When you think of college football history, you think of the Texas Longhorns. Texas is fourth on the all-time wins list. Texas is third in all-time bowl victories. The Horns have been one of the best teams in the nation since the 1940s.
Vanderbilt, on the other hand, has been an SEC doormat for decades. But early college football generally favored older private schools. Like Notre Dame. Or Army and Navy. Harvard or Yale. Vandy is an older school than Texas and to be honest, the Commodores were better at football in the early years of the sports.
This is why, if you look at the historical record between Texas and Vanderbilt, the numbers aren’t what you’d think. The Commodores lead the series 8-3-1. That’s dominance. The problem is, the teams haven’t faced since 1928. Remarkably, the two teams haven’t played for 96 years.
The ’28 game happened just a couple weeks before Herbert Hoover beat Al Smith to become president. It was before the Great Depression. Before World War II. Before a lot of things. Those Texas and Vanderbilt teams still wore leather helmets. Still played games that finished 5-5.
The teams were regular foes in the 20’s, playing seven times, mostly in Dallas. Before that, the games were around the turn of the century. The first time the schools played, Texas had only been founded 16 years prior. The last time the Longhorns and Commodores met in Nashville was a 14-6 win for Vanderbilt in 1920.
Texas vs. Vanderbilt Historical Stats
- Texas’ record vs. Vanderbilt: 3-8-1
- Most recent matchup: Oct. 13, 1928 – Vanderbilt, 13-12
- First-ever matchup: Nov. 18, 1899 – Vanderbilt, 6-0
- Biggest point differential: 45 points – Vanderbilt, 45-0 in 1906
- Smallest point differential: 0 points – Nov. 6, 1903 – Tie, 5-5
Texas vs. Vanderbilt Game History
- Oct. 13, 1928 in Dallas — Vanderbilt 13, Texas 12
- Oct. 15, 1927 in Dallas — Texas 13, Vanderbilt 6
- Oct. 16, 1926 in Dallas — Vanderbilt 7, Texas 0
- Oct. 10, 1925 in Nashville — Vanderbilt 14, Texas 6
- Oct. 20, 1923 in Dallas — Texas 16, Vanderbilt 0
- Oct. 21, 1922 in Dallas — Vanderbilt 20, Texas10
- Oct. 21, 1921 in Dallas — Vanderbilt 20, Texas 0
- Oct. 27, 1906 in Nashville — Vanderbilt 45, Texas 0
- Oct. 28, 1905 in Nashville — Vanderbilt 33, Texas 0
- Nov. 6, 1903 in Austin — Vanderbilt 5, Texas 5
- Oct. 13, 1900 in Dallas — Texas 22, Vanderbilt 0
- Nov. 18, 1899 in Nashville — Vanderbilt 6, Texas 0