Nov. 19, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A soggy evening failed to deter the pomp and circumstance of Senior Night at Vanderbilt Stadium. Prior to their home finale against Missouri, the Commodores honored 20 seniors in pregame ceremonies, a group that had played a vital role in the program’s growth under head coach Derek Mason.
Ideally, Senior Night festivities serve as a precursor to a home victory. But Missouri got the best of Vanderbilt on Saturday, leaving Nashville with a 45-17 win.
“I’m extremely disappointed for them,” Mason said of Vanderbilt’s seniors. “We needed to make plays that we didn’t.”
One senior, in particular, long ago established himself as a stalwart of the Vanderbilt program. Running back Ralph Webb played his final home game in Vanderbilt Stadium on the heels of a remarkable career in black and gold.
The fifth-year senior is assured at least one more game with the Commodores in next week’s regular-season finale vs. Tennessee (3 p.m. CT on SEC Network). But the disappointment of losing on Senior Night lingered for Webb after the game.
“I just wanted to win,” Webb said. “I wanted to win to have the emotion of joy, singing ‘Dynamite’ after a win, but we didn’t get that done today. That’s the only thing I was looking forward to.”
THE POINT AFTER: Breaking down Missouri’s win over Vanderbilt
Against Missouri, Webb rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. His 20-yard gain in the third quarter pushed him beyond 4,000 rushing yards (4,010) for his career, passing Anthony Dixon for ninth all-time in SEC career rushing yards. Moreover, Saturday marked Webb’s 48th consecutive start for Vanderbilt.
That longevity has produced a career defined by shattered records. Webb lays claim to 10 Vanderbilt records, including the mark for career rushing yards. He owns program rushing records for Commodore freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and last season Webb passed Zac Stacy (1,193 yards) to set a new program single-season rushing record (1,283).
On Saturday, Mason once again praised Webb’s determination despite the lopsided result.
“Ralph [Webb] moved up the ladder again tonight, too,” Mason said, “so congrats to him.”
Now Webb has at least one game remaining in his college career. The Dores venture to Knoxville next week having won three of the past five meetings against the Volunteers. Tennessee, meanwhile, will be looking to avoid its first eight-loss season in program history.
Webb could add to his already illustrious career with a strong performance against the rival Vols. The senior has spent much of his final season fighting through nagging injuries, managing to keep his consecutive start streak intact.
Don’t expect him to miss his final shot at Tennessee, either.
“I am good, just have to sacrifice everything for my teammates,” Webb said. “I owe them everything. They need me and I need them, so we have to get the job done.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
