Category: Vanderbilt Commodores

College football fans stunned after No. 1 Alabama’s upset loss to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt gets their first win against No. 1 Alabama in over two decades years.

Well, well, well. A week after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs and claiming the top spot in the AP poll, the Alabama Crimson Tide were looking for an easy victory over the non-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. Instead, the Commodores caught fire, stunningly beating Alabama 40-35.

The Vanderbilt offense was ultra-efficient in this one, gaining 418 yards and 26 first downs with no turnovers. Diego Pavia threw for 252 passing yards and two touchdowns on just 20 attempts.

Overall, though, it was the running game that piloted the offense, with 166 yards on a whopping 54 attempts. While that amounts to just 3.1 yards per attempt, it was absolutely crucial in Vanderbilt winning the time of possession battle. Overall, the Commodores earned 42 minutes of possession in this one.

Alabama tried to keep pace with them offensively, with Jalen Milroe throwing for 312 yards on 25 attempts, but a pick-six in the first quarter and a fumble late in the 4th sealed the loss.

This is the first time Vanderbilt has beaten a top five team, and the first time they’ve beaten Alabama in 23 years.

Here are some of the best college football fan reactions to the upset loss:

 

 

 

 

Vanderbilt guard Tyrin Lawrence to reportedly enter transfer portal

Vanderbilt senior guard Tyrin Lawrence to reportedly enter the transfer portal

After four seasons in Nashville, Vanderbilt senior guard Tyrin Lawrence will be officially entering his name into the transfer portal according to reports.

Lawrence becomes the fourth Commodores player to enter the transfer portal so far this offseason since the program officially parted ways with head coach Jerry Stackhouse last week, joining Lee Dort, Colin Smith, and Paul Lewis.

One of Vanderbilt’s top scorers the last two years, Lawrence is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he led started each the 28 games he played for the Commodores, who finished the year at 9-23 overall. Over that season, the guard averaged 13.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.4 SPG on a 39.9% mark shooting from the field.

Across the past four seasons at Vanderbilt, Lawrence averaged a combined 9.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.3 APG across 105 career games, 80 of which he started. Lawrence also holds a combined 44.6% field goal percentage for his collegiate career, as well as a 71.9% mark from the free throw line.

This is the second consecutive offseason in which Lawrence has entered the transfer portal after the guard withdrew his name and returned to Nashville last June.

Vanderbilt forward Lee Dort to reportedly enter transfer portal

Vanderbilt forward Lee Dort is reportedly set to enter the NCAA transfer portal following Jerry Stackhouse’s departure.

According to multiple reports, Vanderbilt forward Lee Dort is set to enter the transfer portal after two seasons with the Commodores.

Dort, a sophomore forward, appeared in only one game off the Commodores bench this season, as well as 18 total across his two seasons with Vanderbilt. Across the last two years, Dort has averaged a combined 1.7 PPG and 2.1 RPG in limited action, with each of his 18 games played coming off the bench.

Formerly the headline prospect from Vanderbilt’s 2022 recruiting class, Dort is a former four-star prospect out of Greenhill School in Texas, ranked as the No. 105 overall player for that cycle.

This news comes a day after the Commodores reportedly parted ways with head coach Jerry Stackhouse after five seasons at the helm of the Vanderbilt program. Dort is the first Vanderbilt player to announce his intention to enter the transfer portal following the news of Stackhouse’s departure – although more are expected to do so in the coming days.

Georgia lands top transfer wideout from another SEC program

Former Vanderbilt wideout London Humphreys caught 22 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman, including a 49-yard touchdown against Georgia.

Former Vanderbilt wide receiver London Humphreys, the highest-ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, committed to the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday. On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported the signing.

Humphreys, a 6-foot-3 and 190-pound receiver, spent just one season with the Commodores. A three-star recruit out of high school, the Nashville native caught 22 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns last season.

The highlight of Humphreys’ freshman campaign came early in the season when he put together back-to-back 100-yard games against Wake Forest and UNLV. He caught four passes for a season-high 109 yards against the Demon Deacons, and he caught a 56-yard touchdown pass against the Rebels on his way to a 102-yard day.

Humphreys caught multiple passes in five different conference games for Vanderbilt, making the biggest impact against his new team. He caught two passes for 51 yards against the Bulldogs, including a 49-yard touchdown on the opening drive.

Get more Georgia coverage at UGA Wire.

Vanderbilt and head football coach Clark Lea agree to contract extension

Vanderbilt has locked down head football coach Clark Lea for the forseeable future with a contract extension the two sides announced on Monday.

Vanderbilt and head football coach Clark Lea have agreed to a contract extension, the university announced on Monday afternoon.

The extension comes before Lea’s third year with the program. After going 2-10 in his first year in Nashville, the Commodores rebounded for a 5-7 record in 2022. It was the program’s first season of five or more wins since 2018, including key wins in November over Kentucky and Florida.

The program, which went 3-18 in its final two years under former head coach Derek Mason has shown vast improvements under Lea in just a short period.

While Vanderbilt did not disclose the contract terms, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the extension will keep the former Commodore fullback with the program through 2029.

Before his time with Vanderbilt, Lea spent time across the college football landscape, stopping at UCLA, South Dakota State, Bowling Green, Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame along the way. Lea served as the Fighting Irish’s linebacker coach for four seasons while also serving three of those seasons as their defensive coordinator under head coach Brian Kelly.

Vanderbilt and Lea will get their 2023 season started on August 26 as the Commodores host the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Their remaining non-conference schedule includes Alabama A&M and trips to Wake Forest and UNLV before diving into their SEC schedule starting September 23 against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Vanderbilt completes rare feat with SEC Tournament win over Florida

Vanderbilt completed a rare feat on Saturday when the Commodores defeated the Florida Gators in the SEC semifinals.

The Vanderbilt Commodores with a win against the Florida Gators in the SEC Baseball Tournament semifinals completed a rare feat in school history,

With the win on Saturday, the Commodores for the first time in nearly 50 years defeated the Gators in football, basketball, and baseball all in the same academic year. The last time that Vanderbilt had done so was in the 1974-1975 academic year.

Back in November, Vanderbilt defeated Florida on the gridiron 31-24 after establishing a 28-12 lead through the first three quarters of play. The Gators would make a late push in the game but would end up falling short in the comeback attempt.

Then in February, the Commodores defeated the Gators on the hardwood not once but twice, winning 88-80 on February 11 and 88-72 on February 25.

For Vanderbilt baseball, it took several chances to finally get the Gators. Earlier this month, the Commodores traveled to Gainesville but wound up getting swept in their three-game series, being outscored in the three games 22-2. Then on Thursday, in their second game in the SEC Tournament, the Commodores would be bested by the Gators once again 6-3.

However, on Saturday, the fifth time was the charm for Vanderbilt. After scoring just five runs total in their first four matchups against Florida, Vanderbilt’s bats exploded for 11 runs on 12 hits en route to an 11-6 victory.

The Commodores will now play for an SEC Championship on Sunday against Texas A&M.