Feb. 5, 2008
CLICK TO VIEW 2008 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bobby Johnson’s Commodores will play their first two games next season on Thursday nights and will host six of 12 opponents on campus in Vanderbilt Stadium, athletic officials announced today.
Release of the 2008 football schedule was delayed until early February to allow Vanderbilt to successfully conclude negotiations with Rice University to move the game between both schools up six weeks earlier than it was previously scheduled. Vanderbilt and Rice will play on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Nashville, instead of the previous Nov. 1 date.
The Commodores will open the 2008 season with a road trip to Miami (Ohio) University on Thursday, Aug. 28. Vanderbilt’s six-game home schedule will start Thursday, Sept. 4, with a Southeastern Conference encounter with Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks.
Last year, the Commodores went 5-7 overall with a schedule dominated by eight home games. It was the most games hosted by Vanderbilt in nearly a century.
By rescheduling the Rice game to early in the season, Commodore athletic officials secured a second off week for Johnson’s Vanderbilt squad during the 12-game season. The off weeks would appear to aid the Commodores, who will not play more than four consecutive weeks during the upcoming season.
Johnson supported the decision to move the Rice game, believing that the Commodores should benefit from the reworked schedule.
“I couldn’t be happier with the 2008 schedule and how it sets up for our squad,” Johnson said. “The positioning of our off weeks should go a long way to keeping our team as fresh as possible as the regular season develops, especially late in the year.”
Besides South Carolina, the Commodores will host three other SEC opponents in Vanderbilt Stadium: Auburn on Oct. 4; Florida on Nov. 8 and Tennessee on Nov. 22. Vanderbilt’s two non-SEC home games are Rice, Sept. 13; and Duke, homecoming on Oct. 25.
The Commodores travel to Miami (Ohio) for the season opener, then trek to games against five other opponents: Ole Miss, Sept. 20; Mississippi State, Oct. 11; Georgia, Oct. 18; Kentucky, Nov. 15; and Wake Forest, Nov. 29.
Rice and Vanderbilt will renew a rivalry that dates to 1939. The two teams have played on three previous occasions – all in Houston, Texas – with the Commodores holding a 2-1 series advantage. Vanderbilt captured the first game, 13-12 in 1939, and the most recent encounter, 9-6 in 1975. The Owls won in 1954 by a 34-13 margin.
The Commodores’ schedule includes seven opponents that made postseason bowl appearances in 2007: Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake Forest. All but Florida, the 2006 national champion, were victorious.
“It’s looks like a difficult schedule, but it’s no different from any other year. It’s always going to be that way in the Southeastern Conference,” Johnson said. “We’re excited about the challenge ahead, and looking forward to getting started early next month with Spring Practice.”
The Commodores return 11 starters from a 2007 squad that finished 5-7. Among the top returnees are quarterbacks Chris Nickson and Mackenzi Adams, receivers George Smith and Sean Walker, tailback Jeff Jennings, safeties Reshard Langford and Ryan Hamilton, cornerbacks D.J. Moore and Myron Lewis, defensive end Steven Stone, and kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt.