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Commodores Cruise Past UTC, 51-6 9/6/2003
Commodores Cruise Past UTC, 51-6 The Commodores achieved their first victory of the season in convincing fashion, defeating the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 51-6 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville. The win evens Vanderbilt record at 1-1, while Chattanooga falls to 0-2. Sophomore quarterback Jay Cutler passed for 186 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered the team’s second consecutive fumble at the one-yard line and ran the ball in for the first score of the game. Junior tailback Norval McKenzie led the Dores in rushing with 102 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Vanderbilt scored two more times in the first quarter. Sophomore running back Matthew Tant scored on a one-yard run and fellow sophomore Erik Davis received a 23-yard pass from Cutler, which completed a quick seven second scoring drive. Junior cornerback Lorenzo Parker instigated the drive with a recovered Chattanooga fumble on the previous play. Cutler also matched the longest pass of his career in the first quarter with a 59-yard strike to junior wideout Brandon Smith. The play also was the longest reception of Smith’s career. Chattanooga’s only touchdown came on an 87-yard kick-off return in the first quarter by junior wide receiver Ebrahim Tehrani. It was the school’s first kick-off return for a touchdown since November 19, 1991. The Commodores added three more touchdown runs in the second quarter. Sophomore tailback Kwane Doster got the second-quarter scoring started with a two-yard plunge to give VU a 27-6 lead. After McKenzie’s 24-yard touchdown run, sophomore cornerback Dominique Morris picked off a pass and scampered 47 yards for a touchdown. The Commodores ended the first half with a 41-6 lead. Senior quarterback Benji Walker spelled Cutler after halftime and played the entire third quarter. He finished the game 2-of-3 for 31 yards. Redshirt freshman Steven Bright saw his first playing time, playing the fourth quarter for VU. Bright completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to freshman Marlon White, giving both Commodores their first career touchdowns. The Vanderbilt coaches also had a chance to see their field goal unit succeed as Tolga Ertugral connected on his first career field goal. The 38-yard field goal by Ertugral with 4:32 remaining finalized the score at 51-6. Junior tailback Ronald Hatcher contributed 32 rushing yards and a 42-yard punt return, while Smith ran for an additional 16 yards and had 85 receiving yards. In addition to his two-yard touchdown run, Doster rushed for 39 yards and recorded a 20-yard kick return. The Dores return to action next Saturday as they host Auburn. Kick-off time is 11:30 a.m. and the game will be televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports (Nashville Channel 14). |
