Tag: Vanderbilt Commodores

Penn State football’s all-time record against every SEC member

Penn State is facing an SEC school in the Peach Bowl. Check out the all-time records against each SEC member for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State has a long history of facing SEC opponents over the years, with most of those matchups coming in postseason play. And even with the SEC set to expand with two new members, Penn State will have played at least one game against almost every team in the conference as of 2024. Penn State will add a game against Ole Miss in the 2023 Peach Bowl for the first meeting with the Rebels in football.

Prior to the Peach Bowl, and including Penn State’s all-time meetings with Oklahoma and Texas, the Nittany Lions are .500 all-time against the SEC’s membership. The only SEC members Penn State has faced but never beaten are Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Florida. The Nittany Lions are undefeated against LSU and South Carolina.

The SEC school Penn State has faced the most, by far, is Alabama. The Nittany Lions have played the Crimson Tide 15 times in regular season and postseason games over the years, with some truly storied matchups in the mix. But Alabama holds the upper hand with twice as many wins against Penn State as losses.

Here is a look at Penn State’s all-time record against every member of the SEC, including the upcoming additions of Oklahoma and Texas. The Sooners and Longhorns are scheduled to join the SEC on July 1, 2024, the same day the Big Ten will officially welcome Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington as its newest members and other conference realignment changes officially take place.

Note: The only school from the SEC Penn State has never faced in football will be Mississippi State following the 2023 Peach Bowl against Ole Miss.

Former Vanderbilt receiver could be portal target for LSU

LSU needs to rebuild at receiver. Will Sheppard could be a potential target.

As of midnight on Monday, the transfer portal is officially open. It’s set to be another chaotic year, with several big names already in the portal and more expected to join.

One of those names that could interest LSU is former Vanderbilt receiver [autotag]Will Sheppard[/autotag].

Sheppard is from Mandeville, Louisiana, and was a three-star in the class of 2020. LSU tends to be active in the portal when it comes to Louisiana natives.

And with [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] likely off to the NFL, LSU will be in the market for some experience at wide receiver.

Sheppard ranks 13th among SEC receivers with 684 yards and is tied for third with eight touchdowns.

Last year, Sheppard ranked second among SEC receivers with nine touchdowns and has racked up 21 touchdowns over the last three years.

At 6-foot-3 with decent speed, Sheppard is a receiver who can fit multiple bills for LSU. There could be some intrigue here as LSU looks to reload at receiver.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Here are 5 of the biggest stories from men’s college golf this fall

A busy fall has set the stage for an exciting spring in men’s college golf.

It seems as if national champions were crowned just yesterday, but instead we’re at the end of the fall college golf season in one of the craziest starts to the year in the sport’s history.

Sure, the top teams have claimed tournament titles and new stars have burst onto the scene, but that doesn’t mean the season has been short on drama and storylines and events that have altered the sport.

College golf is entering a quiet time until February, when it will quickly ramp back up as teams begin the pursuit to make it to Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, site of the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Here are some of the biggest stories from men’s college golf this fall.

Tortured Vanderbilt fan Nate Bargatze will be College Gameday’s guest picker at Alabama

Bargatze killed it on SNL. His reward will be fielding Vanderbilt questions from a belligerent Pat McAfee.

The odds that ESPN’s College Gameday devotes airtime Auburn – Vanderbilt game where the Commodores are 12.5-point home underdogs just went up. Recent Saturday Night Live host Nate Bargatze, arguably the most famous Commodore fan out there (who didn’t actually attend the prestigious Nashville school, but whatever, he isn’t Skip Bayless so it’s a win), will be the esteemed pregame show’s celebrity guest picker for Week 10.

The longtime standup has never been hotter, parlaying the success of his Netflix specials into a well-received SNL gig last week. Now he’ll be back on the clock this weekend, sharing a panel with Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and what’s sure to be a shirt-less Pat McAfee at some point in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzKAEFsylrO/?igshid=YjVjNjZkNmFjNg%3D%3D

Having Bargatze front and center will shine more light on Vanderbilt’s 2023 season which, oh no. Oh, no no no no no.

After a solid 5-7 campaign in 2022, head coach Clark Lea has taken a step backward in the midst of a 2-7 season that’s seen seven straight losses, all but one of which have come by at least 16 points. Even worse: the Commodores have done so while looking like absolute doofuses after exchanging their iconic Star V for a generic, failed crypto firm logo no one actually likes.

Fortunately, Bargatze has a built-in out when confronted with tough questions like “why does Lea appear to be running quarterback AJ Swann out of the program” and “wasn’t Lea supposed to be a defensive expert, what the hell happened?” It’s nearly winter, which means its time for Vanderbilt’s true powerhouse program to shine.

Ah yeah, that’s the stuff.

Anyway, Nate Bargatze, from Saturday Night Live to talking women’s bowling on College Gameday. Truly, living the dream.

Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris claims inaugural St. Andrews Links Collegiate title

Jackson Van Paris picked a good place to pick up his first collegiate win.

Jackson Van Paris picked a good place to pick up his first collegiate win.

The junior at Vanderbilt captured the inaugural St. Andrews Links Collegiate on Tuesday in Scotland, shooting 9-under 131 on the Jubilee Course to win by three shots over teammate Cole Sherwood. The duo helped Vanderbilt lock up the top spot for Wednesday’s match play, where the No. 3 Commodores will take on top-ranked North Carolina in the championship match at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

The St. Andrews Links Collegiate features the North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Georgetown and Notre Dame men’s and women’s golf teams. The squads faced off Monday and Tuesday in 36 holes of stroke play. Come Wednesday, there will be match play on both sides.

On the women’s side, North Carolina will also face Vanderbilt, while the Georgetown and Notre Dame teams will battle for third place.

Van Paris fired rounds of 64 and 67 to take the title. Sherwood shot 68-66 to earn runner-up honors. North Carolina’s Peter Fountain finished solo third at 5 under.

In the team competition, Vanderbilt shot 23 under with the Tar Heels finishing five shots behind. Both men and women used a 6-count-5 scoring system instead of the usual 5-count-4 for stroke play.

Stars Gordon Sargent for Vanderbilt and David Ford for North Carolina didn’t play at the course the duo won the Walker Cup at last month because last week, they helped the U.S. win the World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Kayla Smith won the 2023 St. Andrews Links Collegiate.

On the women’s side, it was North Carolina’s Kayla Smith earning medalist honors, finishing at 2-under 138. She won by two shots over Vanderbilt’s Ava Merrill. The Tar Heel women also earned the top seed for match play, finishing at 19 over with Vanderbilt coming in second at 29 over.

Gordon Sargent earned his PGA Tour card Wednesday, making history doing so

The kids can play.

Gordon Sargent made history Wednesday.

The 20-year-old junior at Vanderbilt became the first player to earn PGA Tour membership via PGA Tour University Accelerated. He earned his 20th and final point needed when he teed off in the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Sargent will be able to accept PGA Tour membership after the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA National Championship in Carlsbad, California, upon turning professional. If he chooses this path, he would be eligible for open-full-field events for the remainder of the 2024 season, including the FedEx Cup Fall, and he would be a Tour member for the 2025 season.

The PGA Tour University Accelerated program was announced in November 2022 as a way for high-achieving underclassmen – juniors, sophomores or freshmen – to earn PGA Tour membership. Players earn points based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional golf. If a player earns at least 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility, they become eligible for Tour membership.

Sargent is currently second in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Here’s how he earned his 20 points.

  • Oct. 18, 2023 – Competes for United States at World Amateur Team Championships (1 point)
  • Sep. 2, 2023 – Competes for United States at Walker Cup (2 points)
  • July 7, 2023 – Makes cut in PGA TOUR event at John Deere Classic (1 point)
  • June 16, 2023 – Makes cut at major championship at U.S. Open (1 point)
  • June 15, 2023 – Makes major championship start at U.S. Open (1 point)
  • June 8, 2023 – Competes for United States at Arnold Palmer Cup (1 point)
  • April 6, 2023 – Makes major championship start at Masters Tournament (1 point)
  • Feb. 15, 2023 – Reaches No. 1 in World Amateur Golf Ranking (5 points)
  • Aug. 31, 2022 – Competes for United States at World Amateur Team Championships (1 point)
  • July 1, 2022 – Competes for United States at Arnold Palmer Cup (1 point)
  • June 1, 2022 – Wins 2022 NCAA Division I Outstanding Freshman Award (2 points)
  • May 30, 2022 – Wins individual medalist honors at NCAA Championship (3 points)

In May, Ludvig Aberg became the first to earn a Tour card via PGA Tour University. He has since won on the DP World Tour, lost in a playoff two weeks ago at the Sanderson Farms Championship and was a part of the victorious European Ryder Cup team in Rome last month.

How does Oklahoma compare to SEC schools in ranking of top universities?

How does the University of Oklahoma compare to SEC schools in US News and Report’s ranking of top universities in the country?

On July 1, 2024, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will officially join the Southeastern Conference.

They’re taking a step into arguably the greatest football conference in the country. The SEC also boasts incredible softball, baseball, women’s basketball and gymnastics programs. With the addition of OU and Texas, there’s a strong argument to be made that the SEC would be the best conference in those three sports.

Even though the Big 12 and ACC can still boast strong men’s basketball conferences, the Sooners and Longhorns addition to the SEC will also strengthen its ranks.

As Oklahoma gets ready to venture into its new league, how does the University of Oklahoma compare to its future SEC league mates in US News and World Report’s ranking of universities across the nation?

Florida’s Billy Napier praises offense in post-game press conference

Here’s what Florida head coach Billy Napier had to say in the post-game press conference.

The Florida Gators were triumphant in their homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday afternoon, 38-14, redeeming their Week 5 loss to Kentucky.

The offense clicked early despite the absence of sophomore running back Trevor Etienne, who was out with an upper-body injury. Junior Montrell Johnson and freshman Treyaun Webb led the way in the backfield to collect a combined 208 rushing yards.

The passing plays from junior Graham Mertz were short and sweet, but the offense was moving downfield field rather efficiently.

Freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham had a career day after moving his way up the depth chart, scoring two touchdowns and accumulating 99 yards on seven catches.

The Gators offense looked to form but will the good times last?

Head coach Billy Napier thinks his team is back on track and the win shows that the Gators are going full speed despite two losses so far.

Twitter reacts to Florida’s homecoming victory over Vanderbilt

Check out what Twitter had to say after the Florida Gators took down the Vanderbilt Commodores at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Florida Gators look like they are back on track to muster a winning record this season after cruising to victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores, 38-14.

It was homecoming week for the Gators and the defense returned to form after being brutalized by the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 5. Florida fans were still suffering from the loss, reluctant to participate in pre-game festivities and gave half-inspired “Go Gators!” chants during the fight song.

The Florida faithful’s morale was boosted when the final score showed the Gators on top, but the atmosphere in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium had an eerie feeling that the 2023 season was a wash.

With that being said, there are plenty of hot takes being traded among the college football fanbase, especially in Florida’s. Some fans want head coach Billy Napier gone and others are crying out for a new quarterback option besides junior transfer Graham Mertz.

The best part is that most of the juicy takes are scattered throughout the wonderful world of Twitter, now known as X.

Let’s take a look are some highlights from Saturday.

Sunday Hash: Pat Dooley revisits Florida’s homecoming win over Vanderbilt

Pat Dooley breaks down what the Gator Nation should take away from Florida’s homecoming win on Saturday.

Usually when you get dirt on your face, someone is right there to wipe it off.

Florida’s football team had to do it to themselves. And the Gators know that dirt is going to be poured on them all through the second half of the season.

“Our only thing from Sunday until today was let’s wipe this dirt off,” said defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp. “Let’s get up off the mat, let’s get up out of the mud, clean this off and go back to work.”

Florida did just that in a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt as Billy Napier avoided becoming the first coach in school history to lose his first four games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

It was a muggy night that saw some fans grumbling at the offense (nobody suffers winning like Gator fans). The Sunday Hash takes a look back at a homecoming win.