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Vandy/South Carolina Game Notes
10/22/2005
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
Attendance: 76,427
Commodore Outcome
Vanderbilt goes to 4-4 overall on the season, and 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division with the loss. After opening with four consecutive victories, the Commodores are currently on a four-game losing streak.
It marked the first road loss this season for the Commodores. They opened the season with road wins at Wake Forest and Arkansas.
Bennett Continues Outstanding First Season
Freshman WR Earl Bennett added to stellar season, providing the top offensive performance with the Commodores with 16 receptions, good for 204 yards and a touchdown. It was the first TD reception of Bennett’s career.
Bennett became the leading freshman receiver ever in terms of catches. He has 46 receptions, surpassing Boo Mitchell’s total of 45 receptions in 1985. He ranks second all-time in receiving yards by a freshman with 535 after passing Clarence Sevllian (359 in 1989), Jesse Mathers (423 in 1973) and Todd Yoder (471 in 1996). Bennett trails only Mitchell’s 1985 mark of 739 receiving yards.
It was the most receptions by a Commodore since Dan Stricker caught 12 passes against Kentucky in 2001. Bennett’s 204 yards tied Stricker’s 2001 mark.
Cutler Becomes All-time Completions Leader
Jay Cutler added another all-time Commodore passing record to his collection, becoming the team career leader in pass completions. Cutler ended the game with 27 completions, giving him 616 completions for his career. He topped former record holder Greg Zolman, who completed 596 passes from 1998 to 2001. Cutler earned the record with a 9-yard pass to WR Earl Bennett in the second quarter.
Cutler also moved up the all-time SEC passing charts. He overtook former Auburn QB Jason Campbell and former Arkansas QB Clint Stoerner in passing yardage. After throwing for 339 yards versus USC, Cutler has 7,626 yards for his career, good for 15th all-time in the league. Cutler also ranks 19th all-time in touchdown passes, 15th in completions and 10th in pass attempts.
The senior surpassed a number of his own career bests. Cutler passed for 339 yards on the day, eclipsing his old record of 319 yards set in Columbia in 2003. VU’s signal-caller also set a career mark for pass attempts (48) and was one short of his personal best in completions with 27.
First Half Highlights
Senior DE Herdley Harrison provided a key defensive play for the Commodores in the initial Gamecock series, deflecting a Blake Mitchell attempt to force South Carolina into a 2nd-and-long situation which it failed to convert? The Commodores’ first offensive possession started with five consecutive rushing attempts prior to an incomplete third-down pass attempt. South Carolina’s rush defense entered the game ranked 10th in the SEC? Junior Kevin Joyce produced his first quarterback sack of the season to put USC in another deep hole on its second series? Redshirt freshman DT Brandon Holmes earned his first collegiate playing time late in the first quarter? Trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter, the Commodores let a scoring opportunity slip away when Cutler was sacked on third down.
On South Carolina’s first offensive play following the sack, Commodore senior CB Cheron Thompson made the biggest play of his Vanderbilt career, picking off a Mitchell pass and returning it 13 yards for a touchdown, tying the score 7-7 with 12:45 remaining in the half. It was the Commodores’ first defensive touchdown since Nov. 6, 2004 when Moses Osemwegie recovered a fumble in the end zone versus Florida. It was also Vanderbilt’s first interception return for a touchdown since Dominique Morris went 29 yards with a pick against Rutgers last year.
Second Half Highlights
Cutler guided Vanderbilt on its first offensive touchdown drive to open the second half, leading an 8-play, 72-yard drive capped by tailback Cassen Jackson-Garrison’s 2-yard plunge. Cutler hit three receptions for 48 yards on the drive, including a 25-yard connection with WR Erik Davis that put the ball on the USC 2-yard line? With 3:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, Cassen Jackson-Garrison scored his second touchdown of the game — his fifth career touchdown and the first multi-score effort of his Vanderbilt career.
Commodore Starters
Eight of Vanderbilt’s 11 defensive starters ? – DE Herdley Harrison, DE Chris Booker, DT Ralph McKenzie, LB Moses Osemwegie, LB Kevin Joyce, LB Jonathan Goff, CB Andrew Pace and safety Reshard Langford — have started at least eight seven of the Commodores’ eight games. Eight of the Commodore offensive starters — QB Jay Cutler, TB Jeff Jennings, TE Dustin Dunning, WR Marlon White, OT Ryan King, OT Brian Stamper, OG Josh Eames and center Trey Holloway — have started every game.
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