshman) will probably make it impossible for Hayden to see action at that position. Hayden has 68 SPD, 91 THP, 78 THA, 84 KPW and 76 KAC. B-Dawg is salivating over the possibility of running some fake punts with Hayden.

Vanderbilt’s aerial assault in 2007 seemed to attract a lot of interest from quarterbacks and wide receivers. The Commodores did sign two athletes who pan out as quarterbacks, but no receivers and no true quarterbacks.

B-Dawg scouted 20 players the first week, with nine players meeting his B+/average standard. He quit recruiting the 25th-ranked receiver in the country, Joel Matthews of Pennsylvania, because Matthews’ AWR was only a B.

Because all of Vanderbilt’s needs weren’t filled, the Commodores are stuck with four walk-ons, three on the defensive line. Matthew Olsen and Chris Gordon are 56 OVR defensive tackles, Grant Rich is a 56 OVR defensive end and Michael Hardy is a 59 OVR punter. B-Dawg had already changed Hayden to a punter to fill the slot, but he was still stuck with Hardy.

[b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6]VANDERBILT'S 2008 RECRUITING CLASS[/size][/color][/font][/b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color][/font][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color][size=2]
[b]Stars  Player           Pos.        Hometown             OVR   Committed[/b]
***    Clint Turner     HB-44       Gulfport, Miss.      70    Inseason
***    Will Carpenter   CB-58       Miami Springs, Fla.  68    Inseason
****   Josh Hayden      ATH-7 (P)   Norwood, Ohio        59    Week 2
**     Willie Williams  C-51        Doltewah, Tenn.      65    Week 2
****   Antwan Smith     ATH-3 (QB)  Fort Wayne, Ind.     80    Week 4
***    Bryan Kelly      MLB-47      Harrison, Tenn.      70    Week 4
**     Donnell Monroe   OLB-91      Houma, La.           65    Week 5[/size]

[b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6]2008 TOP RECRUITING CLASSES[/size][/color][/font][/b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color][/font][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color]
[b]Rnk  School                  5*  4*  3*  2*  1*  Tot.[/b]
1    Oklahoma                5   13  3   2   1   24
2    Ohio State              3   12  10  0   0   25
3    Miami                   1   12  10  1   0   24
4    Tennessee               2   8   14  0   1   25
5    Georgia Tech            0   13  10  1   0   24
6    North Carolina State    1   9   11  3   1   25
7    Northwestern            1   10  8   3   3   25
8    Arizona State           1   8   12  2   1   24
9    Penn State              2   6   11  4   0   23
10   Virginia Tech           1   9   7   3   5   25
13   Georgia                 1   5   9   4   6   25
26   Auburn                  0   2   12  6   0   20
28   LSU                     0   6   3   7   0   16
32   Alabama                 0   3   10  1   1   15
42   Mississippi             0   1   7   8   1   17
55   Florida                 0   3   3   4   2   12
60   South Carolina          0   1   3   9   5   18
63   Arkansas                0   0   5   9   5   19
76   Mississippi State       0   0   4   10  1   15
[b]94   VANDERBILT              0   2   3   2   0   7[/b]
95   Kentucky                0   0   2   11  2   15

[b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6]2008 TOP RECRUITS[/size][/color][/font][/b][font=arial][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color][/font][color=#C8AE13][size=6][/size][/color]
[b]No.  Player               Pos. College          Hometown                   Stars[/b]
1    Leonard McMillan     OLB  N.C. State       Saks, Ala.                 *****
2    Ryan Hunter          DE   Ohio State       Upper Arlington, Ohio      *****
3    Craig Hammond        SS   Oklahoma         Steamboat Springs, Colo.   *****
4    Will Burton          HB   Northwestern     Simi Valley, Calif.        *****
5    Darius Taylor        DE   Oklahoma         Darien, Ill.               *****
6    John Cox             OG   Louisville       Highland Park, Ill.        *****
7    Bernard Fitch        OG   Ohio State       Collegedale, Tenn.         *****
8    Sean Choice          TE   DNQ              Halifax, Nova Scotia       *****
9    Rob Gibson           OT   Oklahoma         First Colony, Texas        *****
10   Mike James           C    Miami            Sawmills, N.C.             *****

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 TRAINING/POSITION CHANGES



NCAA '14

+7
Dylan Betts-Pauley, HB, rSoph., 82 OVR
Greg Mitchell, K, Soph., 78 OVR

+6
Rocko Griffin, HB, Sr., 87 OVR
Patrick Smith, HB, rSoph., 83 OVR
Tyson Russell, CB, rSoph., 81 OVR
Yilanan Ouattara, DT, rFr., 71 OVR
Robert Hayden, P, Soph., 70 OVR
Keith Walker, OG, Soph., 65 OVR
Aaron Miranda, OG, rFr., 61 OVR





Note: None in NCAA ’14 dynasty.


NCAA '07

Josh Bailey (r-So.), 68 OVR offensive guard, becomes 62 OVR offensive tackle
Brad Allen (r-Sr.), 84 OVR tight end, becomes 78 OVR fullback
Josh Hayden (Fr.), 72 OVR quarterback, becomes 59 OVR punter

[BDawg35]

NCAA '07 2008 SPRING GAME




Cornerback Jared Fagan (right) gets ready to tackle wide
receiver Jared Fagan (the dude catching the ball) in a spring
game oddity.

B-Dawg’s squad wins spring game;
QB, OLB, WR get impact status

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt’s all-impact passing duo is complete.

Red-shirt junior quarterback Mackenzi Adams was named an impact player after he led the Black squad coached by B-Dawg to a 39-18 victory over the Gold in the Commodores’ 2008 spring game.

B-Dawg named the 82 OVR Adams an impact player, because he’s never had an impact quarterback. The computer designated 95 OVR senior receiver Earl Bennett an impact player for the third straight year.

“I had no doubt Earl would get impact status, so I figured I could leave that one up to the CPU,” B-Dawg said. “I’m really eager to see how our passing game goes with an impact quarterback. It’s true that I’m still the one controlling him, but I’m sure we can get some impact love every now and then, especially since Mackenzi is fast enough to run on the option now and then.”

The other impact player is 84 OVR outside linebacker Quavian Lewis.

“Q-Lew had a great season for us last year,” B-Dawg said. “I’m really excited to see what he can do as an impact player. Impact linebackers can cause a lot of problems, just like Jonathan Goff did two years ago. When Goff wasn’t an impact player last year, he was ordinary.”

Adams was 15-for-25 for 183 yards, one touchdown and no picks. Lewis had six total tackles, playing for both teams, including one for a loss.

The Gold team got the ball first, fell behind 9-2, then made it 9-2 on a 72-yard pass from Jared Funk to Sean Walker. The Gold eventually got up 14-9, then started playing this like a regular game and milked the clock, thus depriving the CPU players of reps on offense. B-Dawg, meanwhile, moved quickly with his offensive players.

New starting halfback Jared Hawkins had a touchdown run and Bennett had a touchdown catch for the Black.

[b][size=4][font=arial]BLACK 39, GOLD 18[/font][/size][/b][size=4][font=arial][/font][/size][font=arial][/font]

[b][size=4][font=arial][color=#C8AE13]GOLD STATISTICS[/color][/font][/size][/b][size=4][/size][size=2]
[B]PASSING          Cmp  Att   Yds  TD  Int   Lg[/b]
Jared Funk         8   14   123   1    0   72

[B]RUSHING          Att  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Gaston Miller      8   30   3.8   0   10
Matt Bubis         1   11  11.0   0   11
Jared Funk         1   -1  -1.0   0    0
[B]TOTALS            10   40   4.0   0   11[/B]

[B]RECEIVING        Rec  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Justin Wheeler     3   44  14.7   0   23
Sean Walker        2   70  35.0   1   72
Bryant Anderson    2    2   1.0   0    1
Jared Fagan        1    7   7.0   0    7
[B]TOTALS             8  123  15.4   1   72[/B]

[B]DEFENSE          Tkl  TFL   Sk  Int[/b]
Quavian Lewis      3    1    0    0
D.J. Moore         3    1    0    0
Ryan Hamilton      3    0    0    0
Chris Johnson      2    1    0    0
Patrick Benoist    2    0    0    0
Josh Allen         2    0    0    0
Kikko Logan        1    1    0    0
Steven Stone       1    1    0    0
Reshard Langford   1    0    0    0
Broderick Stewart  1    1    1    0
[B]TOTALS            19    6    1    0[/B][/size]

[b][size=4][font=arial][color=black]BLACK STATISTICS[/color][/font][/size][/b][size=4][/size][size=2]
[B]PASSING          Cmp  Att   Yds  TD  Int   Lg[/b]
Mackenzi Adams    15   25   183   1    0   55

[B]RUSHING          Att  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Mackenzi Adams     4    7   1.8   0   11
Jared Hawkins      4    5   1.3   1    4
[B]TOTALS             8   12   1.5   1   11[/B]

[B]RECEIVING        Rec  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Jonathan Massey    5   36   7.2   0   13
Bryant Anderson    4   49  12.3   0   23
Earl Bennett       2   72  36.0   1   55
Alex Washington    2    7   3.5   0   13
Jake Bradford      1   18  18.0   0   18
Jared Hawkins      1    1   1.0   0    1
[B]TOTALS            15  183  12.2   1   55[/B]

[B]DEFENSE          Tkl  TFL   Sk  Int[/b]
Josh Allen         3    1    0    0
Quavian Lewis      3    0    0    0
Ryan Hamilton      2    0    0    0
Broderick Stewart  2    1    0    0
Steven Stone       1    0    0    0
Greg Billinger     1    0    0    0
Reshard Langford   1    0    0    0
Chris Johnson      1    0    0    0
Jared Fagan        1    0    0    0
[B]TOTALS            15    2    0    0[/B]

[B]TEAM STATISTICS  GLD   BLK[/b]
Total offense    163   195
Rushing           40    12
Passing          123   183
First downs        4    10
3rd down         2-5   5-7
4th down         0-3   1-2
Turnovers          0     0
Penalties        1-1   0-0
Possession      5:00  5:00[/size]

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 SEASON PREVIEWS




MIKE WRIGHT


Imagine the number Mike Wright could’ve put up had he been a freshman when B-Dawg started this dynasty. As it is, Wright will likely end up with some of the best passing totals ever by a B-Dawg quarterback when he completes this, his third and final, season. Wright has thrown for 7,359 yards, 49 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in his first two seasons. He goes into his senior season 90 OVR with 82 SPD, 80 THP and 83 THA. If anything untoward happens to Wright, 89 OVR senior Ken Seals could probably keep the Commodores afloat, though his 73 SPD would make him less effective as an option quarterback. Seals has 82 THP and 82 THA.



ROCKO GRIFFIN


It’s time to replace the starting running back from the first two years of this dynasty, Re’Mahn Davis. It will be hard to live up to Davis’ 1,291-yard, 23-touchdown season last year. Vanderbilt may end up becoming even more of a passing team if 87 OVR Rocko Griffin can’t improve on his 2.8-yard average on 31 carries last season. Griffin has 85 SPD, 81 BTK and 85 CAR. While James Ziglor is fourth on the depth chart at 79 OVR, his 90 SPD is intriguing, but his 65 BTK isn’t inspiring. Andy Wilson should get key short-yardage carries at fullback. The sophomore is 69 OVR with 76 SPD, 68 BTK, 68 RBK and 72 PBK.



LOGAN KYLE


B-Dawg is salivating over the potential of his new shiny toy, freshman receiver Michael Johnson. Johnson’s 94 SPD makes him Vanderbilt’s fastest player in the three years of this dynasty. His 79 CTH ranks him third on the team. Logan Kyle is a prototypical possession receiver who should do damage in the slot with 97 CTH and only 83 SPD. Will Sheppard will be the other outside receiver at 84 OVR with 88 SPD and 80 CTH. Quincy Skinner should factor into the offense at 81 OVR with 89 SPD and 74 CTH. Occupying the fifth receiver spot is John Johnson, who famously had touchdowns on all five of his catches last season as a JUCO transfer.



TREY BOLL


The tight end position was utilized much less last season, so it’s unknown if that trend will continue in 2023. Ben Bresnahan had 39 catches for 421 yards and five touchdowns as Vandy’s starting tight end in 2021, but Brayden Bapst had only 19 catches for 170 yards and no touchdowns last year. Joel Decoursey, who had four catches for 22 yards last year, will become the third different starting tight end in three seasons. He is 81 OVR with 80 SPD, 99 AWR, 77 CTH, 69 PBK and 70 RBK. Backup Trey Boll could push for the starting role at 80 OVR with 79 SPD, 76 CTH, 65 PBK and 72 RBK.



BRADLEY ASHMORE


For once, B-Dawg would like a talented young offensive line that could grow together over a couple of seasons. That won’t be the case, as four of this year’s starters are seniors, meaning another overhaul next year. The top player will be back, however, barring a rare early departure for Madden. Red-shirt junior left guard Vershon Lee is 87 OVR with 90 STR, 87 PBK and 88 RBK. To his left is senior tackle Bradley Ashmore, who is 83 OVR with 88 STR, 84 PBK and 84 RBK. Vanderbilt will run primarily to their side, because the weak link on the line is 78 OVR senior right tackle Jason Brooks. Two 86 OVR players man the other positions, center Kevo Wesley and right guard Ben Cox.



NATE CLIFTON


There is great potential in this line, with all four starters at least 82 OVR. Nate Clifton returns in the coveted left defensive end position from which B-Dawg gets many of his sacks. Clifton had four sacks in 20 tackles last year. He is 89 OVR with 73 SPD, 89 STR and 79 TAK. The other end is 83 OVR Michael Spencer, who has 76 SPD, 83 STR and 72 TAK. The middle of the line features Devin Lee (84 OVR, 72 SPD, 85 STR) and Terion Sugick (82 OVR, 76 STR, 74 TAK) at tackles. Vanderbilt can’t afford injuries to this group, because there’s a huge drop-off in the second string.



ANFERNEE ORJI


B-Dawg knew he would have an elite linebacking corps when outside linebacker Anfernee Orji and middle linebacker Ethan Barr played at a high level two years ago as sophomores. Orji is now a 95 OVR senior with 85 SPD, 99 AWR, 96 ACC and 85TAK. He led the Commodores last season with 89 tackles, 13 tackles for losses and tied for first with two picks. Barr was tied for second in tackles with 77. He is 91 OVR with 74 SPD, 99 AWR and 84 TAK. The other outside linebacker will be overshadowed, but is very capable. That would be De’Rickey Wright, who is 83 OVR with 85 SPD and 74 TAK.



MARLEN SEWELL


Vanderbilt’s secondary could become great in time, as the top three cornerbacks are all red-shirt sophomores. Tyson Russell is 81 OVR with 90 SPD and 99 AWR, Marlen Sewell is 80 OVR with 87 SPD and 99 AWR, and slot corner John Howse is 78 OVR with 89 SPD and 90 AWR. The safeties are in their final year. Chase Lloyd plays free safety at 87 OVR, 88 SPD and 90 AWR. Lloyd tied for second on the team with 77 tackles last season. Jack Barton is the strong safety at 82 OVR with 83 SPD and 98 AWR. He had 29 tackles as a backup to Max Worship last season.



GREG MITCHELL


B-Dawg is crossing his fingers that a game won’t come down to a big kick. Sophomore kicker Greg Mitchell, who didn’t kick a field goal longer than 32 yards last season, has 78 KPW and 78 KAC. Punter Robert Hayden has 79 KPW and 61 KAC. Running back James Ziglor will against return kicks after winning the obligatory Best Returner award that always goes to a user-controlled team. Ziglor averaged 27.8 yards on kick returns and 14.2 yards on punt returns.

2023 VANDERBILT FOOTBALL ROSTER
#	OFFENSE	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
5	Mike Wright	QB	6-4	190	Sr.	90
8	Ken Seals	QB	6-3	222	Sr.	89
18	Jeremy Moussa	QB	rSr.	6-3	227	82
17	Drew Dickey	QB	rFr.	6-1	212	81
24	Rocko Griffin	HB	Sr.	5-6	205	87
42	Patrick Smith	HB	rSo.	5-10	183	83
45	Dylan Betts-Pauley	HB	rSo.	5-11	248	82
43	James Ziglor	HB	Jr.	5-11	191	79
21	Wesley Walker	HB	Fr.	6-1	208	63 (RS)
25	Andy Wilson	FB	So.	6-2	261	69
26	Aaron Jones	FB	So.	6-0	243	68
89	Logan Kyle	WR	Sr.	6-3	211	85
14	Will Sheppard	WR	Sr.	6-3	202	84
7	Michael Johnson	WR	Fr.	6-2	199	81
87	Quincy Skinner	WR	rSo.	6-1	205	81
10	John Johnson	WR	Sr.	5-11	187	78
83	Gamerion Carter	WR	rSo.	6-2	196	76
16	Jayden McGowan	WR	So.	5-8	179	69
81	Jeremy McKenzie	WR	rFr.	6-2	200	62
85	Joel DeCoursey	TE	rSr.	6-4	238	81
86	Trey Boll	TE	rJr.	6-4	232	79
84	Derek Malloy	TE	Fr.	6-4	270	55 (RS)
70	Bradley Ashmore	LT	Sr.	6-6	291	83
66	Steve Higgins	LT	Fr.	6-5	282	58
53	Vershon Lee	LG	rJr.	6-4	310	86
65	Keith Walker	LG	So.	6-1	279	65
61	Edward Washington	LG	Fr.	6-4	331	63 (RS)
52	Kevo Wesley	C	Sr.	6-4	294	86
79	Preston Moss	C	rFr.	6-5	323	70
72	Mike Meeks	C	Fr.	6-0	283	69 (RS)
77	Cedric Gore	C	Fr.	6-4	318	65 (RS)
75	Ben Cox	RG	rSr.	6-5	312	85
74	Jason London	RG	So.	6-1	306	68
67	Aaron Miranda	RG	rFr.	6-2	289	61
68	Jason Brooks	RT	Sr.	6-4	299	78
78	Lance Griffin	RT	Sr.	6-4	264	74
#	DEFENSE	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
90	Nate Clifton	LE	6-5	285	rSr.	89
91	Justin King	LE	6-1	216	Fr.	71
95	Linus Zunk	LE	6-6	254	rFr.	61
31	Michael Spencer	RE	6-5	265	rSr.	83
92	Darren Agu	RE	6-6	250	rFr.	71
96	Derek Cade	RE	6-6	248	Fr.	56 (RS)
55	Devin Lee	DT	6-3	286	Jr.	84
97	Terion Sugick	DT	6-2	316	rSo.	82
98	Yilanan Ouattara	DT	6-1	300	rFr.	71
93	Ty Thompson	DT	6-5	285	rFr.	57
33	De'Rickey Wright	LOLB	6-4	235	Sr.	83
56	Brian Davidson	LOLB	6-3	228	Fr.	64
57	Chris Jackson	LOLB	6-7	223	Fr.	64
32	Ethan Barr	MLB	6-3	248	Sr.	91
54	Jeremy Walton	MLB	6-3	228	Sr.	84
51	Michael Mincey	MLB	6-1	238	Jr.	77
58	Josh Hampton	MLB	6-1	224	fR.	43
40	Anfernee Orji	ROLB	6-2	234	Sr.	95
50	Errington Truesdell	ROLB	6-1	227	rSo.	77
49	Daniel Martin	ROLB	6-3	222	rFr.	59
41	Tyson Russell	CB	5-11	183	rSo.	81
37	Marlen Sewell	CB	6-1	287	rSo.	79
22	John Howse	CB	6-2	193	rSo.	77
44	Alan Wright	CB	6-0	182	rSo.	77
28	Scott Rosario	CB	6-1	172	Fr.	68
23	Aaron Baker	CB	5-11	174	Fr.	68
4	Chase Lloyd	FS	6-2	203	Sr.	87
38	Jeffrey Ugochukwu	FS	6-1	191	rFr.	78
27	Corey Watkins	FS	6-2	200	Fr.	64 (RS)
20	Jack Barton	SS	6-1	215	Sr.	81
29	Kasey Davidson	SS	6-4	205	Fr.	69
30	Daniel Noble	SS	5-11	192	Fr.	61 (RS)
#	SPECIAL TEAMS	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
3	Greg Mitchell	K	6-0	179	So.	78
48	Robert Hayden	P	6-2	190	So.	70

Note: Vanderbilt is 90 OVR, 90 offense, 90 defense; B+ OVR, B+ offense, B+ defense, D+ special teams

2023 VANDERBILT SCHEDULE

AUG. 26 — at CLEMSON
Preseason ranking: No. 3
Team ratings: 99 OVR, 99 offense, 99 defense, A special teams

SEPT. 2 — CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Preseason ranking: No. 105
Team ratings: 81 OVR, 84 offense, 80 defense, A+ special teams

SEPT. 9 — MICHIGAN STATE
Preseason ranking: No. 5
Team ratings: 93 OVR, 97 offense, 92 defense, C special teams

SEPT. 16 — at NORTHWESTERN
Preseason ranking: No. 110
Team ratings: 86 OVR, 90 offense, 82 defense, C+ special teams

SEPT. 23 — MISSOURI
Preseason ranking: No. 85
Team ratings: 90 OVR, 88 offense, 92 defense, A special teams

SEPT. 30 — at TEXAS A&M
Preseason ranking: No. 21
Team ratings: 93 OVR, 97 offense, 92 defense, A+ special teams

OCT. 14 — GEORGIA
Preseason ranking: No. 10
Team ratings: 99 OVR, 99 offense, 99 defense, D special teams

OCT. 21 — at SOUTH CAROLINA
Preseason ranking: No. 64
Team ratings: 90 OVR, 90 offense, 90 defense, A special teams

OCT. 28 — MISSISSIPPI
Preseason ranking: No. 34
Team ratings: 90 OVR, 93 offense, 88 defense, C special teams

NOV. 4 — at FLORIDA
Preseason ranking: No. 18
Team ratings: 99 OVR, 97 offense, 99 defense, A+ special teams

NOV. 11 — KENTUCKY
Preseason ranking: No. 75
Team ratings: 90 OVR, 86 offense, 93 defense, A- special teams

NOV. 28 — at TENNESSEE
Preseason ranking: No. 40
Team ratings: 91 OVR, 90 offense, 93 defense, B- special teams




2023
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Oklahoma
5. Michigan State
6. Michigan
7. The U
8. North Carolina
9. Texas Christian
10. Georgia
11. Oregon
12. LSU
13. USC
14. Texas
15. Penn State
16. Oklahoma State
17. Utah
18. Florida
19. Auburn
20. Boston College
21. Texas A&M
22. Cincinnati
23. Stanford
24. VANDERBILT
25. Houston
26. Mississippi State
27. North Carolina State
28. Florida State
29. Brigham Young
30. Oregon State
31. Central Florida
32. Notre Dame
33. Arkansas State
34. Mississippi
35. Arizona State
36. Louisiana
37. Tulane
38. Arkansas
39. Washington
40. Tennessee
41. Pittsburgh
42. Alabama-Birmingham
43. Syracuse
44. Virginia Tech
45. Hawaii
46. Miami (Ohio)
47. Boy-Z State
48. Marshall
49. Wake Forest
50. Iowa
51. Western Michigan
52. Memphis
53. Rice
54. Texas State
55. Maryland
56. Georgia Tech
57. UNLV
58. Indiana
59. Iowa State
60. Coastal Carolina
61. Florida Atlantic
62. South Alabama
63. Southern Methodist
64. South Carolina
65. Virginia
66. California
67. Arizona
68. Florida International
69. East Carolina
70. Purdue
71. Baylor
72. Washington State
73. Troy
74. Kansas State
75. Kentucky
76. Army
77. Wisconsin
78. Texas Tech
79. Colorado
80. Northern Illinois
81. Middle Tennessee State
82. Kansas
83. Louisiana Tech
84. Akron
85. Missouri
86. Texas-El Paso
87. North Texas
88. Toledo
89. Air Force
90. Illinois
91. Bowling Green
92. Nebraska
93. Tulsa
94. Old Dominion
95. Western Kentucky
96. Louisville
97. Duke
98. Charlotte
99. UCLA
100. Eastern Michigan
101. West Virginia
102. Appalachian State
103. Temple
104. Nevada
105. Central Michigan
106. South Florida
107. Fresno State
108. Southern Mississippi
109. Rutgers
110. Northwestern
111. Utah State
112. San Jose State
113. Ohio
114. Louisiana-Monroe
115. San Diego State
116. Minnesota
117. Texas-San Antonio
118. Wyoming
119. New Mexico
120. Kent State
121. Georgia Southern
122. Georgia State
123. Ball State
124. Buffalo
125. Colorado State
126. Navy





1. TREVEYON HENDERSON, Ohio State, HB, Jr.
2022 stats: 257 carries, 1,615 yards, 20 TD; 34 catches, 483 yards, 5 TD
Player ratings: 99 OVR, 93 SPD, 99 ACC, 99 CAR, 97 BTK

2. KOBE PACE, Clemson, HB, Sr.
2022 stats: 93 OVR, 78 SPD, 97 ACC, 92 CAR, 94 BTK
Player ratings: 273 carries, 1,739 yards, 19 TD; 30 catches, 476 yards, 5 TD

3. TAVION THOMAS, Utah, HB, Sr.
2022 stats: 272 carries, 1,499 yards, 13 TD; 47 catches, 603 yards, 6 TD
Player ratings: 99 OVR, 91 SPD, 96 ACC, 96 CAR, 92 BTK

4. D.J. UIAGALELEI, Clemson, QB, Sr.
2022 stats: 279-for-451, 4,139 yards, 43 TD, 12 int.; 117 carries, 266 yards, 4 TD
Player ratings: 95 OVR, 72 SPD, 96 AWR, 94 THP, 83 THA

5. BRYCE YOUNG, Alabama, QB, Sr.
2022 stats: 233-for-371, 3,422 yards, 38 TD, 5 int.; 87 carries, 182 yards, 6 TD
Player ratings: 99 OVR, 81 SPD, 99 AWR, 92 THP, 93 THA






FIRST TEAM
QB, D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson, Sr., 95 OVR
HB, Kobe Pace, Clemson, Sr., 93 OVR
HB, Treveyon Henderson, Ohio State, Jr., 99 OVR
WR, Josh Downs, North Carolina, Sr., 99 OVR
WR, Mycah Pittman, Oregon, Sr., 94 OVR
TE, Andrew Homer, Miami (Ohio), rJr., 91 OVR
OT, Peter Skoronski, Northwestern, Sr., 98 OVR
OT, Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State, Sr., 99 OVR
C, Gus Hartwig, Purdue, Sr., 98 OVR
OG, O’Cyrus Torrence, Louisiana, Sr., 99 OVR
OG, Eli Cox, Kentucky, Sr., 99 OVR
DE, Jordan Revels, Texas State, Sr., 89 OVR
De, Joshka Gustav, Colorado, rSr., 87 OVR
DT, Evan Anderson, Florida Atlantic, Jr., 90 OVR
DT, Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois, rJr., 87 OVR
MLB, Ethan Barr, Vanderbilt, Sr., 91 OVR
OLB, Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt, Sr., 95 OVR
OLB, Amari Gainer, Florida State, rSr., 96 OVR
CB, Clarence Lewis, Notre Dame, Sr., 93 OVR
CB, Travis Jay, Florida State, rJr., 92 OVR
FS, Chase Lloyd, Vanderbilt, Sr., 87 OVR
SS, A.J. Watts, Akron, Sr., 92 OVR
K, Griffin Kell, Texas Christian, Sr., 95 OVR
P, Alex Mastromanno, Florida State, rJr., 89 OVR
RET, James Ziglor, Vanderbilt, Jr., 79 OVR (HB)
SECOND TEAM
QB, Tanner McKee, Stanford, rJr., 99 OVR
HB, Sean Tucker, Syracuse, Sr., 99 OVR
HB, Tavion Thomas, Utah, Sr., 99 OVR
WR, Kyle Williams, UNLV, Sr., 95 OVR
WR, Xavier Worthy, Texas, Jr., 99 OVR
TE, Benjamin Yurosek, Stanford, rJr., 87 OVR
OT, Zion Nelson, The U, Sr., 97 OVR
OG, Spencer Holstege, Purdue, rSr., 99 OVR
C, Matthew Lee, Central Florida, rSr., 97 OVR
OG, Sataoa Laumea, Utah, rSr., 99 OVR
OT, Warren McClendon, Georgia, rSr., 96 OVR
DE, Ty Danzy, Florida International, rJr., 80 OVR
DE, Tywone Malone, Mississippi, rSoph., 87 OVR
DT, Jacobian Guillory, LSU, rJr., 88 OVR
DT, De’Braylon Carroll, Rice, rJr., 92 OVR
MLB, Cal Haladay, Michigan State, rJr., 92 OVR
OLB, Marlowe Wax, Syracuse, Sr., 91 OVR
OLB, Javon Solomon, Troy, rJr., 92 OVR
CB, Jaylin Simpson, Auburn, rSr., 90 OVR
CB, Te’Cory Couch, The U, Sr., 96 OVR
FS, Keonta Jenkins, Virginia Tech, Sr., 89 OVR
SS, Keonte Glinton, Wyoming, rSr., 80 OVR
K, Joshua Karty, Stanford, rJr., 91 OVR
P, Peter Moore, Virginia Tech, rJr., 88 OVR
RET, Tony Grimes, North Carolina, SR., 95 OVR (CB)


2023 VANDERBILT PRESEASON ALL-SEC PICKS

FIRST TEAM
MLB, Ethan Barr, Vanderbilt, Sr., 91 OVR
OLB, Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt, Sr., 95 OVR
FS, Chase Lloyd, Vanderbilt, Sr., 87 OVR
RET, James Ziglor, Vanderbilt, Jr., 79 OVR (HB)
SECOND TEAM
QB, Mike Wright, Vanderbilt, Sr., 90 OVR






MACKENZI ADAMS


Mackenzi Adams was a controversial choice as quarterback last season, given the fact Chris Nickson had a higher OVR rating. B-Dawg’s faith in Adams was rewarded with solid play pretty much all season. Adams had a strong 137.3 quarterback rating, throwing for 3,463 yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. With 5,102 yards in his first two seasons, Adams could break Jay Cutler’s school record of 8,697 over the next two years. Nickson and Jared Funk will once again be the backups, while future star Antwan Smith is red-shirted to give him more time to marinate and become something special.


JARED HAWKINS


Expect Vanderbilt to throw the ball a ton this season, as the running game looks to be a significant weakness. Red-shirt junior Jared Hawkins will start at 82 OVR. The Commodores might as well abandon all pretense of trying to run the ball if Hawkins gets hurt, because the backups are Clint Turner and Gaston Miller, who are both 70 OVR. Brad Allen has been moved from tight end to fullback to help with some lead-blocking. Allen has 65 run and block ratings.


EARL BENNETT


Earl Bennett … need we say more? The Commodores got very lucky that Bennett didn’t turn pro a year early. He was the main weapon in the passing game last season and should be even better at 95 OVR. Bennett has 146 catches for 3,179 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first two seasons under B-Dawg. The rest of the receiving corps has slowly progressed over the years, but 80 OVR George Smith has the second-highest rating. Vanderbilt’s Western Michigan playbook has plenty of multiple-receiver sets, so other guys will get their share of catches. However, everyone knows where the ball is going when the Commodores need a big play.


JONATHAN MASSEY


Blocking or receiving? The type of tight end B-Dawg prefers will determine who gets the most playing time this season. At 90 OVR, red-shirt junior tight end Jake Bradford is the second-highest-rated player on the team behind Earl Bennett. However, 82 OVR Jonathan Massey is a more dangerous offensive weapon. Massey has 84 SPD and 80 CTH, while Bradford has 76 SPD and 82 CTH. Bradford’s blocking is better, as he has 62 PBK and 65 RBK compared to Massey’s 56 PBK and 56 RBK. If Vanderbilt falls behind, Massey will definitely be in there. Bradford should play as long as Vanderbilt tries to establish a running game.


BRADLEY VIERLING


Vanderbilt graduated its entire offensive line, resulting in a possible disaster up front in 2008. The Commodores’ offensive line won’t be horrible, but probably won’t help the team run the ball any better than last season, when 93 OVR Cassen Jackson-Garrison was often a sitting duck. Four of the starters are 80 OVR or higher, with guard Ryan Custer and center Bradley Vierling topping the unit at 82 OVR. All of the starters will return next season, giving Vanderbilt hope that it could have a strong offensive line in 2009.


BRODERICK STEWART


Vanderbilt had to accept two 56 OVR walk-ons at defensive tackle and one at defensive end so, yeah, this unit looks pretty weak. Because of the lack of quality defensive linemen, Vanderbilt will go to the 3-4 most of the time this season. The starting defensive ends aren’t bad, with Broderick Stewart checking in at 84 OVR and Steven Stone at 82 OVR. Both are red-shirt juniors. Stewart had seven sacks and two interceptions last season.


QUAVIAN LEWIS


Jonathan Goff is gone, most likely to a career in Madden, but 84 OVR Quavian Lewis is ready to step in and become the leader of the linebacking corps. Lewis was already the team’s best linebacker last season when he led the Commodores with 71 tackles, including four sacks and 14 for losses. He also had two picks. Lewis will have impact status in his favor this season, something that allowed Goff to have an unreal junior season in 2006. Also starting in the 3-4 defense will be 78 OVR outside linebacker Kikko Logan, 84 OVR middle linebacker Chris Johnson and 70 OVR freshman middle linebacker Bryan Kelly. Kelly is the first true freshman who will start in this dynasty.


RESHARD LANGFORD


There have been flashes of brilliance from Vanderbilt’s secondary in the first two seasons under B-Dawg, but mostly the Commodores’ defensive backs have been torched. Strong safety Reshard Langford is the best of the bunch at 89 OVR, but he won’t have impact status working for him this year. The best cornerback is only 80 OVR, Josh Allen. Allen had a three-interception game two years ago at Mississippi and is this dynasty’s all-time leader with eight picks. Ryan Hamilton, who is 80 OVR, will start at free safety. C.J. Moore, who is 78 OVR, is the other starting corner.


BRYANT HAHNFELDT


Bryant Hahnfeldt will be a busy man this season, as he will add punting duties to his job as the team’s kicker. Hahnfeldt has 93 KPW, so his leg will be needed to get Vanderbilt an extra five yards of field position. True freshmen Josh Hayden and Michael Hardy have 84 and 76 KPW, respectively. Hayden was recruited as an athlete and is better suited to play quarterback, but he was moved to punter to fill an opening. However, Hardy was also added as a walk-on after the fact. Hayden’s 91 THP and 78 THA has B-Dawg thinking about running some fake punts if the CPU doesn’t sniff them out.

[font=arial][b][size=4][color=#C8AE13]2008 VANDERBILT OFFENSE[/color][/size][/b][/font][b][size=4][color=#C8AE13][/color][/size][/b][size=4][color=#C8AE13][/color][/size][color=#C8AE13][/color]
[b]#   Pos  Player             Cl.   OVR      Key attributes[/b]
3   QB   Chris Nickson      rSr.  84 (+2)  78 SPD, 88 THP, 82 THA
12  QB   Jared Funk         rSo.  82 (+4)  68 SPD, 86 THP, 87 THA
16  QB   Mackenzi Adams     rJr.  82 (+2)  76 SPD, 84 THP, 86 THA
[b][color=red]1   QB   Antwan Smith       Fr.   80       87 SPD, 92 THP, 82 THA[/color][/b][color=red][/color]
31  HB   Jared Hawkins      rJr.  82 (+4)  86 SPD, 72 CTH, 80 CAR, 82 BTK
25  HB   Clint Turner       Fr.   70       87 SPD, 62 CTH, 70 CAR, 68 BTK
27  HB   Gaston Miller      rSo.  70 (+2)  86 SPD, 65 CTH, 74 CAR, 72 BTK
83  FB   Brad Allen         rSr.  88 (+10) 74 SPD, 72 CTH, 68 CAR, 72 BTK, 65 PB, 65 RB
32  FB   Matt Bubis         rSo.  70 (+2)  70 SPD, 52 CTH, 52 CAR, 68 BTK, 52 PB, 59 RB
10  WR   Earl Bennett       Sr.   95 (+3)  94 SPD, 93 CTH, 88 JMP
88  WR   George Smith       rSr.  80 (+2)  89 SPD, 84 CTH, 85 JMP
81  WR   Bryant Anderson    rSr.  78 (+2)  85 SPD, 80 CTH, 88 JMP
80  WR   Justin Wheeler     rJr.  78 (+2)  86 SPD, 82 CTH, 88 JMP
26  WR   Alex Washington    rJr.  78 (+4)  90 SPD, 78 CTH, 86 JMP
7   WR   Sean Walker        rSr.  76 (+4)  88 SPD, 76 CTH, 85 JMP
84  WR   Matt Quinn         rSo.  68 (+3)  82 SPD, 74 CTH, 78 JMP
85  TE   Jake Bradford      rJr.  90 (+5)  76 SPD, 82 CTH, 62 PB, 65 RB
97  TE   Jonathan Massey    rSo.  82 (+2)  84 SPD, 80 CTH, 56 PB, 56 RB
66  OT   Eric Hensley       rJr.  80 (+4)  89 STR, 70 AWR, 86 PB, 89 RB
72  OT   John Austin        rFr.  72 (+4)  93 STR, 65 AWR, 78 PB, 86 RB
71  OT   Joey Bailey        rSo.  65 (+3)  80 STR, 52 AWR, 78 PB, 78 RB
70  OG   Drew Gardner       rJr.  80 (+2)  90 STR, 74 AWR, 82 PB, 86 RB
73  OG   Ryan Custer        rJr.  82 (+4)  84 STR, 74 AWR, 87 PB, 89 RB
59  OG   Adam Smotherman    rSo.  78 (+4)  82 STR, 68 AWR, 87 PB, 87 RB
76  OG   Brandon Hampton    rFr.  76 (+2)  88 STR, 68 AWR, 82 PB, 90 RB
60  C    Bradley Vierling   rJr.  82 (+2)  84 STR, 80 AWR, 86 PB, 86 RB
62  C    Willie Williams    Fr.   65       80 STR, 59 AWR, 78 PB, 80 RB

[font=arial][b][size=4][color=#C8AE13]2008 VANDERBILT DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS[/color][/size][/b][/font][b][size=4][color=#C8AE13][/color][/size][/b][size=4][color=#C8AE13][/color][/size][color=#C8AE13][/color]
[b]#   Pos  Player             Cl.   OVR      Key attributes[/b]
89  DE   Broderick Stewart  rJr.  84 (+2)  78 SPD, 65 STR, 86 AWR, 76 TAK
96  DE   Steven Stone       rJr.  82 (+4)  74 SPD, 74 STR, 76 AWR, 74 TAK
90  DE   Teriall Brannon    rSo.  68 (+0)  72 SPD, 70 STR, 56 AWR, 68 TAK
55  DE   Grant Rich         Jr.   56       59 SPD, 65 STR, 48 AWR, 65 TAK
98  DT   Greg Billinger     rSo.  68 (+3)  82 STR, 62 AWR, 72 TAK
92  DT   Brandon Holmes     rSr.  56 (+4)  72 STR, 68 AWR, 44 TAK
91  DT   Matthew Olsen      Fr.   56       78 STR, 48 AWR, 72 TAK
63  DT   Chris Gordon       Fr.   56       80 STR, 44 AWR, 76 TAK
51  OLB  Quavian Lewis      rJr.  84 (+4)  82 SPD, 72 STR, 80 TAK
52  OLB  Kikko Logan        Jr.   78 (+2)  82 SPD, 70 STR, 78 TAK
50  OLB  Brandon Bryant     rJr.  72 (+2)  74 SPD, 68 STR, 72 TAK
40  OLB  Donnell Monroe     Fr.   65       74 SPD, 68 STR, 62 TAK
57  MLB  Chris Johnson      rJr.  84 (+4)  76 SPD, 82 STR, 82 TAK
47  MLB  Bryan Kelly        Fr.   70       80 SPD, 72 STR, 80 TAK
30  MLB  Patrick Benoist    rSo.  68 (+0)  76 SPD, 74 STR, 72 TAK
14  CB   Josh Allen         rSr.  80 (+2)  89 SPD, 65 CTH, 78 JMP, 62 TAK
15  CB   C.J. Moore         Jr.   78 (+2)  85 SPD, 68 CTH, 88 JMP, 62 TAK
6   CB   Alan Strong        rSo.  76 (+4)  86 SPD, 68 CTH, 87 JMP, 56 TAK
20  CB   Jared Fagan        rSr.  72 (+0)  92 SPD, 52 CTH, 78 JMP, 52 TAK
42  CB   Darlron Spead      rJr.  70 (+2)  88 SPD, 52 CTH, 84 JMP, 56 TAK
8   CB   Will Carpenter     Fr.   68       84 SPD, 59 CTH, 84 JMP, 56 TAK
35  FS   Ryan Hamilton      rJr.  80 (+4)  85 SPD, 65 CTH, 80 JMP, 68 TAK
29  FS   Joel Caldwell      rJr.  68 (+6)  86 SPD, 56 CTH, 80 JMP 52 TAK
33  SS   Reshard Langford   rSr.  89 (+3)  84 SPD, 68 CTH, 86 JMP
41  SS   Brent Trice        rSo.  74 (+2)  82 SPD, 62 CTH, 84 JMP
23  SS   Shannon Mooney     rFr.  65 (+3)  80 SPD, 59 CTH, 78 JMP
75  K    Bryant Hanfeldt    Sr.   85 (+3)  93 KPW, 86 KAC
2   P    Josh Hayden        Fr.   59       68 SPD, 91 THP, 78 THA, 84 KPW, 76 KAC
46  P    Michael Hardy      Fr.   59       76 KPW, 86 KAC

COACH’S CONTRACT: Year 3 of 3
TEAM GOALS: Beat Tennessee, receive a bowl bid, beat Auburn
2007 RECORD: 4-8 overall, 2-6 SEC
GRADES: B overall, B offense, B defense, B+ special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 60
PROGRAM PRESTIGE: 2 star
ACADEMIC PRESTIGE: 5 stars
DISCIPLINE RATING: A
PIPELINE STATES: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee
CAPTAINS: Earl Bennnett, WR; Reshard Langford, SS
IMPACT PLAYAZ: Earl Bennnett, WR; Mackenzi Adams, QB; Quavian Lewis, OLB



2008 VANDERBILT SCHEDULE

SEPT. 6 — at MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
TEAM GRADES: C+ overall, C+ offense, C+ defense, B- special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 94
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting

SEPT. 13 — MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
TEAM GRADES: B overall, B- offense, B defense, B+ special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 45
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting

SEPT. 20 — AUBURN TIGERS
TEAM GRADES: A overall, B+ offense, A- defense, B special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 16
ALL-TIME SERIES: Auburn 1-0

SEPT. 27 — at MISSISSIPPI REBELS
TEAM GRADES: B+ overall, B- offense, B+ defense, A special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 36
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tied 1-1

OCT. 4 — at OREGON DUCKS
TEAM GRADES: B+ overall, B offense, B+ defense, B+ special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 21
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting

OCT. 11 — at MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
TEAM GRADES: B overall, B- offense, B+ defense, B special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 62
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting

OCT. 25 — at GEORGIA BULLDOGS
TEAM GRADES: B+ overall, A- offense, B+ defense, B- special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 11
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tied 1-1

NOV. 1 — SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
TEAM GRADES: A overall, A- offense, A- defense, A- special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 38
ALL-TIME SERIES: South Carolina 2-0

NOV. 15 — FLORIDA GATORS
TEAM GRADES: A- overall, A- offense, A- defense, B- special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 42
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tied 1-1

NOV. 22 — at KENTUCKY WILDCATS
TEAM GRADES: B- overall, C+ offense, B- defense, A- special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 83
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tied 1-1

NOV. 29 — TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
TEAM GRADES: A overall, B+ offense, A- defense, B special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 2
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tennessee 2-0

DEC. 6 — WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
TEAM GRADES: B+ overall, B offense, B+ defense, C+ special teams
PRESEASON RANKING: No. 30
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting









PATRICK WHITE, West Virginia, QB, r-Sr.
2007 STATS: 163-for-260, 2,185 yards, 19 TD, 12 int.; 163 carries, 1,264 yards, 15 TD

EARL BENNETT, Vanderbilt, WR, Sr.
2007 STATS: 82 catches, 1,942 yards, 16 TD

GRAHAM HARRELL, Texas Tech, QB, r-Sr.
2007 STATS: 310-for-484, 4,135 yards, 45 TD, 22 int.

CLINT WALRAVEN, Houston, QB, r-Jr.
2007 STATS: 313-for-493, 4,167 yards, 38 TD, 13 int.

CHRIS WELLS, Ohio State, HB, Jr.
2007 STATS: 313 carries, 2,164 yards, 21 TD







2008 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB, Patrick White, West Virginia
HB, Steve Slaton, West Virginia
HB, Chris Wells, Ohio State
WR, Vinny Perretta, Boise State
WR, Earl Bennett, VANDERBILT
TE, Rylan Reed, Texas Tech
OT, Thomas Archer, Oklahoma
OG, Ryan Stancheck, West Virginia
C, Austin Wilkinson, Rice
OG, Chris DeGeare, Wake Forest
OT, Matt DeGeest, Minnesota
Defense
DE, Demarcus Dobbs, Georgia
DE, Kekoa Watson, Hawaii
DT, Terrance Knighton, Temple
DT, Fred Givens, Wyoming
MLB, Daniel Holtzclaw, Eastern Michigan
OLB, Patrick Chung, Oregon
OLB, Marvin Sapp, South Carolina
CB, Reggie Smith, Oklahoma
CB, Ernest Hill, San Jose State
FS, Al Afalava, Oregon State
SS, Myron Rolle, Florida State
K, Pat McAfee, West Virginia
P, Kyle Yelton, Illinois
KR, Cornell Tarrant, Rice
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB, Clint Walraven, Houston
HB, DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
HB, Kevin Smith, Central Florida
WR, Mike Jones, Arizona State
WR, Mike McCoy, Nevada
TE, Merce Poindexter, Akron
C, Reyn Kaupiko, Navy
OG, Corey Thomas, West Virginia
OG, Carlos Houston, Auburn
OT, Andrew McGinn, Navy
OT, Ian Wolfe, Kansas
Defense
DE, Phillip Jones, Texas Tech
DE, Brandon Long, Michigan State
DT, Matt Rupp, Colorado State
DT, Fili Moala, USC
OLB, Jason Bradford, Georgia Tech
OLB, Anthony Felder, California
MLB, Derek Nicholson, Florida State
CB, Jorge White, Notre Dame
CB, Brandon Yates, Michigan State
FS, Darian Hagan, California
SS, Corey Robertson, Iowa
K, James Patterson, Iowa
P, Andrew Austrum, Texas Tech
KR, Robert Dunn, Auburn


2008 PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAM

FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB, Blake Barnes, Georgia
HB, Antonio Robinson, LSU
HB, Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
WR, Earl Bennnett, VANDERBILT
WR, Kenny McKinley, South Carolina
TE, Jared Cook, South Carolina
OG, Marlon Davis, Alabama
C, Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas
OG, Carlos Houston, Auburn
OT, Matt Fulmore, Tennessee
OT, Kurt Jones, Alabama
Defense
DE, Demarcus Dobbs, Georgia
DE, Spencer Atkins, LSU
DT, Reggie Odom, Mississippi State
DT, Kade West, Georgia
MLB, Jon Demps, Florida
OLB, Marvin Sapp, South Carolina
OLB, Quentin Taylor, Mississippi
CB, Josh Allen, VANDERBILT
CB, James Culberson, South Carolina
FS, Tristan Davis, Auburn
SS, Jamar Hornsby, Florida
K, Justin Sparks, Mississippi
P, P.J. Fitzgerald, Auburn
KR, Robert Dunn, Auburn
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB, JohnParker Wilson, Alabama
HB, Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State
HB, Markus Manson, Florida
WR, Brandon LaFell, LSU
WR, Josh Briscoe, Tennessee
TE, Marc Winson, Arkansas
OT, Herman Johnson, LSU
OT, Garry Williams, Kentucky
OG, Anthony Parker, Tennessee
C, Ryan Miller, LSU
OG, Jacque McClendon, Tennessee
Defense
DE, Dakota Walker, South Carolina
DE, Robert Ayers, Tennessee
DT, Dave Bain, Alabama
DT, Myron Pryor, Kentucky
OLB, Jamaal Deveaux, Florida
MLB, Tony Jackson, Alabama
OLB, Quavian Lewis, VANDERBILT
CB, Carlos Thomas, South Carolina
CB, Marsalous Johnson, Tennessee
FS, Antonio Wardlow, Tennessee
SS, Demetrice Morley, Tennessee
K, Bryant Hahnfeldt, VANDERBILT
P, Joe Davis, Auburn
KR, Trindon Holliday, LSU

[font=arial][b][size=6]2008 PRESEASON RANKINGS[/size][/b][/font][b][size=6][/size][/b][size=6][/size]
[b]Rnk COACHES' POLL        SEC              SEC EAST        SEC WEST[/b]
1   Ohio State (A+)      Tennessee        Tennessee       Alabama
2   Tennessee (A)        Georgia          Georgia         Auburn
3   USC (A+)             Alabama          South Carolina  LSU
4   West Virginia (A+)   Auburn           Florida         Mississippi
5   Oklahoma (A+)        LSU              [B]VANDERBILT[/B]      Arkansas
6   Miami (A-)           Mississippi      Kentucky        Mississippi St.
7   Iowa (A+)            South Carolina
8   Georgia Tech (A-)    Florida
9   Florida State (A+)   Arkansas
10  Penn State (A+)      [B]VANDERBILT[/B]
11  Georgia (B+)         Mississippi St.
12  Michigan State (B+)  Kentucky
13  Alabama (B+)
14  Michigan (A)
15  Louisville (B+)
16  Auburn (A)
17  Utah (B+)
18  N.C. State (A-)
19  Texas A&M (A)
20  Colorado (B+)
21  Oregon (B+)
22  Texas Tech (A-)
23  Nebraska (A+)
24  Northwestern (B+)
25  LSU (B+)
60  [B]VANDERBILT (B)[/B]

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 SEASONS - GAME 1


Vanderbilt kicker Greg Mitchell’s 32-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left in the game sails wide left.


Brannon Spector of Clemson gets behind Vanderbilt defensive back Chase Lloyd for a 75-yard touchdown catch in
the fourth quarter.

Help wanted: Kicker
Vanderbilt loses opener to Clemson
on failed 32-yard field goal with :05 left

CLEMSON, S.C. — Sophomore Greg Mitchell has all of this season, plus two more years, remaining as a kicker for Vanderbilt.

But if Commodores coach B-Dawg has his way — and it’s his dynasty, so why not? — Mitchell’s days with Vanderbilt will be numbered.

The smaller the numbers, the better.

All Mitchell had to do was kick a 32-yard field goal to send Vanderbilt’s season-opening game at third-ranked Clemson into overtime on Aug. 26, 2023.

Instead, he shanked what should have been a gimme kick wide to the left with five seconds remaining, allowing the Tigers to escape with a 34-31 victory over the 24th-ranked Commodores.

“This is just a devastating miss for this team,” color commentator Kirk Herbstreit said following the kick.

No kidding.

The missed kick ramps up the urgency to get kicker Zach Hancock into the fold for next season and beyond. Hancock is the third-ranked kicker in the country out of Alabaster, Ala.

“I typically wait until a kicker or punter are seniors before looking for their replacements,” B-Dawg said. “But Greg Mitchell just cost us a huge game that could’ve put us in the national championship picture right away. We will be going even harder after Hancock now instead of just flirting with him. I’ll have to dial up some old friends to cobble together more NIL money to throw his way.”

Mitchell had kicked a 38-yard field goal with 4:45 left in the game to tie the score, 31-31. That kick was struck weakly, but a 7 mile-per-hour wind at Mitchell’s back helped the ball get over the crossbar.

Clemson got what proved to be the winning 18-yard field goal from John Clark with 2:55 left after linebacker Ethan Barr tackled David Brown at the 2-yard line on third-and-goal. Clark’s kick squeezed inside the right upright.

Vanderbilt lost some time on its following drive when receiver Logan Kyle fumbled the ball out of bounds with 29 seconds left. B-Dawg expected the clock to be stopped, but it kept ticking while he was calling his next play. Quarterback Mike Wright then averted disaster by firing an incompletion to avoid a sack with 12 seconds left from the 31-yard line.

A 16-yard pass to Will Sheppard up the left sideline stopped the clock with eight seconds left. With no timeouts left and not wanting to risk a player being tackled inbounds, B-Dawg trotted out Mitchell, who had to kick from the left hash.

“I don’t feel comfortable unless the ball is set up down the middle,” B-Dawg said. “My stick skillz are horrible.”

Clemson called three timeouts to ice Mitchell. The ploy seemed to work.

“Losing a game like that because of an inept kicker is a disservice to the great play of guys like Ethan Barr, Anfernee Orji, Mike Wright and everyone who fought so valiantly out there,” B-Dawg said. “I can’t get rid of Greg Mitchell soon enough.”

Clemson had two Heisman Trophy contenders in quarterback D.J. Ulagalelei and running back Kobe Pace. Ulagalelei was 22-for-29 for 313 yards and four touchdowns, but threw three interceptions. One of those picks was a rare interception by a defensive tackle, as Devin Lee dropped into spy coverage and picked off a pass with 5:51 left in the first quarter. Two of Clemson’s first four passes were intercepted, the first being a 35-yard pick-6 by Chase Lloyd.

Pace didn’t exactly have Heisman numbers either, running 13 times for 53 yards. He did have an 18-yard touchdown catch.


Vanderbilt defensive tackle Devin Lee picks off a pass dropping into coverage.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES at CLEMSON TIGERS
Aug. 26, 2023	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#24 Vanderbilt Commodores (0-1)	7	7	7	10	31
#3 Clemson Tigers (1-0)	0	17	7	10	34

Team Stats Comparison
	VAN	CLEM
Total Offense	445	515
Rushing Yards	40-198	27-202
Passing Yards	247	313
First Downs	27	15
Punt Return Yards	16	11
Kick Return Yards	154	107
Total Yards	615	633
Turnovers	1	3
3rd Down Conversion	8-15	2-9
4th Down Conversion	0-0	2-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-3-0	4-2-2
Penalties	1-15	1-15
Possession Time	21:08	14:52

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CLEM
7:48	(VAN) C. Lloyd 35 interception return (G. Mitchell kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CLEM
7:58	(CLEM) S. Ennis 22 pass from D. Uiagalelei (J. Clark kick)	7	7
4:31	(VAN) L. Kyle 13 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	14	7
3:10	(CLEM) K. Pace 18 pass from D. Uiagalelei (J. Clark kick)	14	14
:03	(CLEM) J. Clark 26 field goal	14	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CLEM
3:52	(CLEM) E. Williams 40 pass from D. Uiagalelei (J. Clark kick)	14	24
1:03	(VAN) A. Wilson 2 run (G. Mitchell kick)	21	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		VAN	CLEM
6:58	(VAN) A. Wilson 1 run (G. Mitchell kick)	28	24
6:47	(CLEM) B. Spector 75 pass from D. Uiagalelei (J. Clark kick)	28	31
4:45	(VAN) G. Mitchell 38 field goal	31	31
2:55	(CLEM) J. Clark 18 field goal	31	34

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 20/37 247 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Mike Wright 13 120 9.2 0 Rocko Griffin 18 58 3.2 0 Andy Wilson 6 15 2.5 2 Michael Johnson 1 5 5.0 0 James Ziglor 2 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Logan Kyle 6 62 10.3 1 Will Sheppard 5 100 20.0 0 Quincy Skinner 4 39 9.8 0 Michael Johnson 2 43 21.5 0 Andy Wilson 1 5 5.0 0 Rocko Griffin 2 -2 -1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Team 0 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Anfernee Orji 11 1 0 0 Ethan Barr 7 1 0 0 John Howse 5 0 0 0 Chase Lloyd 4 1 0 1 Marlen Sewell 4 2 0 0 Jack Barton 3 0 0 0 Michael Mincey 2 1 0 0 Michael Spencer 2 0 0 0 Tyson Russell 2 0 0 1 Errington Truesdell 1 0 0 0 Alan Wright 1 0 0 0 Nate Clifton 1 0 0 0 De'Rickey Wright 1 1 0 0 Kasey Davidson 1 0 0 0 Devin Lee 0 0 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Greg Mitchell 1/2 4/4 7 38 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Robert Hayden 6 250 41.7 3 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 6 154 25.7 39 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 3 16 5.3 9

CLEMSON TIGERS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT D.J. Uiagalelei 22/29 313 4 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D.J. Uiagalelei 12 129 10.7 0 Kobe Pace 13 53 4.0 0 David Brown 2 20 10.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Beaux Collins 6 51 8.5 0 Brannon Spector 5 135 27.0 1 Kobe Pace 4 28 7.0 1 E.J. Williams 2 52 26.0 1 Sage Ennis 2 31 15.5 1 Dacari Collins 2 13 6.5 0 Ajou Ajou 1 3 3.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Casey Harrison 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Andrew Mukuba 11 1 0 0 Trenton Simpson 10 2 0 0 Casey Harrison 6 2 0 0 R.J. Mickens 5 0 0 1 Fred Davis 5 1 0 0 J.B. Smith 4 0 0 0 Bryan Bresee 4 0 0 0 Ruke Orhorhoro 3 1 0 0 Cade Denhoff 3 0 0 0 Nate Wiggins 3 0 0 0 Jeremiah Trotter 3 2 0 0 Malcolm Greene 2 0 0 0 Myles Murphy 2 0 0 0 Ajou Ajou 1 0 0 0 Mason Trotter 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Clark 2/2 4/4 10 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Brent Fowlkes 3 138 46.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Will Shipley 4 107 26.8 29 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Will Shipley 2 11 5.5 16

Kikko Logan knocks MTSU impact quarterback Joe Craddock out
of the game with this sack in the first quarter.

Vandy’s ‘D’ yields nothing to MTSU
after early trickery; Commies win 22-7

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Maybe this will be a different Vanderbilt defense in 2008.

In the past, the Commodores would have wilted at the first sign of a CPU momentum boost, like the one Middle Tennessee State got by scoring on a trick play just 31 seconds into the 2008 season opener.

However, Vanderbilt didn’t allow a point the rest of the way in the most dominant defensive performance in the three-year history of this dynasty, allowing the 60th-ranked Commodores to come back for a 22-7 victory.

A 79-yard halfback option pass from Alex Suber to a wide-open Michael Cannon on the second play of the game gave the 94th-ranked Blue Raiders the quick 7-0 lead.

It turns out Suber is a better passer than a runner, because he was throttled by the Commodores’ typically porous defense, gaining only 25 yards on 14 carries. As a team, Middle Tennessee State was held to minus-2 yards on 21 carries, with five sacks factoring into that total.

“I am very encouraged by the way we played defense today,” Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg said. “Switching to the 3-4 really cut down the outside pitches the CPU usually destroys us with. But let’s not start selling bowl packages just yet. After all, this was only Middle Tennessee State.”

Vanderbilt’s offense managed only one touchdown, but a dynasty-record five field goals by Bryant Hahnfeldt proved to be the difference. He kicked two field goals in the first half to get Vanderbilt within 7-6 at the break.

The Commodores’ only touchdown came on the second play of the second half, as Earl Bennett got one-on-one coverage and hauled in a 73-yard touchdown pass from Mackenzi Adams just 14 seconds into the third quarter.

That was certainly a big play, but maybe the biggest came with 42 seconds left in the first quarter when linebacker Kikko Logan injured MTSU impact quarterback Joe Craddock on a sack. Craddock, a fifth-year senior, suffered a pinched nerve in his neck and was knocked out of the game.

His backup, red-shirt freshman Andrew Bratton, positively reeked. He went 9-for-25 for 112 yards and four interceptions. Bratton threw interceptions on three consecutive passes in the second half.

Strong safety Reshard Langford, playing without the impact circle this season, seemed lighter on his feet and made two picks. Outside linebacker Quavian Lewis seems to enjoy being an impact player, as he had eight tackles, four tackles for losses, two sacks and a pick.

“Q-Lew could become a freak for us this year,” B-Dawg said. “I love dem impact linebackers!”

A bright spot was the running of Jared Hawkins, the Commodores’ new starting halfback. The running game produced only one 100-yard performance in Vanderbilt’s last nine games last year, but Hawkins hit the century mark for the first time in his career by running 27 times for 119 yards.

Bennett, who is No. 2 on the Heisman Trophy watch list, did nothing to damage his candidacy by hauling in seven passes for 160 yards and a score.

PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt; T.J. Johnson, MTSU

VANDERBILT 22, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 7
First quarter
MTSU: Cannon 79 pass from Suber (Zacco kick), 7:29
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 29 field goal, 3:56
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 22 field goal, 1:12
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
VANDY: Bennett 73 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 7:46
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 31 field goal, 1:28
Fourth quarter
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 20 field goal, 1:10
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 33 field goal, :02


WEEK 1 RESULTS
VANDERBILT 22, Middle Tennessee State 7
Alabama 38, Northern Illinois 24
South Carolina 29, Southern Mississippi 15
Mississippi State 49, Army 7
Tennessee 58, Mississippi Valley State 0
Georgia 59, Georgia Southern 3
Florida 56, Hawaii 7
Arkansas 56, Alcorn State 0
Auburn 59, Central Florida 14
Mississippi 24, Duke 14
LSU 42, Troy 10
Louisville 28, Kentucky 16

PLAYAZ OF DA WEEK
Offense — Markus Manson, Florida (23 carries, 198 yards, 3 TD; 2 catches, 54 yards, 1 TD)
Defense — Jacob Cutrera, LSU (9 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 2 int., 1 TD)





PATRICK WHITE, West Virginia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 11-for-16, 80 yards, 1 TD, 1 int.; 13 carries, 125 yards, 2 TD

EARL BENNETT, Vanderbilt, WR, Sr.
STATS: 7 catches, 160 yards, 1 TD

GRAHAM HARRELL, Texas Tech, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 17-for-22, 282 yards, 4 TD, 0 int. (Note: Injured 3 weeks)

CLINT WALRAVEN, Houston, QB, r-Jr.
STATS: 21-for-28, 293 yards, 7 TD, 0 int.

VIDAL HAZLETON, USC, WR, Jr.
STATS: 7 catches, 135 yards, 2 TD

[bh446066]

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

Doing these reports sometimes feels like work, since writing about sports is what I do for my actual work.

Thanks for continuing to follow this little obsession of mine.

Take your time please and don't get burned out. It's a massive comfort to me to know when I log on I can get me some BDawg nasties. That came out wrong.....

[BDawg35]

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

Take your time please and don't get burned out. It's a massive comfort to me to know when I log on I can get me some BDawg nasties. That came out wrong.....

I needed a cold shower after reading that!

I've been playing the game a ton. I've never been further behind in posting than I am right now. I'm going to try to chip away and see if I ever get caught up. Thanks for your support. The dynasty forums seems so much more dead than they were back in the day, so that probably has something to do with my lack of interest in posting.

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 SEASONS - GAME 2


Vanderbilt cornerback John Howse gets one of his three sacks of Central Michigan quarterback Daniel Richardson.


Vanderbilt freshman Michael Johnson struts with one of his two touchdown catches against Central Michigan.

Shades of Englemon?
Vanderbilt cornerback gets three sacks,
freshman WR excels in win over CMU

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Howse was a nobody on Vanderbilt’s football team last season, managing only one tackle as a red-shirt freshman cornerback.

Two games into his red-shirt sophomore season, Howse may have found a niche that could carry him to greatness.

Howse, a nickel cornerback, had three sacks and six total tackles in Vanderbilt’s 49-24 victory over Central Michigan on Sept. 2, 2023.

The secret to Howse’s success?

Vandy coach B-Dawg found magic by dialing up a slot corner blitz out of a nickel defense. Howse was the beneficiary, exploding off the line and getting to Chippewa quarterback Daniel Richardson three times.

In two games, Howse has 11 tackles, but the three sacks against CMU were the first three tackles for losses of his career.

“This could be our key to getting stops on third-and-long, because the quarterback is either going down or having to get rid of the ball quickly,” B-Dawg said. “Of course, it’s one thing to do it against Central Michigan; let’s see how it works against the big boyz in the SEC.”

All three of his sacks happened by the 6:13 mark of the second quarter, including two back-to-back sacks.

While not quite as overblown, the defensive call was reminiscent of what B-Dawg did with Michigan slot cornerback Brandent Englemon in NCAA 2004. Using Dime Fire-2, it was almost automatic for Englemon to get to the quarterback. He had 10 sacks in one game at Minnesota and 38 in the 2005 season. The defense was so unrealistic that B-Dawg doesn’t count those numbers in his official records.

The other highlight for Vanderbilt was the play of freshman receiver Michael Johnson, the third overall recruit in the Class of 2023. Johnson, who had only two catches for 43 yards in his debut at Clemson, announced his presence to the college football world by hauling in eight passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. His 94 SPD helped him get free for touchdowns of 45 and 75 yards.

“We finally have our big-play threat,” B-Dawg said. “But, again, we’ll see how he does when he goes up against guys his own speed in the SEC.”

Johnson scored the first touchdown of the game by grabbing a pass over the middle on third-and-10 and blowing past the CMU defense on his way to the end zone. Johnson had 103 yards on four catches in the first half alone.

Johnson’s other touchdown also came on third-and-10, this time on a deep crossing route with 38 seconds left in the first half. Once he had the ball, nobody threatened to catch him.

The Commodores scored touchdowns on all five first-half drives. Johnson had five catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns by halftime and quarterback Mike Wright was 13-for-19 for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Vanderbilt had four drops on the six incompletions.

With a comfortable 35-10 halftime lead, Vanderbilt called off the dogs in the second half. Wright finished 20-for-28 for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Nine different Commodores ran the ball. Backup quarterback Drew Dickey threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to backup running back Patrick Smith with 2:13 left in the game.


Backup quarterback Drew Dickey throws a touchdown pass.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS at VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Sept. 2, 2023	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Central Michigan Chippewas (0-2)	7	3	0	14	24
Vanderbilt Commodores (1-1)	14	21	0	14	49

Team Stats Comparison
	CMU	VAN
Total Offense	360	485
Rushing Yards	29-58	39-130
Passing Yards	302	355
First Downs	16	21
Punt Return Yards	5	20
Kick Return Yards	200	65
Total Yards	565	570
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Conversion	3-11	10-14
4th Down Conversion	1-1	2-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-1	5-5-0
Penalties	3-38	1-15
Possession Time	13:28	22:32

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	VAN
7:27	(VAN) M. Johnson 45 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	0	7
3:24	(VAN) A. Wilson 4 run (G. Mitchell kick)	0	14
:45	(CMU) M. Lukes 3 run (M. Meeder kick)	7	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	VAN
6:44	(VAN) A. Wilson 1 run (G. Mitchell kick)	7	21
2:45	(VAN) M. Wright 16 run (G. Mitchell kick)	7	28
:58	(CMU) M. Meeder 26 field goal	10	28
:38	(VAN) M. Johnson 75 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	10	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	VAN
8:57	(VAN) R. Griffin 2 run (G. Mitchell kick)	10	42
3:51	(CMU) T. Davis 34 pass from D. Richardson (M. Meeder kick)	17	42
2:13	(VAN) P. Smith 14 pass from D. Dickey (G. Mitchell kick)	17	49
1:28	(CMU) F. Hogan 63 pass from D. Richardson (M. Meeder kick)	24	49

CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Daniel Richardson 21/32 302 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marion Lukes 15 36 2.3 1 Daniel Richardson 11 13 1.1 0 Myles Bailey 3 9 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tyson Davis 8 138 17.3 1 Alec Palella 5 37 7.4 0 Finn Hogan 3 105 35.0 1 Chris Parker 3 17 5.7 0 Myles Bailey 1 4 4.0 0 Marion Lukes 1 1 1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Myles Bailey 0 1 Alec Palella 0 1 Marion Lukes 0 1 Rodney Mosby 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Justin Whiteside 12 3 0 0 Irone Jackson 9 2 0 0 Daedae Hill 5 0 0 0 Brian Vaughn 5 0 0 0 Caleb Spann 5 1 0 0 Tyrece Woods 3 2 1 0 Titus Waller 3 0 0 0 Donte Kent 3 0 0 0 Jason Williams 3 0 0 0 Kyle Moretti 3 1 0 0 Fred Stokes 2 1 0 0 Eric Reese 2 0 0 0 Elijah Rikard 1 0 0 0 C.J. Sledge 1 0 0 0 Caleb Watkins 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Marshall Meeder 1/1 3/3 6 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Luke Elzinga 5 244 48.8 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Chris Parker 5 126 25.2 30 Marion Lukes 3 74 24.7 26 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Chris Parker 1 5 5.0 5

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 20/28 334 2 0 Drew Dickey 2/2 19 1 0 Ken Seals 1/3 2 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rocko Griffin 15 55 3.6 1 Mike Wright 6 27 4.5 1 Patrick Smith 4 18 4.5 0 James Ziglor 5 14 2.8 0 Drew Dickey 1 9 9.0 0 Andy Wilson 4 8 2.0 2 A.Jones/W.Sheppard 1/1 1/1 1.0/1.0 0/0 Michael Johnson 2 -3 -1.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Michael Johnson 8 190 23.8 2 Will Sheppard 4 68 17.0 0 Logan Kyle 3 38 12.7 0 Rocko Griffin 3 24 8.0 0 Quincy Skinner 3 13 4.3 0 Patrick Smith 1 14 14.0 1 Joel Decoursey 1 8 8.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Ben Cox 2 0 Trey Boll 1 0 Logan Kyle 1 0 Vershon Lee 1 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Ethan Barr 9 3 1 0 Anfernee Orji 7 1 0 0 John Howse 6 3 3 0 Errington Truesdell 5 1 0 0 Jack Barton 4 0 0 0 Chase Lloyd 3 0 0 0 Marlen Sewell 3 0 0 0 Jeremy Walton 3 1 0 0 Tyson Russell 3 0 0 0 Nate Clifton 2 1 1 0 Alan Wright 2 0 0 0 Darren Agu 2 0 0 0 Kasey Davidson 2 0 0 0 Michael Spencer 1 1 0 0 Scott Rosario 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Greg Mitchell 0/0 7/7 7 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Robert Hayden 3 124 39.7 54 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 2 60 30.0 31 Quincy Skinner 1 5 5.0 5 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 2 20 10.0 12

Earl Bennett (left) catches the winning TD pass with 2:37 left. Greg Billinger (right) stuffs
Reid Haviland on fourth-and-inches in the final minute.

SILENT KILLER
Bennett has relatively quiet game vs. Gophers,
catches game-winning TD pass with 2:37 to go

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Earl Bennett had been quiet … too quiet.

Vanderbilt’s star senior receiver, who had gone over 100 receiving yards 17 times in his previous 23 games, was sitting on only five catches for 54 yards as the Commodores’ 2008 home opener against Minnesota reached the final minutes.

But when Vanderbilt needed a clutch play, you-know-who came up big.

Bennett caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Mackenzi Adams on third-and-10 with 2:37 left in the game, giving the 56th-ranked Commodores a 31-24 come-from-behind victory over 45th-ranked Minnesota on Sept. 13.

Minnesota (1-1) held a 24-17 lead going into the final quarter before Adams threw two touchdown passes, the first being a 5-yarder to tight end Jonathan Massey with 7:07 remaining. Massey was starting in place of the suspended Jake Bradford.

Four different Commodores caught at least four passes, as Adams went 22-for-32 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

“We are making more of a concerted effort to get everybody involved this season,” Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg said. “Teams know all about Earl by now, which will leave other guys open. Mackenzi did a great job of distributing the rock today. He also knew on what side his bread was buttered when he really needed to make a big play.”

The game was played in a downpour that resulted in nine total fumbles, six that were lost. Vanderbilt’s Quavian Lewis and Minnesota’s Deon Hightower both forced three fumbles, with Lewis recovering one. Lewis also had a career-high 12 tackles.

Vanderbilt scored 24 of its 31 points off of turnovers.

The final fumble of the game gave Minnesota one final crack, as Vanderbilt running back Jared Hawkins fumbled while covering up the ball with 50 seconds left. Minnesota faced fourth-and-inches at midfield and was denied, as defensive tackle Greg Billinger stuffed running back Reid Haviland.

Minnesota’s Tony Mortensen threw three touchdown passes to compensate for a mediocre running game that managed only 87 yards on 28 carries. The Commodores (2-0) have allowed only 85 yards on the ground in the first two games. All three passes were of 30 yards or longer.

“We seem to have our run defense working, but the big play through the air is still a problem,” B-Dawg said.

PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
Deon Hightower, Minnesota; Quavian Lewis, Vanderbilt

VANDY 31, MINNESOTA 24
First quarter
VANDY: Smith 33 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 3:36
MINN: Decker 53 pass from Mortensen (Monroe kick), 2:48
Second quarter
MINN: Howard 30 pass from Mortensen (Monroe kick), 7:37
VANDY: Adams 5 run (Hahnfeldt kick), 4:29
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 46 field goal, :00
Third quarter
MINN: Vogelpohl 66 pass from Mortensen (Monroe kick), 7:04
MINN: Monroe 24 field goal, 2:21
Fourth quarter
VANDY: Massey 5 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 7:07
VANDY: Bennett 27 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 2:37


WEEK 2 RESULTS
VANDERBILT 31, Minnesota 24
Georgia 36, Arizona State 33
Mississippi 13, Wake Forest 10
Kentucky 32, Temple 27
LSU 64, Prairie View A&M 0
Tennessee 27, UCLA 12
Miami 27, Florida 10
Illinois 41, Arkansas 7
South Carolina 77, Louisiana Tech 28
Alabama 52, Columbia 3
Auburn 35, East Carolina 3

PLAYAZ OF DA WEEK
Offense — Mark Beck, LSU (16-for-34, 233 yards, 6 TD;; 7 carries, 43 yards)
Defense — Quavian Lewis, Vanderbilt (12 tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR)




PATRICK WHITE, West Virginia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 29-for-40, 312 yards, 3 TD, 1 int.; 22 carries, 159 yards, 3 TD

EARL BENNETT, Vanderbilt, WR, Sr.
STATS: 13 catches, 241 yards, 2 TD

MARK SANCHEZ, USC, QB, r-Jr.
STATS: 35-for-52, 612 yards, 8 TD, 0 int.

SCOTT MORTON, Texas Tech WR, Soph.
STATS: 13 catches, 297 yards, 5 TD

CHRIS WELLS, Ohio State, HB, Jr.
STATS: 38 carries, 234 yards, 4 TD; 3 catches, 42 yards

[dfsJunkie]

Re: 2023/2008 SEASONS - GAME 2

Shame to see the boards so quiet. But that said, the nickel blitz!! I think we might have found B-Dawg's new identity as a coach moving forward..

[Careless Whisper]

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

Yeah the boards have been really quiet lately, though I kind of expect it since college football isn't in season. Hopefully that newfound nickel blitz can prove to be a game-changer in the SEC. Wild to see that you had a guy in NCAA 2004 with 10 sacks in a game and 38 on the year.

[BDawg35]

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

Shame to see the boards so quiet. But that said, the nickel blitz!! I think we might have found B-Dawg's new identity as a coach moving forward..

Yep, the new trademark of a B-Dawg team will be cornerbacks who lead the nation in sacks! We'll see how that works against better teams.

Yeah the boards have been really quiet lately, though I kind of expect it since college football isn't in season. Hopefully that newfound nickel blitz can prove to be a game-changer in the SEC. Wild to see that you had a guy in NCAA 2004 with 10 sacks in a game and 38 on the year.

Yeah, that play in NCAA 2004 was insanely cheesy. The player I used had SPD/ACC well into the 90s, so he was on the quarterback before he could complete his drop-back. There was that play and one in which I put Braylon Edwards at tight end and sent him deep that were cash money. I finally had to stop using those plays for the sake of competitive balance. Once I started tracking records, I knew I couldn't count those sacks for my all-time records, because nobody would ever come close legitimately.

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 SEASONS - GAME 3


Vanderbilt freshman Michael Johnson caught 11 passes for 246 yards and 1 touchdown.


MSU receiver Terry Lockett caught 7 passes for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns.

53 is not enough
B-Dawg loses for first time when
scoring 50-plus in regulation game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Eclipsing 50 points should be an automatic dub for any football team.

And that’s been the case for B-Dawg throughout a coaching career that dates back to NCAA 2004.

Before his Vanderbilt Commodores hosted Michigan State on Sept. 9, 2023, B-Dawg had a record of 69-0 in regulation time when scoring at least 50 points. He was 73-1 if you include overtime games, his lone loss when breaking 50 coming in a 55-52 double-overtime loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl during his first stint at Vanderbilt on Jan. 1, 2014 in NCAA 2007. The most points B-Dawg has scored in a regulation loss came in a 55-49 loss to Central Michigan on Sept. 7, 2019 while with Air Force in NCAA 2014.

But if you coach long enough, you’ll see results you’d only expect from a video game.

That day came when MSU quarterback Payton Thorne went full robo-QB mode. The 99 OVR fifth-year senior was 23-for-26 for 344 yards and four touchdowns in the third-ranked Spartans’ wild 56-53 victory over Vanderbilt.

The crazy thing is that Vanderbilt forced the Spartans to punt six times. But MSU also scored six touchdowns in six trips to the red zone.

It was just a normal high-scoring game, with MSU leading 35-24, through three quarters. Then a track meet ensued, with the teams combining for 50 points. There were three touchdowns in the final 1 minute, 24 seconds.

When freshman Michael Johnson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright with 59 seconds left in the game, it set up the possibility B-Dawg would lose while scoring 50-plus.

Of course, the Commodores didn’t recover the onside kick — B-Dawg still hasn’t recovered one in NCAA 2014 — and the Spartans ran out the clock.

“It was a disgraceful performance by our defense,” B-Dawg said. “They did whatever they wanted — threw it, ran it. They had a quarterback with 344 yards, a running back with 134 and a receiver with 137. We were garbage.”

Of course, Vanderbilt had some pretty impressive numbers of its own to achieve the dubious distinction of losing with 50-plus points.

Senior quarterback Mike Wright was 32-for-46 for 537 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage is the sixth-most ever by a B-Dawg quarterback.

Freshman receiver Michael Johnson proved he can be explosive against a high-caliber opponent, hauling in 11 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also proved he’s still a freshman, dropping four passes and losing a fumble on the second play of the game to set up MSU’s first touchdown.

Most passing yards by B-Dawg QB
659, Devin Gardner (Michigan) at Iowa, Nov. 2, 2013 (NCAA 2012)
647, Terrence Sharpe (Air Force) vs. Oregon, Dec. 7, 2030 (NCAA 2014)
600, Terrence Sharpe (Air Force) at Navy, Oct. 5, 2030 (NCAA 2014)
566, Ken Collins (Vanderbilt) vs. Ohio State, Sept. 13, 2014 (NCAA 2007)
555, Ken Collins (Vanderbilt) vs. Alabama, Dec.6, 2014 (NCAA 2007)
537, Mike Wright (Vanderbilt) vs. Michigan State, Sept. 9, 2023 (NCAA 2014)
529, Mike Payne (Michigan) vs. Michigan State, Nov. 1, 2008 (NCAA 2012)
526, Brandon Hester (Air Force) vs. Navy, Sept. 28, 2029 (NCAA 2014)
518, Terrence Sharpe (Air Force) at Georgia, Aug. 31, 2030 (NCAA 2014)
502, Clint Cunningham (Eastern Michigan) vs. Iowa, Oct. 4, 2014 (NCAA 2008)
497, Terrence Sharpe (Air Force) at Stanford, Sept. 14, 2030 (NCAA 2014)


MSU quarterback Payton Thorne was in robo-QB mode, going 23-for-26 for
344 yards and 4 touchdowns.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS at VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Sept. 9, 2023	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#3 Michigan State Spartans (2-0)	7	14	14	21	56
Vanderbilt Commodores (1-2)	0	10	14	29	53

Team Stats Comparison
	MSU	VAN
Total Offense	517	648
Rushing Yards	46-173	34-111
Passing Yards	344	537
First Downs	20	27
Punt Return Yards	14	47
Kick Return Yards	143	233
Total Yards	674	928
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Conversion	5-12	6-13
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-6-0	6-5-1
Penalties	0-0	2-46
Possession Time	15:36	20:24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MSU	VAN
7:34	(MSU) M. Foster 4 pass from P. Thorne (J. Stone kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MSU	VAN
8:32	(MSU) T. Lockett 32 pass from P. Thorne (J. Stone kick)	14	0
6:04	(MSU) P. Thorne 2 run (J. Stone kick)	21	0
1:52	(VAN) G. Mitchell 23 field goal	21	3
:28	(VAN) R. Griffin 3 run (G. Mitchell kick)	21	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MSU	VAN
6:02	(VAN) W. Sheppard 57 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	21	17
4:29	(MSU) J. Simmons 1 run (J. Stone kick)	28	17
1:52	(MSU) T. Lockett 35 pass from P. Thorne (J. Stone kick)	35	17
:44	(VAN) A. Wilson 3 run (G. Mitchell kick)	35	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MSU	VAN
7:36	(VAN) R. Griffin 2 run (R. Griffin run)	35	32
6:12	(MSU) C. Fitzpatrick 9 pass from P. Thorne (J. Stone kick)	42	32
5:16	(VAN) Q. Skinner 6 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	42	39
2:47	(MSU) B. Griffin 2 run (J. Stone kick)	49	39
1:24	(VAN) R. Griffin 1 run (G. Mitchell kick)	49	46
1:19	(MSU) B. Griffin 16 run (J. Stone kick)	56	46
:59	(VAN) M. Johnson 33 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	56	53

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Payton Thorne 23/26 344 4 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jordon Simmons 22 134 6.0 1 Brandon Griffin 8 48 6.0 2 Andrew Mitchell 1 1 1.0 0 Payton Thorne 15 -10 0.6 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Terry Lockett 7 137 19.5 2 Tre Mosley 4 96 24.0 0 Christian Fitzpatrick 4 59 14.8 1 Keon Coleman 3 27 9.0 0 Maliq Carr 3 18 6.0 0 Montorie Foster 1 4 4.0 1 Jordon Simmons 1 3 3.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Maliq Carr 0 1 Spencer Brown 0 1 Bo Fox 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Angelo Grose 11 0 0 0 Cole DeMarzo 9 1 0 0 Darius Snow 5 0 0 0 Simeon Barrow 5 2 0 0 Cal Haladay 5 0 0 0 Charles Brantley 5 0 0 0 Marqui Lowery 4 0 0 0 Kendall Brooks 4 0 0 0 Jalen Hunt 3 0 0 0 Justin White 3 0 0 0 Michael Fletcher 3 2 1 0 John Estes 3 0 0 0 Van Williams 2 1 0 0 Jeff Pietrowski 1 1 0 0 Khary Crump 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jack Stone 0/0 8/8 8 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Chris Green 6 270 45.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Keon Coleman 5 120 24.0 26 Jordon Simmons 1 22 22.0 22 Christian Fitzpatrick 1 1 1.0 1 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Keon Coleman 1 14 14.0 14

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 32/46 537 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rocko Griffin 22 82 3.7 3 Mike Wright 8 20 2.5 0 Andy Wilson 4 9 2.3 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Michael Johnson 11 246 22.3 1 Will Sheppard 9 167 18.5 1 Quincy Skinner 3 42 14.0 1 Logan Kyle 3 32 10.7 0 Rocko Griffin 3 14 4.7 0 Joel Decoursey 2 36 18.0 0 John Johnson 1 0 0.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Vershon Lee 1 0 Rocko Griffin 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Ethan Barr 9 2 0 0 Anfernee Orji 9 0 0 0 Jack Barton 9 2 1 0 Chase Lloyd 7 1 0 0 Tyson Russell 6 1 1 0 John Howse 4 2 1 0 Marlen Sewell 4 0 0 0 Nate Clifton 3 2 2 0 Quincy Skinner 3 0 0 0 Michael Spencer 3 0 0 0 Alan Wright 3 0 0 0 Michael Mincey 2 0 0 0 Terion Sugick 2 2 1 0 Devin Lee 1 1 0 0 Kasey Davidson 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Greg Mitchell 1/1 6/6 9 23 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Robert Hayden 4 151 37.8 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 8 233 29.1 63 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 4 38 9.5 17 Chase Lloyd 1 9 9.0 9

Auburn’s Robert Dunn caught two touchdown passes.

BACK TO EARTH
Vanderbilt gets harsh dose of reality,
receives 59-14 whoopin’ from Auburn

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt cracked the national top-50 this week for the first time in B-Dawg’s three years at the helm, hitting No. 47 on the charts.

Getting much higher is going to be difficult, because it’s apparent the Commodores still have a long ways to go before they can consider themselves an upper-echelon program.

Vanderbilt had no answer for Auburn quarterback Mario Fannin in a humiliating 59-14 loss to the 16th-ranked Tigers on Sept. 20, 2008.

The Commodores have started out 2-0 the last two seasons before getting trounced in their Southeastern Conference opener the third week. Kentucky whipped Vanderbilt 52-21 last year in Week 3.

“We are definitely not in a position to get big heads around here,” B-Dawg said. “I would think we learned our lesson last year about thinking too highly of ourselves after a 2-0 start. Really, though, we could have had our heads on totally straight, played as well as we possibly can and we still would have lost this game.”

Fannin went 19-for-27 for 315 yards, four touchdowns and no picks. He also had a 9-yard touchdown run, carrying 11 times for 23 yards. He threw two touchdown passes to Robert Dunn, while completing six passes for 186 yards and a touchdown to Tim Hawthorne.

Vanderbilt was hanging in there rather nicely in the early going. The first quarter remained scoreless until Fannin hit Hawthorne with a 79-yard bomb on the first play after a missed 38-yard field goal by Bryant Hahnfeldt. It stayed a 7-0 game past the midway point of the second quarter before a healthy dose of plus-five momentum made any attempt at playing this game an exercise in futility for B-Dawg.

Auburn scored three touchdowns in the final 3:09 of the second quarter to go ahead 28-0.

“It all seemed so inevitable,” B-Dawg said. “I wanted to just kill the clock and lower that blasted momentum meter at halftime, but we had to give them back the ball and I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that nothing we did would stop them from scoring. Sure enough, they go into a hurry-up and Fannin scrambles in with 22 seconds left.”

Vanderbilt did come back quickly to get on the board ona 5-yard pass from Mackenzi Adams to George Smith with seven seconds left in the half. It took the Commodores only three plays to move 80 yards.

Vanderbilt gained no momentum from the late score, however, as Fannin threw two more touchdown passes in the third quarter to put Auburn ahead 42-7. A 3-yard pass from Adams to Bryant Anderson gave Vanderbilt its final score with 1:35 left in the third.

The Tigers (3-0) outscored Vanderbilt 17-0 in the fourth.

Vanderbilt’s Earl Bennett caught eight passes for 139 yards, but the loss dropped him off the Heisman Trophy watch list.

“We’ll never see him there again if we don’t stop the bleeding and win some games,” B-Dawg said. “We’ve got Mississippi next. They got us last year, but it’s a winnable game if we execute properly.”

PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
Mario Fannin, Auburn; Mackenzi Adams, Vanderbilt

AUBURN 59, VANDERBILT 14
First quarter
AUBURN: Hawthorne 79 pass from Fannin (Walton kick), :37
Second quarter
AUBURN: Dunn 15 pass from Fannin (Walton kick), 3:09
AUBURN: Tate 2 run (Walton kick), 1:27
AUBURN: Fannin 9 run (Walton kick), :22
VANDY: G.Smith 5 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), :07
Third quarter
AUBURN: Dunn 5 pass from Fannin (Walton kick), 6:16
AUBURN: Goggans 16 pass from Fannin (Walton kick), 4:26
VANDY: Anderson 3 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 1:35
Fourth quarter
AUBURN: Walton 22 field goal, 6:23
AUBURN: Byrd 42 run (Walton kick), 3:06
AUBURN: Lester 4 run (Walton kick), 1:06


WEEK 3 RESULTS
Auburn 59, VANDERBILT 14
LSU 24, Louisiana Tech 7
Arkansas 41, UAB 18
Mississippi 56, Memphis 24
Georgia 59, South Carolina 42
Tennessee 51, San Jose State 0
Mississippi State 31, Houston 24
Oklahoma 35, Florida 21
Alabama 49, Kentucky 7

PLAYAZ OF DA WEEK
Offense — Felix Jones, Arkansas (37 carries, 309 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 23 yards, 2 TD)
Defense — Courtney Harden, Auburn (5 tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR)




PATRICK WHITE, West Virginia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 45-for-61, 495 yards, 6 TD, 2 int.; 40 carries, 268 yards, 4 TD

SCOTT MORTON, Texas Tech, WR, Soph.
STATS: 19 catches, 382 yards, 7 TD

STEVE SLATON, West Virginia, HB, Sr.
STATS: 69 carries, 549 yards, 7 TD; 9 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD

MARK SANCHEZ, USC, QB, r-Jr.
STATS: 56-for-82, 942 yards, 11 TD, 1 int.

BLAKE BARNES, Georgia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 63-for-98, 954 yards, 11 TD, 3 int.

[BDawg35]

2023/2008 SEASONS - GAME 4


Vanderbilt defensive end Nate Clifton tackles Northwestern receiver Jordan Mosley near the goal line on the final
play of the game.


Quincy Skinner’s touchdown catch with 2:03 left in the game gave Vanderbilt a 34-22 lead.

Nothing to see here
Replay might have cost Vanderbilt
on final play of win at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. — Thank goodness EA Sports never programmed challenges into NCAA ’14 that could take place after time expires.

If this basic concept of modern football was truly “in the game,” Vanderbilt might have left Evanston with a big fat “L” on Sept. 16, 2023.

Defensive end Nate Clifton tackled Northwestern receiver Jordan Mosley one yard short of the goal line on a pass from the Vanderbilt 3-yard line with eight seconds left in the game. Out of timeouts, the Wildcats couldn’t get to the line in time to run one final play, allowing Vanderbilt to escape with a 34-29 victory.

But should the Commodores have received the win?

Replay seemed to indicate that Mosley caught the ball over the goal line before his momentum carried him back into the field of play. Clifton, who dropped into coverage, hit Mosley with bad intentions to keep him from returning to the end zone.

An instant replay challenge never took place, because EA had already moved on to the postgame cut scenes.

“I would be livid if that happened to my team,” Vanderbilt coach B-Dawg said. “How can EA program the game so that a replay challenge can’t be issued once time expires? Of course, my team wouldn’t have been in a position to be running up to the line with the clock expiring; I coach my teams better than that.”

It didn’t appear there would be any need for last-second drama when a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright to Quincy Skinner gave Vanderbilt a 34-22 lead with 2:03 left in the game.

But Northwestern got within five on a 38-yard pass from Ryan Hilinski to Jacob Gill with 1:16 left, never having to use a timeout.

Those timeouts came in handy on Vanderbilt’s next possession, which ended when running back Rocko Griffin was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Northwestern 36-yard line with 1:04 left in the game.

“We weren’t making a field goal from there and a bad punt might have gained us only 16 yards of field position,” B-Dawg said. “If you can’t make one yard, you have no business winning. We certainly made it tougher on ourselves.”

Northwestern completed six passes to get to the Vanderbilt 3-yard line before spiking the ball with 18 seconds left. With the Commodores in a nickel 9 Velcro defense, rushing only two players, it took 10 seconds for the final play to materialize, as Hilinski had nowhere to throw but wasn’t facing pressure.

“The defense we called actually helped us drain more clock,” B-Dawg said. “Nickel 9 Velcro usually gives the quarterback all day to throw, but in a short field with nine defenders dropping into coverage, it’s hard to find an open receiver.”

Hilinski eventually dumped it off to Mosley, who appeared to catch the ball in the end zone, but was tackled in the field of play. With all that time having ticked off the clock while running the play, there wasn’t enough time to get the ball off.

The inability to get the ball in the end zone at the end was indicative of Northwestern’s red-zone woes. The Wildcats were in the red zone six times, but came away with only one touchdown and one field goal. They were 0-for-3 on fourth down in the red zone.

“Our ability to get stops close to the goal line won us this game,” B-Dawg said. “We gave up 580 yards of offense, but not giving up those final yards was huge. We stink until we can get a team inside the 10. Then we can pack in a zone defense that makes it tough to throw. We also had some huge tackles for losses on fourth down.”


Northwestern’s Cameron Mitchell tackles Vanderbilt’s Rocko Griffin for a
safety.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES at NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS
Sept. 16, 2023	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-2)	0	13	14	7	34
Northwestern Wildcats (0-3)	7	3	3	16	29

Team Stats Comparison
	VAN	NW
Total Offense	469	580
Rushing Yards	43-233	35-138
Passing Yards	236	442
First Downs	24	24
Punt Return Yards	15	0
Kick Return Yards	107	177
Total Yards	591	757
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Conversion	5-11	8-14
4th Down Conversion	1-3	0-3
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-4-2	6-1-1
Penalties	1-14	2-10
Possession Time	20:07	15:53

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		VAN	NW
1:38	(NW) C. Porter 57 run (T. Finison kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		VAN	NW
8:57	(VAN) G. Mitchell 25 field goal	3	7
3:53	(VAN) A. Wilson 1 run (G. Mitchell kick)	10	7
2:10	(NW) T. Finison 50 field goal	10	10
:13	(VAN) G. Mitchell 30 field goal	13	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		VAN	NW
7:06	(NW) T. Finison 29 field goal	13	13
5:19	(VAN) A. Wilson 4 run (G. Mitchell kick)	20	13
:53	(VAN) R. Griffin 10 run (G. Mitchell kick)	27	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		VAN	NW
6:33	(NW) Safety: C. Mitchell tackles R. Griffin	27	15
5:53	(NW) C. Porter 10 run (T. Finison kick)	27	22
2:03	(VAN) Q. Skinner 10 pass from M. Wright (G. Mitchell kick)	34	22
1:16	(NW) J. Gill 38 pass from R. Hilinski (T. Finison kick)	34	29

VANDERBILT COMMODORES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Wright 20/30 236 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rocko Griffin 23 130 5.6 1 Mike Wright 12 80 6.7 0 Andy Wilson 6 12 2.0 2 James Ziglor 2 11 5.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Michael Johnson 5 82 16.4 0 Quincy Skinner 4 65 16.3 1 Rocko Griffin 4 19 4.8 0 Will Sheppard 3 42 14.0 0 Logan Kyle 2 16 8.0 0 Joel Decoursey 2 12 6.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Jason Brooks 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Anfernee Orji 10 1 0 0 Ethan Barr 7 4 0 0 Chase Lloyd 7 2 0 0 Tyson Russell 7 2 0 0 Marlen Sewell 6 2 0 0 Jack Barton 6 0 0 0 John Howse 6 1 0 0 De'Rickey Wright 4 2 0 0 Terion Sugick 3 3 2 0 Kasey Davidson 3 0 0 0 Jeremy Walton 2 0 0 0 Michael Spencer 2 0 0 0 Alan Wright 1 0 0 0 Errington Truesdell 1 0 0 0 Nate Clifton 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Greg Mitchell 2/2 4/4 10 30 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Robert Hayden 1 63 63.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 4 107 26.8 35 Will Sheppard 1 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG James Ziglor 1 15 15.0 15

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ryan Hilinski 33/42 442 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cam Porter 27 110 4.0 2 Ryan Hilinski 5 27 5.4 0 Evan Hull 3 1 0.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Bryce Kirtz 9 168 18.7 0 Cam Porter 7 46 6.5 0 Jordan Mosley 5 64 12.8 0 Jacob Gill 4 102 25.5 1 Genson Hooper-Price 3 27 9.0 0 Evan Hull 3 10 3.3 0 Marshall Lang 1 18 18.0 0 Thomas Gordon 1 7 7.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Ben Wrather 0 2 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Jaheem Joseph 10 1 0 0 Cullen Coleman 8 0 0 0 Rod Heard 7 0 0 0 Cameron Mitchell 6 1 0 0 Bryce Gallagher 5 0 0 0 Xander Mueller 5 4 2 0 Jason Gold 5 1 0 0 Coco Azema 4 0 0 0 Najee Story 4 1 0 0 Ore Adeyi 4 0 0 0 Theran Johnson 3 1 1 0 Rodney McGraw 2 0 0 0 Donnie Gray 2 0 0 0 Garnett Hollis 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Trey Finison 2/2 3/3 9 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Chris Morgan 1 38 38.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Evan Hull 5 120 24.0 30 Bryce Kirtz 3 57 19.0 21 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Team 0 0 0.0 0

Mississippi’s Mico McSwain takes off on a 75-yard touchdown run.

McSwain runs for 312 yards, 3 TD’s
in Mississippi’s 47-10 rout of Vandy

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Vanderbilt didn’t have much game film from last year on Mississippi running back Mico McSwain.

McSwain never even got a carry, as Benjarvus Green-Ellis ran 37 times against the Commodores. McSwain did make two catches for minus-6 yards.

Suffice to say there’s plenty of footage of Mr. McSwain now.

McSwain had one of those performances that will forever inspire a white-hot hatred in B-Dawg’s heart, running 31 times for 312 yards and three touchdowns as Ole Miss rolled to a 47-10 victory over 50th-ranked Vanderbilt on Sept. 27, 2008.

“He already had over 100 yards early in the first half and I told my guys, ‘That’s it! No more! Shut his azz down!’” B-Dawg said. “I guess they didn’t listen or I didn’t call a good game plan. Or … nah, couldn’t be. OK, maybe it was good ol’ plus-five momentum crapping all over yet another game. There’s no way we should have lost by 37 to this team.”

Mississippi is 4-0 and, with a No. 28 ranking coming in, could crack the top 25 next week. The Rebels are rated B+ overall, but only B- on offense.

This one was actually a lot closer than the final score indicates most of the way. Two touchdown runs by McSwain in the first quarter gave the Rebels a 14-0 lead. A big play in the game came with 5:36 left in the second quarter when, on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Vanderbilt’s Mackenzi Adams had a pass picked off in the end zone by linebacker Quentin Taylor.

“The CPU always seems to be ready to stuff the run on the goal line,” B-Dawg said. “I figured I’d mix it up and throw. Of course, the CPU knew what I’d called because it freakin’ CHEATS!!! Ole Miss had linebackers dropping back into coverage rather than rushing toward the line, which would have happened had I called a run. I really must use audibles more to overcome this cheat.”

The Commodores (2-2) managed to get within 14-7 before halftime on an 11-yard pass from Adams to Earl Bennett with 1:03 left in the second quarter.

Mississippi extended its lead to 21-7 on a 1-yard run by Jason Cook with 4:24 left in the third quarter, but the Commodores kept within striking distance going into the fourth quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Bryant Hahnfeldt.

Things unraveled in a hurry in the fourth, as Mississippi outscored Vanderbilt 26-0 in the final period. McSwain got a large chunk of his yardage on a 75-yard touchdown that featured some B.S. broken-tackle at the line and shoddy manual tackling by B-Dawg. Just 25 seconds later, things got even uglier as Jamal Harvey took one of his two interceptions 59 yards to the house with 6:00 left.

The Rebels tacked on three field goals in the final 4:15.

Bennett caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi outrushed Vanderbilt 328-49.

PLAYAZ OF DA GAME
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt; Mico McSwain, Mississippi

MISSISSIPPI 47, VANDERBILT 10
First quarter
MISS: McSwain 1 run (Sparks kick), 4:37
MISS: McSwain 38 run (Sparks kick), :05
Second quarter
VANDY: Bennett 11 pass from Adams (Hahnfeldt kick), 1:03
Third quarter
MISS: Cook 1 run (Sparks kick), 4:24
VANDY: Hahnfeldt 35 field goal, :38
Fourth quarter
MISS: Sparks 20 field goal, 7:39
MISS: McSwain 75 run (Sparks kick), 6:25
MISS: Harvey 59 interception return (Sparks kick), 6:00
MISS: Sparks 25 field goal, 4:15
MISS: Sparks 49 field goal, 2:06
MISS: Sparks 44 field goal, :03

[size=4][b]VANDERBILT         0    7    3    0    —   10
MISSISSIPPI       14    0    7   26    —   47[/b][/size]

[b][size=4][font=arial][color=#C8AE13]VANDERBILT COMMODORES STATISTICS[/color][/font][/size][/b][size=4][/size][size=3]
[B]PASSING          Cmp  Att   Yds  TD  Int   Lg[/b]
Mackenzi Adams    16   44   168   1    2   38
Jared Funk         0    5     0   0    1    0
[B]TOTALS            16   49   168   1    3   38[/B]

[B]RUSHING          Att  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Jared Hawkins     13   57   4.4   0   22
Brad Allen         1    1   1.0   0    1
Gaston Miller      2   -1  -0.5   0    3
Mackenzi Adams     4   -8  -2.0   0   14
[B]TOTALS            20   49   2.5   0   22[/B]

[B]RECEIVING        Rec  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Earl Bennett       8  123  15.4   1   38
Bryant Anderson    3    8   2.7   0    6
George Smith       2   30  15.0   0   19
Justin Wheeler     1    4   4.0   0    4
Jake Bradford      1    2   2.0   0    2
Jared Hawkins      1    1   1.0   0    1
[B]TOTALS            16  168  10.5   1   38[/B]

[B]DEFENSE          Tkl  TFL   Sk  Int[/b]
Chris Johnson     10    0    0    0
Quavian Lewis      7    4    2    0
Kikko Logan        6    0    0    0
Josh Allen         5    0    0    0
Jared Fagan        4    0    0    0
Bryan Kelly        4    0    0    0
Broderick Stewart  4    0    0    0
Ryan Hamilton      4    0    0    1
Greg Billinger     3    1    0    0
Jake Bradford      2    0    0    0
Brandon Holmes     2    0    0    0
Steven Stone       2    0    0    0
D.J. Moore         2    0    0    0
Reshard Langford   1    0    0    0
Patrick Benoist    1    0    0    0
Darlron Spead      1    0    0    0
Jonathan Massey    1    0    0    0
George Smith       1    0    0    0
Matt Bubis         1    0    0    0
[B]TOTALS            61    5    2    1[/B][/size]

[b][size=4][font=arial][color=#FF054F]MISSISSIPPI REBELS STATISTICS[/color][/font][/size][/b][size=4][/size][size=3]
[B]PASSING          Cmp  Att   Yds  TD  Int   Lg[/b]
Billy Tapp        10   18   134   0    1   45
Michael Herrick    1    2     8   0    0    8
John Fellows       1    2     3   0    0    3
[B]TOTALS            12   22   145   0    1   45[/B]

[B]RUSHING          Att  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Mico McSwain      31  312  10.1   3   75
Cordera Eason      8   14   1.8   0    4
Jason Cook         2    8   4.0   1    7
Billy Tapp         3   -6  -2.0   0    4
[B]TOTALS            44  328   7.5   4   75[/B]

[B]RECEIVING        Rec  Yds   Avg  TD   Lg[/b]
Marshay Green      3   62  20.7   0   39
Burnell Wallace    3   55  18.3   0   45
Jason Cook         2    0   0.0   0    0
Mico McSwain       1   12  12.0   0   12
Terry Levy         1    8   8.0   0    8
Ronald Harris      1    5   5.0   0    5
Michael Hicks      1    3   3.0   0    3
[B]TOTALS            12  145  12.1   0   45[/B]

[B]TEAM STATISTICS  VAN   MISS[/b]
Total offense    217    473
Rushing           49    328
Passing          168    145
First downs       12     14
3rd down        4-17   6-16
4th down         0-1    0-2
Turnovers          3      2
Penalties       3-35    1-5
Possession     12:14  19:46[/size]

WEEK 4 RESULTS
Mississippi 47, VANDERBILT 10
Florida 31, Tennessee 24 (OT)
Arkansas 35, Arkansas State 17
Michigan 38, Kentucky 3
Georgia 42, LSU 14
South Carolina 52, Wofford 15
Auburn 35, Oklahoma State 21
Washington State 31, Mississippi State 17
Alabama 44, Memphis 6

PLAYAZ OF DA WEEK
Offense — Mico McSwain, Mississippi (31 carries, 312 yards, 3 TD; 1 catch, 12 yards)
Defense — Jamal Harvey, Mississippi (2 interceptions, 1 TD)




BLAKE BARNES, Georgia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 83-for-128, 1,158 yards, 15 TD, 3 int.

SAM SHIELDS, Miami, WR, Jr.
STATS: 22 catches, 434 yards, 5 TD

SCOTT MORTON, Texas Tech, WR, Soph.
STATS: 23 catches, 407 yards, 8 TD

MAURICE WELLS, Ohio State, HB, r-Jr.
STATS: 60 carries, 421 yards, 7 TD; 5 catches, 118 yards, 2 TD

PATRICK WHITE, West Virginia, QB, r-Sr.
STATS: 45-for-61, 495 yards, 6 TD, 2 int.; 40 carries, 268 yards, 4 TD