Notes surrounding Vanderbilt’s trip to face Baylor in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston at 8p.m. CT on Dec. 27:
• Vanderbilt is making its ninth all-time appearance in a bowl game but sixth in the last 10 seasons. The Commodores own a 4-3-1 record in bowl games and seek their first postseason victory since a 41-24 win over Houston in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 4, 2014.
• Derek Mason is just the second head coach to take Vanderbilt to multiple bowl games, adding to the Dores’ trip to the Independence Bowl in 2016.
• Vanderbilt has faced Baylor just twice in program history. The Bears won consecutive games against the Commodores in 1953 (47-6 in Waco) and 1954 (25-19 in Nashville).
• The Commodores are 14-13-3 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. In its last meeting with a Big 12 school, Vanderbilt defeated No. 18 Kansas State 14-7 on Sept. 16, 2017. The Dores have played Texas more than any other Big 12 program, holding an 8-3-1 all-time record over the Longhorns.
• Vanderbilt has won nine of its last 10 games versus nonconference foes. It had won eight straight before a tight 22-17 loss at then-No. 8 Notre Dame on Sept. 15.
• The matchup will mark Vanderbilt’s first appearance in the Texas Bowl or at NRG Stadium. The Dores last played a game in Houston in a loss to the Houston Cougars in 2015.
• Six players on Vanderbilt’s roster hail from the state of Texas: Dare Odeyingbo (Irving), Dayo Odeyingbo (Irving), Dimitri Moore (Cedar Hill), Alex Brown (San Antonio), Braden Kopp (Houston) and Alston Orji (Rockwell).
• Vanderbilt’s matchup with Baylor marks the 13th installment of the Texas Bowl.
• The Texas Bowl has ranked fourth among all bowl games in attendance since 2014, trailing only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls during that span. In terms of its community impact, the bowl has generated an average of $50 million annually for the Houston economy and through its relationship with DePelchin Children’s Center, its official charitable beneficiary, more than $1.4 million in financial support has been donated to the city’s oldest children’s charity.
