Runningback Josh Williams 18 scores a touchdown as the LSU Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Nov 23, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium.

LSU stops 3-game slide with 24-17 win over Vanderbilt

Josh Williams rushed for two touchdowns, Garrett Nussmeier passed for one and host LSU ended a three-game losing streak by defeating Vanderbilt 24-17 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Williams finished with 90 rushing yards and 61 receiving yards. Nussmeier completed 28 of 37 passes for 332 yards to lead the unranked Tigers (7-4, 4-3 SEC), who were No. 8 in the AP poll before the losing streak began.

Diego Pavia, who tossed a 63-yard touchdown pass on the Commodores’ first play from scrimmage, completed 13 of 24 throws for 186 yards and rushed six times for a team-high 43 yards and a touchdown.

On the first possession of the second half, Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4) converted a fourth-and-1 from its own 45 and reached the LSU 27. The drive stalled from there, and Brock Taylor kicked a 47-yard field goal to trim the Tigers’ lead to 14-10.

On the ensuing possession, LSU converted a fourth-and-5 when Nussmeier threw a 24-yard pass to CJ Daniels. Nussmeier connected with Kyren Lacy for a 12-yard score on the next play to increase the lead to 21-10 at the end of the third quarter.

Damian Ramos kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Tigers with 10:41 left in the game before the Commodores responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to pull within seven. Pavia punctuated the possession with a 1-yard run to make it 24-17 with 5:47 remaining.

Vanderbilt never got the ball back as LSU moved 66 yards to run out the clock and send the Commodores to their second straight loss.

The hosts went three-and-out on the game’s first possession before Pavia connected with Quincy Skinner Jr. for Vanderbilt’s only touchdown until Pavis’s run in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing possession, LSU drove 90 yards, the final 20 of which came on Williams’ tying touchdown run.

LSU moved to the Commodores’ 3-yard line on its next drive, but Nussmeier threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal to leave the score 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Vanderbilt later went for a fourth-and-2 at the LSU 20 and Pavia threw an incomplete pass with 4:29 left in the first half. The Tigers then drove to Williams’ 21-yard touchdown run to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) catches a touchdown while guarded by Vanderbilt Commodores safety Dontae Carter (21) during the first half of their game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.

No. 5 Texas holds off No. 25 Vanderbilt

Texas’s Quinn Ewers threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns and the defense held Vanderbilt to 269 total yards, as the No. 5 Longhorns knocked off the 25th-ranked Commodores 27-24, in Southeastern Conference play at Nashville on Saturday.

The Longhorns entered the day ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (9.7 points per game) and total defense (237.3 yards per game) and it showed as Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia had a season-worst day (16-of-29, 143 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions).

Vanderbilt, which had turned it over just twice all season, coughed it up three times on Saturday.

Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. caught two first-half touchdowns for Texas (7-1, 3-1 SEC), which never trailed after the first quarter.

Texas’s Bert Auburn hit a 40-yard field goal to extend the Longhorns’ lead to 24-10 with 8:54 left in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2) then went three-and-out for fifth time in its eighth drive but Randon Fontenette tipped a Ewers pass and Miles Capers corralled it at the Longhorn 38.

On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Pavia threaded a throw through several Longhorns into the hands of Junior Sherrill for a touchdown that got the Commodores within seven.

A Khordae Sydnor sack forced a Longhorn punt, but Texas’s Liona Lefau picked Pavia and returned it six yards to the Vandy 29 on fourth-and-2 on the Commodores’ ensuing possession.

Auburn’s 23-yard field goal with 1:57 left extended the lead to 10.

Vandy’s Pavia connected with Eli Stowers on an 8-yard score with 46 seconds left but the onside kick failed.

Texas led 21-10 at the half thanks to forcing two turnovers and Ewers hitting 19-of-21 throws for 211 yards and three scores.

On the Longhorns’ first possession, linebacker Langston Patterson tipped Ewers’ pass and then Vanderbilt’s Martel Hight grabbed it and returned it 4 yards to the Texas 31.

On a third-and-8 play off Vanderbilt’s ensuing drive, Pavia couldn’t find a receiver and out-ran the Longhorn pass rush down the right sideline for an 18-yard score.

Texas tied it when Ewers hit Matthew Golden with a 3-yard scoring strike.

The Longhorns took the lead on its next trip when Ewers found Moore with a 27-yard scoring toss with 1:13 left in the first quarter.

Ewers later engineered a 5-play, 59-yard scoring drive, ending when he hit Moore down the left sideline for a 25-yard score and a 14-point lead.

Vanderbilt’s Sedrick Alexander fumbled at the Texas 43 with a minute to play in the half, but the Commodores forced a punt and ended the half with Brock Taylor’s 54-yard field goal.

Texas’s Vernon Broughton was flagged for targeting with 1:14 left in the game for a hit on Pavia that wiped out Kobe Black’s interception return touchdown and gave Vanderbilt a shot at the end.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws a pass against the Boston College Eagles during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

No. 7 Missouri hosts improved Vanderbilt in SEC opener for both teams

The No. 7 Missouri Tigers turned their Week 3 struggle against Boston College into a bonding experience for the many newcomers on their roster.

“For us to have to face some adversity and then figure out who we are, who we can count on, what are you going to do when your back’s against the wall and you’re tired,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I think that was really important.”

Missouri (3-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) rallied from an 11-point second-quarter deficit to win 27-21. The Tigers will try to build on that experience when they host the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-1, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday on Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers weren’t tested in their first two games, a 51-0 victory over Murray State and a 38-0 win over Buffalo.

Tigers quarterback Brady Cook has completed 69-of-97 passes for 720 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He has also rushed for 90 yards and four touchdowns.

But Missouri still hasn’t gotten in high gear with its passing game because Cook has been under duress.

“Got to firm up the middle of the pocket,” Drinkwitz said. “When we have confusion about what we’re doing in protection, we’ve got to still be solid.”

Missouri has alternated Nate Noel (242 yards, two touchdowns) and Marcus Carroll (151 yards, one touchdown) at running back. Its deep receiving corps is led by Theo Wease Jr. (21 catches, 232 yards) and preseason all-America Luther Burden III (13 catches, 181 yards, two touchdowns).

“What makes them unique is, they formation motion and design you to find spaces,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “It’s built around their stretch running scheme.”

Defensively, the Tigers have held opponents to 73.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 19th in the nation.

Vanderbilt will look to rebound from its 36-32 loss at Georgia State. The Commodores rallied from a 29-17 fourth-quarter deficit only to allow a last-minute touchdown drive.

Lea blamed the loss on poor preparation.

“It wasn’t the physical work that bothered me last week,” he said. “It was more along the lines of focus and approach. Guys being on time, being disciplined, being consistent.”

Dual-threat Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia has completed 40-of-62 passes for 543 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 195 yards and two TDs.

Sedrick Alexander (165 yards, three TDs) is the lead running back and tight end Eli Stowers (12 catches, 163 yards, one TD) and Quincy Skinner Jr. (eight catches, 123 yards, one TD) have been the primary passing targets.

The Commodores upset Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime and routed Alcorn State 55-0 in their first two games.

“Vandy, I think, has always been a very difficult out for us,” Drinkwitz said. “This is Clark’s best team since he’s been there.”

Vanderbilt was missing edge defenders Khordae Sydnor and Boubacar Diakite against Georgia State. Defensive lineman Zaylin Wood and safety De’Rickey Wright were injured during the game.

Lea said Sydnor was questionable for this game and Wood is likely out. Safety CJ Taylor could sit out the first half due to a targeting penalty last week.

Both teams will be looking to eliminate their penalties. The Commodores were penalized nine times for 85 yards against Georgia State and the Tigers were flagged eight times for 91 yards against Boston College.

“The lack of discipline is the result of lack of accountability,” Drinkwitz said. “And there’s going to be accountability … selfish penalties cannot happen. The team’s mission is way more important than any individual’s hurt feelings.”

–Field Level Media

Vanderbilt Commodores Head Coach Clark Lea congratulates players from both teams after beating Alcorn State 55-0 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.

Georgia State upends Vanderbilt on late TD pass

Christian Veilleux hit Ted Hurst with a 25-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left, helping Georgia State to a 36-32 upset of Vanderbilt in Atlanta on Saturday night.

Veilleux threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score.

The Panthers’ Kevin Swint had eight tackles, including two sacks and a forced fumble.

Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

The Commodores made several key mistakes, including nine penalties for 85 yards. Safety CJ Taylor was ejected in the fourth quarter for targeting.

Liam Rickman’s 45-yard field goal at the 10:22 mark of the third quarter gave the Panthers a 15-10 lead.

After the Commodores punted on their first possession of the second half, Veilleux fired a touchdown to a diving Rykem Laney to extend the lead to 22-10.

After a Georgia State punt, Bryan Longwell picked Veilleux and returned it to the Panthers 37, setting up an 18-yard Pavia-to-Eli Stowers touchdown pass with 14:07 remaining.

But the Panthers answered with Veilleux’s 18-yard touchdown run with 11:42 left.

Vanderbilt drove to the Panthers 25 but Swint broke up a fourth-down pass at the 20.

Vanderbilt scored touchdowns with 2:29 and 1:14 left on short runs by AJ Newberry and Sedrick Alexander but couldn’t hold the Panthers on the ensuing drive.

Georgia State led 12-10 at the half thanks to two huge Vanderbilt mistakes.

The first came on the game’s third play. Swint hit Pavia from the back side, forcing a fumble that Izaiah Guy recovered to give the Panthers possession at the Commodores 20.

Seven plays later, Rickman gave Georgia State a 3-0 lead with a 24-yard field goal.

Vanderbilt’s Brock Taylor hit a 28-yard field goal with 12:28 left in the second quarter.

Veilleux hit an open Ted Hurst for a 33-yard touchdown on Georgia State’s next possession.

The second mistake came when Vanderbilt’s Steven Sannienola gave the Panthers a safety. He fumbled a kickoff in the end zone, pulled it back across the goal line and knelt on it in the end zone for two uncontested points.

Pavia struck back just before half, hitting Newberry on a wheel route for 53 yards to the GSU 8. Pavia then found an open Junior Sherrill to cut the deficit to two with 46 seconds left.

–Field Level Media

Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia celebrates after a touchdown during Saturday’s game between Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville , Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

Losing streak over, Vanderbilt faces Alcorn State

Vanderbilt hopes to build on an opening-week upset and turn that into a winning streak when it hosts Alcorn State in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday night.

Quarterback Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt’s 34-27 overtime upset of Virginia Tech last Saturday, completing 12 of 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns while adding 26 carries for 104 yards and a score.

Pavia found Sedrick Alexander for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left in regulation to tie the game and added a 4-yard rushing score in overtime to win it.

Pavia’s leadership helped the Commodores (1-0) snap a 10-game losing streak.

“I’ve seen responses to him on a team level that I’ve not seen in our leadership to this point in our time here,” coach Clark Lea said. “Those guys really respond to him, and he’s not a guy who speaks all the time. He speaks with his actions.”

The defense did its part last week, getting four sacks and snuffing out Virginia Tech’s lone overtime drive.

Middle Tennessee State transfer Zaylin Wood had a sack on that drive as part of a seven-tackle effort. Linebacker Langston Patterson led the Commodores with 10 tackles.

However, Lea announced that Vanderbilt likely will be down two starters Saturday in defensive end Khordae Sydnor (ankle injury) and cornerback Kolbey Taylor (“internal matter”).

Alcorn State (0-1) was the preseason pick to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Western Division.

However, the Braves allowed 302 rushing yards and had just 177 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 41-3 loss last week at UAB, the program’s first game under coach Cedric Thomas.

Three Braves quarterbacks combined to complete 9 of 21 passes for 60 yards, with an interception.

“I’ve got to do a better job of preparing the guys,” Thomas said. “That’s all on me and this coaching staff. I thought the kids played their tails off.”

Starter Tyler Macon completed 3 of 7 throws for 4 yards, with an interception, and ran 12 times for a team-high 37 yards.

Tight end Tavarious Griffin, a preseason All-SWAC first-team pick, had just two catches for 7 yards.

The Braves’ Malachi Bailey, a first-team defensive selection on the preseason All-SWAC team, had five tackles on Saturday, four behind Geoffrey McKelton’s team-leading nine.

–Field Level Media

Oct 28, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) rolls out to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn hopes offense builds on progress vs. skidding Vanderbilt

Auburn hopes to inch closer to bowl eligibility when it visits Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

The Tigers (4-4, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) had their best offensive performance in league play in last Saturday’s 27-13 win over Mississippi State. Quarterback Payton Thorne was 20 of 26 for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Running back Jarquez Hunter had 170 yards from scrimmage (144 rushing, 26 receiving) on 19 touches.

Coach Hugh Freeze had rotated quarterbacks, but Robby Ashford had less involvement in the offense (no pass attempts, two rushes for 8 yards) than in any Auburn game this season.

“Offensively, it was our best-balanced performance, for sure,” Freeze said. “It was good to see our receivers make some plays and our quarterback play with some confidence.”

This week offers a chance at continued improvement for Auburn. Vanderbilt ranks last in the SEC in total defense (436.8) and scoring defense (34.2).

But offense was also a problem for Vandy (2-7, 0-5) in last week’s 33-7 defeat at Ole Miss.

It appeared that quarterback Ken Seals — who began the season as the backup, but had started the last three games — had won the job, but coach Clark Lea pulled Seals for Walter Taylor in the first half before returning briefly to Seals, then back to Taylor.

Taylor threw the first 12 passes of his career, completing four for 38 yards, and was intercepted once.

Lea’s hope was that Taylor would boost the team’s struggling rushing attack (92.8 yards per game, 3.4 yards per carry). The 6-foot-7, 235-pound sophomore had team highs in rushes (20) and rushing yards (59) last week, and scored the team’s only TD.

This week’s depth chart has the pair listed as co-starters, with Seals listed first.

“As far as this Saturday, I don’t know if I would be a good coach if I discussed the plan,” Lea said.

The Tigers have been solid defensively, ranking sixth in the SEC in scoring defense (22.5) and 10th in total defense (368.4).

–Field Level Media

Oct 7, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (19) runs after a catch against the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 Georgia ready to roll again at Vanderbilt

Top-ranked Georgia will set out to extend a 23-game winning streak when it visits Eastern Division rival Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

The Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) haven’t always performed up to the standard that comes with being two-time defending national champions.

Two weeks ago, Georgia beat unranked Auburn, 27-20. Two weeks before that, it needed 21 unanswered second-half points in a 24-14 win over unranked South Carolina.

Last Saturday, Georgia looked more like the team that demolished TCU in last year’s national title game, scoring the first 21 points in a 51-13 rout of then-No. 20 Kentucky.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was pleased with the discipline his team showed against the Wildcats.

“Our team had great discipline tonight to not get cheap penalties,” Smart said after the game. “We told them. We said, ‘Hey, look, Kentucky is going to have some penalties. They’ll have guys push you or shove you.’ I just said, ‘Don’t respond.’ I thought our guys were really good.”

More important factors were the play of quarterback Carson Beck (28-of-35 passing, 389 yards, four touchdowns, one interception) and tight end Brock Bowers (seven catches, 132 yards, one score). That was part of a 608-yard outburst against a Kentucky defense that, before Saturday, was allowing 297 yards a game.

The Bulldogs’ defense also finds itself in a familiar position, ranking first in the SEC in scoring defense (13.0) and second in total defense (270 yards), while leading the SEC in fewest yards allowed per play (4.32).

Georgia is getting the job done through depth. The Bulldogs don’t have a player ranked in the top 40 of the SEC’s tackle leaders. Safety Malaki Starks has a pair of interceptions, while defensive back Tykee Smith has three picks.

“There aren’t a lot of holes on this team,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said of the Bulldogs on Tuesday.

Vandy (2-5, 0-3), meanwhile, looks to stop a string of five consecutive losses, the latest coming in Saturday’s 38-14 defeat at Florida. But Georgia has won the past five in the annual series, including the past two by a combined 117-0.

“I think our frustration — and there is frustration — is based off what our expectations were,” Lea said, “and so right now we’re shifting the focus back to improving our team and identifying the areas where we can push forward and build to a better performance on Saturday.”

Interceptions — Vanderbilt has thrown an SEC-worst eight while adding a league-worst five fumbles lost — helped lead to quarterback Ken Seals unseating AJ Swann.

Seals has thrown for 539 yards, four touchdowns and one pick while starting the Commodores’ past two games.

Vandy will need to get wide receiver Will Sheppard (35 catches, 550 yards, eight touchdowns) more involved. The senior reeled in an 85-yard touchdown catch against Florida last week, but caught just two balls for 22 yards otherwise.

The team’s biggest problem may be pass defense. Vandy ranks 12th in the SEC in pass efficiency defense, allowing 7.6 yards per attempt and a league-worst 15 touchdowns (tied with LSU).

That could get worse on Saturday. On Tuesday, Lea said Vandy will be without a pair of starters, safety De’Rickey Wright and cornerback BJ Anderson, and termed starting corner Martel Hight “questionable.”

The Commodores will need punter Matt Hayball (an SEC-leading 50.1 yards per punt, 11 punts inside the 20) to help with field position.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Mike Wright (5) attempts a pass during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Badie’s 294-yard day pushes Missouri past Vanderbilt

Tyler Badie piled up 294 total yards and scored two touchdowns as the Missouri Tigers outlasted the Vanderbilt Commodores 37-28 in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday.

The Tigers (4-4 overall, 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference) snapped their five-game conference losing streak. The Commodores (2-7, 0-5) lost their 18th straight SEC game.

Badie rushed 31 times for 254 yards and caught eight passes for 40 yards. Harrison Mevis kicked field goals of 46, 32 and 52 yards for Missouri to run his streak to 19 consecutive made field goals.

Tigers quarterback Connor Bazelak completed 22 of 28 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown before suffering an injury with 6:47 left to play.

After rushing for just 9 yards last week against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt gained 258 yards on the ground.

Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright rushed for 152 yards and completed 14-of-28 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Patrick Smith rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown

Missouri broke out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, scoring with Mevis’ 46-yard field goal and Badie’s 13-yard touchdown run.

The Tigers had a chance to expand that lead after blocking a Commodores punt and recovering it at the Vanderbilt 15-yard line.

But the momentum shifted when Max Worship intercepted Bazelak’s pass at the 2-yard line with 4:40 left in the first quarter. Two plays later Wright ran 69 yards up the right sideline to set up his 7-yard touchdown pass to Cam Johnson.

Vanderbilt moved ahead 14-10 with a 13-play, 84-yard touchdown drive capped by Smith’s 10-yard scoring run.

After the Commodores failed to convert a fake field goal attempt with 15 seconds left in the first half, the Tigers took a 17-14 lead with Bazelak’s 45-yard “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to Keke Chism as time expired.

Missouri expanded its lead to 24-14 in the third period with a seven-play, 59-yard touchdown drive capped by Badie’s 15-yard run.

The Commodores quickly cut the lead to 24-21. Wright’s 70-yard run set up his 4-yard touchdown shovel pass to Gavin Schoenwald.

Mevis’ 32-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter pushed Missouri’s lead to 27-21, then his 52-yarder made it 30-21.

The Commodores cut the lead to 30-28 with Wright’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Johnson. But Badie responded with a 73-yard run to set up the game-clinching 2-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Tyler Macon.

–Field Level Media

Mississippi State wide receiver Lideatrick Griffin (5) is brought down by Vanderbilt defenders during the first quarter at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.

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Miss. St. gains 524 yards in rout of Vandy

Will Rogers threw a career-high four touchdown passes as visiting Mississippi State routed Vanderbilt 45-6 in an SEC game Saturday.

Rogers completed 42 of 58 passes for 386 yards for the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-2 SEC), who bounced back from a blowout loss to Alabama last week. Rogers connected with a season-best 13 receivers and easily overcame two interceptions.

MSU has won the last five meetings with the Commodores by a combined score of 152-40.

Mike Wright, making his second consecutive start at quarterback in place of injured Ken Seals, completed 12 of 17 for 122 yards with an interception for Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-4) lost its 17th consecutive SEC game.

MSU outgained the Commodores 524-155 and had 29 first downs to just five for Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs possessed the ball for 39 minutes.

One of Rogers’ few mistakes came when he threw an interception on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the third quarter. That led to Joseph Bulovas’ 41-yard field goal that trimmed MSU’s lead to 24-6.

Rogers rebounded with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath that gave the Bulldogs a 31-6 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Jo’quavious Marks’ 5-yard run produced MSU’s only touchdown that didn’t come on a pass, pushing the lead to 38-6 early in the fourth quarter.

Chance Lovertich replaced Rogers late in the fourth quarter and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Rara Thomas with 51 seconds left.

MSU drove to a 9-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to Makai Polk on the first possession of the game.

Brandon Ruiz added a 36-yard field goal that increased the lead to 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Bulovas kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to pull Vanderbilt within 10-3.

Rogers and Polk combined on a 31-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bulldogs a 17-3 lead.

On third-and-goal, Rogers threw a six-yard touchdown to Rufus Harvey for a 24-3 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Georgia running back James Cook (4) drives in for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game between South Carolina and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Sept. 18, 2021.

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Vanderbilt faces huge task against No. 2 Georgia

No. 2 Georgia will look to maintain its defensive dominance and its perfect record when it visits the struggling Vanderbilt in a Southeastern Conference game on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) have outscored their three opponents — then-No. 3 Clemson, Alabama-Birmingham and South Carolina — by a combined score of 106-23. They’ve allowed an opposing offense to find the end zone just once so far.

The Bulldogs are coming off a dominating, 40-13 win over visiting South Carolina. JT Daniels went 23-for-31 passing for 303 yards and three touchdowns and Kendall Milton (66 yards) James Cook (51 yards) and Zamir White (51 yards) powered a ground game that rushed for 184 yards on 31 carries — an average of 5.9 yards per attempt.

The Bulldogs amassed 491 yards of total offense and held South Carolina (2-1, 0-1) to 296 yards. The Gamecocks didn’t score a touchdown until they were trailing 40-6 in the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs had pulled many of their starters.

“That defense is about creating negative plays,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea told reporters. “They do well controlling the line of scrimmage, they play aggressively and they’re multiple in their coverage concepts. … I think finding ways to neutralize their front, finding ways to separate the first level with the second level, and trying to design some space for us to get the ball to play-makers will all be a part of the formula.”

While Daniels played the vast majority of snaps against the Gamecocks, he was pulled for a series in favor of Stetson Bennett, who threw an interception and didn’t complete a pass. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said both could play against the Commodores.

“It will be based on day-to-day, and how guys play in practice,” he said. “Practice matters.”

Georgia had three sacks, five tackles for a loss, a safety, a fumble recovery and forced a turnover on downs against the Gamecocks, whose quarterbacks were under constant pressure all game.

Georgia has traditionally had little trouble in Nashville. The Bulldogs have won 13 of their past 14 games in the Music City by an average of more than 18 points. Under coach Kirby Smart, they have outscored the Commodores 75-20 in two wins, including a 30-6 romp in their last visit in 2019.

Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-0) is coming off a 41-23 loss to visiting Stanford in a game which its defense allowed Cardinal freshman quarterback Tanner McKee to go 19-of-29 passing for 218 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. Stanford finished with 422 total yards, with 204 of it coming on the ground.

The Commodores will have a huge challenge in trying to stop a Georgia offense that behind Daniels has completed nearly 70 percent of its passes and has averaged 4.7 yards per carry behind White, who has averaged 5.7 yards per carry (28 carries, 159 yards). Freshman tight end Brock Bowers has 14 receptions — at least six more than any other Bulldog — for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Against Stanford, the Commodores were held to just three points for a stretch of more than 34 minutes that began with 4:19 left in the first half and ended when backup quarterback Michael Wright threw a touchdown pass to Cam Johnson on the game’s final play.

Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals has thrown for 553 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, with his favorite target being Chris Pierce, who has 14 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.

Vanderbilt’s biggest question is at running back, where Re’Mahn Davis, who had 44 rushes for 211 yards over three games, including 12 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinal, suffered a season-ending toe injury against Stanford.

He’ll likely be replaced by Rocko Griffin, who has 131 yards on 28 carries, and Patrick Smith, who has four carries for 17 yards.

–Field Level Media