Decades Since ‘Dores Donned All White
The Commodores are expected to don white uniforms and new white helmets this Saturday for the first time since Watson Brown roamed the Vanderbilt sidelines as head coach.
According to equipment manager Luke Wyatt, the last Commodore squad to wear white helmets was Brown’s 1989 squad. In 1990, the ‘Dores switched to all black headgear in Brown’s final season.
The offensive captain on that 1989 team was senior quarterback John Gromos. Today, Commodore fans know the product of Joliet, Ill., as the color analyst alongside Joe Fisher on the Vanderbilt Radio Network.
Cool Weather Expected at Kickoff
Kickoff for the Vanderbilt-Northwestern game will have a definitely feel of fall.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the 60s prior to kickoff for the game north of Chicago, and reach the high 50s by the final horn. Forecasters expect clear skies at kickoff to give way to increasing clouds during the game.
“Vandy” Bears Not Likely at Game
The four former Commodores starring with the Chicago Bears are not expected to join the Vanderbilt sideline.
The former Vanderbilt standouts – quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receiver Earl Bennett, offensive lineman Chris Williams and cornerback D.J. Moore – will be meeting with Bear teammates Saturday night preparing for their home opener in Soldier Field against the Indianapolis Colts.
Commodores Seeking Fifth Straight Regular Season Non-SEC Win
Vanderbilt faces Northwestern trying to post its first five-game regular season win streak in out-of-conference play in nearly two decades.
During the 2011 regular season, the Commodores went 4-0 in non-SEC games, defeating Elon, Connecticut, Army and Wake Forest.
The Commodores have not captured five straight regular season wins in out-of-conference games since enjoying a seven-game streak under Gerry DiNardo from 1992-94.
Vanderbilt vs. the Big Ten
The Commodores are in search of their eighth win against Big Ten competition Saturday. Vanderbilt is 7-18-2 all-time against Big Ten teams. Excluding Michigan, the Commodores would move to .500 against other Big Ten teams with a win Saturday.
Stacy Moving Up Career Rushing Charts
Zac Stacy (Sr., RB) is currently seventh among Vanderbilt career rushers (2,050 yards), and could join the all-time Top Five with a strong performance Saturday.
Stacy would pass Lonnie Stadler (2,096 yards, 1972-75), Jared McGrath (2,251 yards, 1997-2000) and Jermaine Johnson (2,152 yards, 1993-95) with more than 100 rushing yards this week. Stacy still trails Vanderbilt career leader Frank Mordica (1976-79) by 583 yards.
Stacy, who also ranks tied for fourth all-time with 20 rushing touchdowns, has surpassed 2,000 rushing yards without reaching 400 career carries. He needs 13 rush attempts to reach 400 carries.
Johnson Lone Vanderbilt Veteran to Start Every Game of Career
Wesley Johnson (R-Jr., OT) is the only current Commodore veteran to start every game of his Vanderbilt career.
Johnson, a Nashville product of Montgomery Bell Academy, will earn his 27th consecutive start when he opens at left tackle against Northwestern. The preseason All-Southeastern Conference candidate also ranks among the league’s most versatile linemen, with career starts at tackle, guard and center.
Johnson also shares the team high in career starts (26 prior to Northwestern game) with Rob Lohr (R-Sr., DT).
Plenty of similarities between Saturday Opponents
On and off the football field, Vanderbilt and Northwestern share plenty of similarities. Both exist as the lone private institutions in powerful conferences, with the combined undergraduate enrollment of both schools barely approaches the enrollment of the smallest public school in either the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences. Both also compete on an annual basis for the nation’s highest graduation rate among its football student-athletes.
On the field, the seldom-played series between the Commodores and Wildcats has been even closer. The all-time series is tied 1-1-1. In total points scored, Vanderbilt holds a one-point edge, 44-43. The last game played in Evanston, coming exactly 60 years ago, ended in a 20-20 tie.
Commodore Tidbits…
A capacity crowd of about 800 Vanderbilt supporters is expected to attend the National Commodore Club pregame tailgate near Ryan Field… For fans back home in Nashville, the Big Ten Network is available on Comcast systems (Ch. 1730) and DirecTV (Ch. 610 – sports package). The broadcast is not included on ESPN’s GamePlan coverage… Here’s a link for Big Ten Network access in your area: http://btn.com/about/btn-channelfinder … Northwestern QB Dan Persa was superb against the Commodores in 2010 – 19 of 21 for 222 yards, 3 TD passes, 82 yards rushing. Persa graduated last year. Commodore statistical milestones:
– Jonathan Krause’s next catch will be the 50th of his career;
– Jordan Rodgers is 262 yards shy of 2,000 career passing yards;
– Chris Boyd is 27 yards shy of 500 career receiving yards;
– Rob Lohr is five tackles shy of 100 for his career;
– Archibald Barnes needs seven tackles to reach 100 career stops