|
Dores Beat Ole Miss 31-23 9/17/2005
NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 31-23 today, but not without much more drama than indicated by the final score. The so-called “cardiac” Commodores almost let a 21-point third-quarter lead slip away. Instead, fourth-year Head Coach Bobby Johnson and his team held on to remain undefeated, and carry their record to 3-0 for the first time since 1984. Ole Miss scored touchdowns on two broken plays in the third quarter, and pulled within one point after returning a punt for a touchdown with 8:20 left to play in the game. Senior defensive tackle Ralph McKenzie blocked the point-after attempt, preserving the Commodores’ one-point lead. The Dores scored another touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the scrappy Ole Miss team marched the ball into the Dores’ red zone before preseason All-SEC linebacker Moses Osemwegie forced a fumble with one second remaining in the game. With today’s 314-yard passing performance, Commodore quarterback Jay Cutler (24 for 41, no interceptions, 372 total yards) moved from fourth place to second place in Vanderbilt’s all-time passing yards. Senior wide receiver Eric Davis caught eight passes for 107 yards, and senior tight end Dustin Dunning caught four for 86 yards. Sophomore tailback Jeff Jennings ran for a game-high 103 yards and three touchdowns. Cassen Jackson-Garrison, also a sophomore tailback, had eight carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. Jennings leads the SEC in touchdowns thus far with seven. The defense was led by Osemwegie, with 11 tackles, and freshman strong safety Reshard Langford (5). The attendance was 34,487. |
