Tag: Vanderbilt Commodores

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

Penn State’s history against programs from the SEC goes back decades, but only two SEC schools have won every matchup against them.

Penn State will have a rare regular season contest against the Auburn Tigers in 2021. The home game in week 3 is one of the highlights of the regular season schedule, especially at home. The first regular-season meeting between the Nittany Lions and Tigers is the first in the series, although the two schools have previously faced each other in bowl game matchups.

It is not often Penn State plays a team from the SEC in the regular season, but Penn State has plenty of games against teams from the Southeastern Conference under their belts.

Here is a look at Penn State’s all-time records against every member currently in the SEC. For the purposes of this list, we are including all-time records against current SEC members. That includes games played against Texas A&M and Missouri before those schools were members of the SEC. All data referenced is credited to College Football Reference. Rankings referenced are Top 25 rankings where available.

Note: Penn State has never faced Arkansas, Mississippi, or Mississippi State in football.

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NCAA Championship: Match play field, pairings set for 2021 men’s quarterfinals

Everything you need to know for the quarterfinals of the men’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The men’s individual national champion has been crowned, which means one thing: it’s time for match play.

Clemson senior Turk Pettit won the individual national title at the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship on Monday evening, signing for an even-par 70 to seal the deal at 7 under, one shot clear of 54-hole leader and Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin.

Oklahoma State entered Monday’s final round of stroke play atop the leaderboard but fell back to second at even par for the week. Hosts Arizona State climbed from third to first to take the No. 1 seed at 3 under, followed by the Cowboys, Pepperdine (+5), Oklahoma (+10), Illinois (+14), Florida State (+16), Vanderbilt (+24) and North Carolina (+25).

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual

With the quarterfinals set to begin on Tuesday morning and the semifinals to follow, here’s a breakdown of the teams and matches competing for the team national championship (All Times Eastern).

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Florida pitchers shut down Vandy in Game 3 to take series

Florida’s pitchers made all the difference in a Game 3 win over the Commodores as Florida took a 5-3 win on Sunday.

The Gators secured an absolutely monster series win on Sunday in a decisive Game 3 against No. 2 Vanderbilt, winning 5-3 behind strong performances from starting pitcher Hunter Barco and the rest of the bullpen.

Barco allowed a single to lead off the game but he quickly bounced back to escape the inning unharmed. Florida’s batters got to work at the bottom of the frame. Jacob Young led off with a single, and RBI base hits from Kris Armstrong and Kirby McMullen put a pair of runs on the board, though Vandy got a run back in the second with a solo home run to start the inning.

But Commodores starter Chris McElvaine continued to struggle. In the third, Sterlin Thompson hit a single that scored two runs. He was pulled after giving up a walk and a double to lead off the fourth, but his replacement, Patrick Reilly, couldn’t keep a run from coming across as a fielder’s choice from Young stretched the lead to 5-1.

Barco gave up two singles in the fifth that led to an RBI groundout to get Vandy a run back, and after a walk and fly out to start the sixth, Barco was pulled for Christian Scott, who allowed two singles and a run to score off a sac-fly.

A committee of Scott, Trey Van Der Weide and Jack Leftwich got through the seventh inning allowing two hits and no runs. Leftwich finished the game out, earning a save in the process as he allowed just one hit in the final two frames.

This series win bodes well for Florida’s chances at No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with just three SEC series to go. After a midweek home game against Stetson, UF will return to conference action next weekend in Lexington to take on Kentucky.

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Series Preview: Florida welcomes No. 2 Vanderbilt for tough weekend series

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for this weekend’s series along with the projected starting lineup for UF vs. VU.

The No. 14 Florida Gators (28-12, 11-7 SEC) welcome the No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores (31-7, 13-5) to Gainesville this weekend for a three-game set that could be UF’s biggest challenge yet this season. The two Southeastern Conference foes take the field opposite each other on Friday night for the first time since 2019.

Coming into the weekend, the Commodores have been one of the most dominant teams in the nation, headlined by a pair of starting pitchers projected to be taken at the top of the 2021 MLB draft this summer. Florida will face both of them in this series: Kumar Rocker in the first game and Jack Leiter in the second. Vandy has won seven of its last 10, including two wins in a three-game series against the No. 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend.

Historically, Florida holds the edge all-time since their first meeting in 1997, 48-31, but the series has been back-and-forth over the past few years, with Vanderbilt sweeping three games at home in 2019 after the Gators won four straight from 2017 to 2018. UF holds the longest winning streak between the two, stretching eight games from 2000 to 2002; Vandy’s best run was a four-game streak from 2006 to 2007.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for this weekend’s series along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Texans should consider former Vanderbilt DE Dayo Odeyingbo to fortify the edge

If the Houston Texans are looking to set the edge with a mid-round pick, Vaderbilt’s Dayo Odeyingbo needs to be a consideration.

The Houston Texans need help everywhere after finishing 4-12 a season ago and undergoing a coaching change.

Their biggest problem in the upcoming 2021 NFL draft is that they do not make their first selection until Round 3 with the 67th overall pick. It isn’t exactly the best place to start when a team is undergoing a rebuild.

However, there is still value to be had in the bottom half of the draft’s top 100 picks. According to a survey of SEC coaches conducted by Matt Zenitz of AL.com, former Vanderbilt defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is an edge defender teams should consider selecting in the third round.

“He’s got such position versatility,” a head coach said. “He can play everything from the three-technique to an end in the NFL. And I think if you’ve got that type of speed, size and athleticism … he’s not Myles Garrett, but he’s got some of those same attributes. He’s a big, long, athletic, disruptive pass rusher who — even on a team that didn’t produce wins — he stood out.”

Odeyingbo collected 122 combined tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, an interception, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his 41 games with the Commodores from 2017-20.

What adding the 6-6, 276-pound edge defender would do for the Texans is provide them with a younger player who could offer depth behind defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Charles Omenihu. Over the course of Odeyingbo’s four-year rookie contract with Houston, he could develop into a formidable pass rusher and give the Texans another force off the edge.

Houston’s needs a manifold and their first selection isn’t until the third round. Odeyingbo would have to be the most convincing athlete available at No. 67 overall for the Texans to make that selection. If their board says that he is, they shouldn’t be hesitant to take Odeyingbo.

Texas Basketball: Horns land commitment from Vanderbilt forward Dylan Disu

The SEC’s leading rebounder, Dylan Disu, has decided to transfer from Vanderbilt and join the Chris Beard era in Austin.

The Texas basketball program has made quick use of the NCAA transfer portal since the arrival of head coach Chris Beard.

Beard was able to land a three-time All-Pac-12 player in Timmy Allen from Utah along with Creighton’s Christian Bishop and Kentucky’s Devin Askew. This type of roster overhaul has been the type of change that Texas fans wanted to see in the post-Shaka Smart era.

A few days ago, the Longhorns were tied to another highly sought-after player through the transfer portal in Vanderbilt’s star forward Dylan Disu.

On Monday, the SEC’s leading rebounder and Pflugerville native chose to come home. Disu announced via Twitter on Monday that he has committed to the University of Texas.

With Kai Jones entering the 2021 NBA draft and the uncertainty of Jericho Sims and Greg Brown’s futures in Austin, it was fortunate for the team to land a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward. Disu can not only secure rebounds, he’s been a lethal scoring threat from the field, three-point range and the free-throw line.

The addition of Disu is another positive step for the Texas basketball program.

Texas Basketball: Horns are a favorite to land the SEC’s top rebounder

Vanderbilt’s Dylan Disu has entered his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal and the Texas Longhorns are the favorite to land the top SEC rebounder.

Newly hired Texas head coach Chris beard has been attacking the NCAA transfer portal during his short stint with the program.

Beard and the Longhorns already landed former Utah star Timmy Allen, a highly recruited guard from Kentucky in Devin Askew and Creighton transfer Christian Bishop. Now, Texas has the potential to land another big name within the portal.

Vanderbilt sophomore forward Dylan Disu entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday and the Longhorns are now considered to be the favorite to land the SEC’s leading rebounder.

Disu is a local product from Pflugerville, Texas, and played two seasons at Vanderbilt where he started 17 games as a sophomore before undergoing a season-ending knee surgery. He’s on track to make a full recovery.

In his second season, he became the full-time starter where he averaged 15.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Disu shot 49.2% from the field, 36.9% from three-point range and 73.6% from the free throw line.

This would be another huge get for Texas in the Chris Beard era. A player of this size (6-foot-9, 220-pounds) who can do it all and guard all five positions could be what puts the Longhorns among the best for the 2021-22 Big 12 basketball season.

Three takeaways as Florida survives close call against Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament opener

It was a little too close for comfort, but the Gators held on for a win in their first game at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Florida had to play on Thursday by virtue of a loss to Tennessee in the regular season, and that was almost the end of its SEC Tournament action. Facing 12th-seeded Vanderbilt on a neutral court in Nashville, the Gators looked like they were going to win comfortably in the first half, taking a 12-point lead to the locker room and ending the period on an 8-0 run.

But the Commodores stormed back in the second, even snagging the lead with under eight minutes to play. Florida managed enough offense in the final minutes to hang on to a 69-63 win, but it wasn’t exactly the performance in the tournament opener five-seeded UF had hoped for.

The Gators’ outing on Thursday was enough to earn a third win over Vandy on the season and move on in the tournament, but a repeat of it in any game the rest of the way through will likely result in elimination. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from Florida’s Second Round win.

Fun facts for Florida and Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament matchup

Take a look at some fun facts from both history and the present for Florida’s SEC Tournament game against Vanderbilt on Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon the 12th-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores (8-15, 3-13 SEC) will take the court against the 5th-seeded Florida Gators (13-8, 9-7 SEC) in the second round of the 2021 Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, starting at 2 p.m. EST.

The two schools have already met twice in the regular season, with the Gators prevailing both times. Interestingly, those two wins knotted up the all-time series at 70 wins apiece in a series that has been played since 1931. Vanderbilt has traditionally held a slight edge in this intraconference rivalry, but Florida has won its last six to even things up.

Those six-straight series wins almost match the historical high of seven — and a win on Thursday would tie that mark — which came from 2004 to 2007. The Gators’ longest losing streak to the Commodores stretched six games from 1981 to 1983, but for the most part, neither team had any significant run of dominance over the years.

Along with those historical facts, there are a few other interesting numbers of note heading into Thursday’s Round 2 game. Here is a look at three important digits courtesy of the press notes.

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Vanderbilt

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

Betting odds for Florida men’s basketball vs Vanderbilt, per BetMGM

The SEC Tournament is underway with the No. 12 Vanderbilt Commodores facing the No. 5 Florida Gators on Thursday. Here are the betting odds.

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The Southeastern Conference Tournament is underway after the No. 12 seed Vanderbilt Commodores (8-15, 3-13 SEC) defeated the No. 13 seed Texas A&M Aggies on Wednesday to advance to the second round, where the No. 5 Florida Gators (13-8, 9-7 SEC) await them.

It was a down year for the ‘Dores, who managed to win just three conference games under second-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse. While the results on the floor left a lot to be desired, Stackhouse has a reputation for pushing his team to its fullest potential.

Meanwhile, UF had one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory, dealing with two COVID outbreaks as well as the loss of their SEC Preseason Player of the Year Keyontae Johnson. Nevertheless, the team persevered and managed to score a few big wins before the regular season expired — though their two losses to close out the schedule put a damper on their tournament seeding.

BetMGM has the Gators a 7.5-point favorite over the Commodores while the over/under is set at 145.5 points ahead of game time.

Everything you need to know to follow Florida basketball vs Vanderbilt

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST in Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee for the second round of the SEC Tournament and will be broadcast on the SEC Network, livestreamed on the ESPN app and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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