Sept. 20, 2014
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Vanderbilt – South Carolina Postgame Notes
Sept. 20, 2014
Vanderbilt Stadium
Pregame Notes
• Vanderbilt is in its 125th year of organized football.
• The Commodores wore gold helmets and with black pants and jerseys for the first time this season.
• Vanderbilt won the toss and elected to receive the ball in the first half.
• Attendance was 34,441.
• Vanderbilt captains for the game were Andrew East, Joe Townsend, Kyle Woestmann and Spencer Pulley.
Team Notes
• Vanderbilt returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown marking the first time since at least the 1970s the Dores took the opening kick back for a score.
• Vanderbilt’s 14 points in the first quarter were the team’s first points in the opening quarter this season.
• With the loss the Commodores fall to 0-2 in Southeastern Conference play and 1-3 on the season.
• Vanderbilt is now 4-20 all-time vs. South Carolina.
Individual Notes
• Darrius Sims returned his first career kickoff for a touchdown to open the game, taking the kick 91 yards for a score. The returned kick for a score was the Commodores’ first since 2011 when Andre Hal returned a kick 96 yards vs. Georgia.
• Nathan Marcus earned his first career start as one of three tight ends to start the game for VU. Marcus becomes the 11th freshman starter for Vandy this year.
• Jahmel McIntosh earned his first start of the season at safety.
• David Dudchok hauled in his longest pass as a Commodore with a 29-yard reception from Patton Robinette in the first quarter.
• C.J. Duncan caught an eight-yard pass in the first quarter for his first career TD.
• Darrius Sims’ became the first player in Vanderbilt history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single game when he raced 100 yards in the third quarter for his second score of the night and the Commodores’ fourth special teams TD this season.
• Darrius Sims’ 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter matched the Vanderbilt school record set by Preston Brown at Ole Miss in 1977.
• Darrius Sims’ two kickoff returns for TDs in the game ties the NCAA record held by multiple players with the last coming in 2012.
• Freshman Trent Sherfield touched the ball for the first time in his career rushing for 25 yards on a reverse.
• Steven Scheu hauled in a 44-yard catch in the fourth quarter for the longest reception of the season for the Dores and longest of his career.
• Vince Taylor recovered his first fumble of the season in the fourth quarter.
• Tommy Openshaw booted a 30-yard field goal in fourth quarter for his career long and the longest field goal of the season for Vandy.
• Wade Freebeck threw his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter with a seven-yard pass to Kris Kentera.
• Wade Freebeck passed for a career-best 168 yards on 11-of-20 passing.
• Steven Scheu matched his career-high with three catches and posted a career-best and team-high 83 yards receiving. Scheu has caught three passes in all four games.
• Kris Kentera caught two passes for a career-high 46 yards.
• Ryan White made a career-high eight tackles, including one tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
• Nigel Bowden made a career-best eight tackles in the game.
• Torren McGaster made a career-high seven tackles, including four solo stops and forcing a fumble.
• Adam Butler recorded his first career sack by stopping Dylan Thompson in the backfield in the first half.
• Ralph Webb ran for 97 yards on 19 carries to push his season total to 378 in four games.
• Jerron Seymour crossed the 1000-yard mark in his career with 32 yards on the ground to give him 1031 yards in his career.
Offensive Notes
• Vanderbilt’s 14 points in the first quarter were the team’s first points in the opening quarter this season.
• Vanderbilt rushed for 91 yards in the first half with Ralph Webb carrying 13 times for 68 yards.
• Vanderbilt’s 10-play, 88-yard scoring drive in the third quarter was the team’s longest scoring drive of the season.
• Steven Scheu hauled in a 44-yard catch in the fourth quarter for the longest reception of the season for the Dores and longest of his career.
• Vanderbilt’s 379 yards of total offense (156 rushing, 223 passing) was the team’s best output of the season.
• The Commodores’ 223 yards passing is the most this season.
• Vandy converted all four trips into the red zone and is 7-for-7 in the last two games.
• VU has scored 34 points in each of the last two games after scoring 10 points in the first two games.
• The Commodores had three scoring drives of 60 yards or longer in the game, the Dores had just one scoring drive of 60-plus yards in the team’s first three games.
• Vanderbilt’s two passing TDs in the game are the most this season.
Defensive Notes
• Vanderbilt held South Carolina to 30 yards of total offense 11 plays in the first quarter.
• The Commodores held the Gamecocks to 53 yards rushing in the first half.
• Vince Taylor recovered his first fumble of the season in the fourth quarter.
• 35 of Vanderbilt’s 69 tackles in the game were made by freshmen, including Ryan White and Nigel Bowden who paced the team with eight tackles apiece.
Special Teams Notes
• Darrius Sims returned his first career kickoff for a touchdown to open the game, taking the kick 91 yards for a score. The returned kick for a score was the Commodores’ first since 2011 when Andre Hal returned a kick 96 yards vs. Georgia.
• The Commodores have now scored three special teams touchdowns in four games (two blocked punts, one kickoff return).
• Colby Cooke’s first punt of the night was a 53-yard boot to give him at least one 50-yard punt in every game this season.
• Tommy Openshaw booted a 30-yard field goal in fourth quarter for his career long and the longest field goal of the season for Vandy.
• Darrius Sims’ 217 yards on three kick returns is a career-best.
• Colby Cooke averaged 48 yards per punt on his three kicks in the game.