Oct. 7, 2011
Game Notes & Depth Charts | Gameday Central
Six Probable Vanderbilt Starters Call Alabama Home
A half-dozen likely starters for the Commodores call Alabama home.
Three key offensive starters hail from the state – quarterback Larry Smith (R-Sr., Prattville), running back Zac Stacy (Jr., Centreville) and wide receiver Jordan Matthews (So., Madison). Defensive starters from the Heart of Dixie include linebacker Chase Garnham (So., Fairhope), end Walker May (So., Birmingham) and safety Sean Richardson (So., Linden).
The Vanderbilt roster includes 11 products from Alabama.
Bear Once Roamed the Vanderbilt Sideline 
Photos: Bear Bryant at Vanderbilt
There was a time when Paul “Bear” Bryant walked the Vanderbilt sidelines when the Commodores faced off with their traditional rival to the south – Alabama.
In 1940, just weeks after being named head coach at Vanderbilt, Red Sanders lured Bryant away from Tuscaloosa to serve as the Commodores’ offensive and defensive line coach. The Sanders-Bryant combo quickly changed Vanderbilt’s gridiron fortunes. Though the team’s 3-6-1 mark was just a one-game improvement over 1939, the squad finished with two late wins and a near road win at ranked Alabama. The football prospects for 1941 were bright on the Nashville campus.
The ’41 Commodores lived up to expectations. Paced by Bryant’s physical fronts, Vanderbilt started 8-1, including five shutout wins. The final shutout came just before Thanksgiving in Nashville, 7-0, against Bryant’s No. 7-ranked alma mater.
History was about to change the lives of Sanders, Bryant and everybody else that attended the pre-Thanksgiving victory. Exactly two weeks after that victory, the bombing of Pearl Harbor would propel America into World War II. Bryant joined the U.S. Navy, served through the war, then took the Maryland head coaching position in 1945 upon leaving the service. Photos: Bear Bryant at Vanderbilt
Question of the Week
Capacity at Bryant-Denny Stadium stands at 101,821 after the 2010 addition of an end zone upper deck. Bryant-Denny Stadium ranks among the nation’s five largest on-campus venues. Can you name the four largest? The answer is your final note.
Playing the Tide in Alabama
The Commodores and Crimson Tide have squared off more frequently in Birmingham’s famed Legion Field (19) than Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium (16). In a series that dates to 1903, the teams didn’t play on campus in Tuscaloosa until 1968.
Series Oddity
The Commodores and Crimson Tide played to three consecutive ties from 1957-59. The teams tied 6-6 in ’57, played to a scoreless tie in ’58, then were knotted 7-7 in ’59.
Both Teams Have Controlled the Series
Though Alabama has dominated the series for the last four five decades, Vanderbilt more than held its own early in the rivalry. The Commodores won the first five games played between the schools, and held a 16-15-3 series advantage through the 1950s.
Closing In on Vanderbilt Records
Two senior defenders, Casey Hayward (DB) and Chris Marve (LB), continue to move up among Vanderbilt’s all-time leaders in defensive statistics.
With four interceptions early in the season, Hayward is just three picks shy of Leonard Coleman’s record of 15 interceptions from 1980-83. Marve is 13th all-time in tackles (338) and needs 40 to reach the top ten. He is also one tackle for loss shy of joining the team’s career top ten in that category.
Rough Road for ‘Dores in Tuscaloosa
The Commodores have captured just one of 16 games played against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Vanderbilt’s lone win over Alabama in T-Town came in 1994 (30-21).
Vanderbilt vs. Top 5 Opponents
Vanderbilt has never defeated a team ranked among the top five teams by the Associated Press, which has its origins in the mid-1930s. The most recent game involving the Commodores and a top-five foe came in 2009 (27-3 loss at No. 1 Florida).
Despite an 0-15 record against teams ranked No. 1 or No. 2 by the writers, the Commodores have been close on several occasions. The defeats include three nail biters: 28-21 vs. Florida in Nashville on Nov. 9, 1996, 25-23 at Oklahoma on Sept.10, 1977, and 35-27 at Tennessee on Dec. 1, 1951.
Vanderbilt has twice defeated a team ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press: 17-6 at South Carolina on Oct. 20, 2007 and 7-6 vs. LSU in Nashville on Oct. 2, 1937.
Tough Schedule Ahead
Counting Alabama, Vanderbilt’s next seven opponents have one thing in common – all appeared in postseason bowl games last year. The only foe remaining that did not make a postseason game is the 12th opponent, Wake Forest.
Historic Rush Came in Tuscaloosa
One of Vanderbilt’s strangest team records – longest rush – came in Bryant-Denny Stadium. On Sept. 14, 1996, Bill Marinangel took a fake punt 81 yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown against the Crimson Tide. Four other Commodores, including junior Warren Norman, have scored on 80-yard carries.
College Football’s Largest Stadiums
Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa ranks fifth in total capacity, ahead of such venues as Darrell Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas (101,624), the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (94,118), Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (92,746), Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (92,542), Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. (88,548) and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (87,451).
Now, here’s the four facilities larger than Bryant-Denny:
4. Ohio Stadium, Ohio State University, Columbus, 102,329
3. Neyland Stadium, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 102,455
2. Beaver Stadium, Penn State University, University Park, Pa., 106,572
1.Michigan Stadium, University of Michigan, 109,901.