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Vanderbilt-Kentucky Postgame Notes

Oct. 8, 2016

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Vanderbilt –Kentucky Postgame Notes
Oct. 8, 2016
Commonwealth Stadium

Pregame Notes
– Vanderbilt is in its 127th year of organized football.
– The Commodores wore black helmets, white jerseys and gold pants in the game.
– Vanderbilt won the toss and deferred with Kentucky electing to receive.
– Attendance was 55,030.
– Vanderbilt captains for the game were Ralph Webb, Ryan White, Zach Cunningham and Oren Burks.
– The Commodores kicked off for the sixth time in six games.

Team Notes
– Vanderbilt trailed at the half for the fourth time this season.
– The Commodores fell to 42-43-4 all-time against Kentucky, including 15-24-2 in Lexington
Ralph Webb broke the school record for career carries with an 11-yard run in the third quarter. Webb finished the game with 18 carries and now has 625 carries in his career passing Carl Woods.

Individual Notes
Ralph Webb started his team-best 30th straight game at RB and Will Holden started his 28th straight game on the offensive line.
– Darrius Sims’ 23-yard kickoff return on the first kick of the game pushed him into second place all-time at Vanderbilt on the kick return list.
Tommy Openshaw made his sixth field goal of the season, connecting on a season-best 48-yard field goal in the first quarter.
– Darrius Sims’ 65-yard kick return near the end of the first half was the longest kickoff return of the season for VU.
Ralph Webb rushed for 39 yards on six carries in the first half.
Kyle Shurmur passed for 29 yards and was 6-for-10.
Taurean Ferguson made a team-best seven tackles in the first half.
Taurean Ferguson returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter for Vanderbilt’s first defensive touchdown of the year. Ferguson’s fumble return for a TD is the first returned fumble for a TD since Adam Butler recovered a fumble in the end zone against UMass in 2014.
Tre Herndon picked off his second pass of the season in the third quarter.
Ralph Webb broke the school record for career carries with an 11-yard run in the third quarter. Webb finished the game with 18 carries and now has 625 carries in his career passing Carl Woods.
Ralph Webb rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries, his third 100-yard game of the season and eighth of his career.
C.J. Duncan matched his season-best with five catches.
Ja’karri Thomas and Zach Cunningham led the defense with 10 tackles apiece.
Zach Cunningham has at least 10 tackles in four of the team’s six games.
Ja’karri Thomas has 30 tackles in his three starts this season, including 21 in his last two games.
Darrius Sims returned three kicks for a season-best 109 yards.
Nifae Lealao made a career-best six tackles.

Offensive Notes
– Vanderbilt’s field goal in the first quarter was the team’s first points in the opening quarter since the Georgia Tech game.
– The Commodores ran 21 plays for 127 yards in the third quarter.
– Vanderbilt converted its first trip into the red zone to remain perfect in the red zone this season.
– Vanderbilt’s scoring drive capped by Tommy Openshaw’s second field goal of the game was the Dores’ longest in terms of plays (14) and yards (85).
– The Commodores’ ended the day with 282 yards of offense, 141 yards passing and 141 yards rushing.
– Vanderbilt’s streak of red zone conversions came to an end with the team’s failure in the red zone on the final drive of the game.
– The offense gained 201 yards of offense in the second half.
– Vanderbilt’s longest play of the game was a 30-yard pass to Sam Dobbs, the longest reception of his career.

Defensive Notes
Taurean Ferguson made a team-best seven tackles in the first half.
Taurean Ferguson returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter for Vanderbilt’s first defensive touchdown of the year. Ferguson’s fumble return for a TD is the first returned fumble for a TD since Adam Butler recovered a fumble in the end zone against UMass in 2014.
– Vanderbilt has forced at least one turnover in all six games this season.
Tre Herndon picked off his second pass of the season in the third quarter.
– The defense allowed 122 yards in the second half.

Special Teams Notes
– Darrius Sims’ 23-yard kickoff return on the first kick of the game pushed him into second place all-time at Vanderbilt on the kick return list.
Tommy Openshaw made his sixth field goal of the season, connecting on a season-best 48-yard field goal in the first quarter.
– Darrius Sims’ 65-yard kick return near the end of the first half was the longest kickoff return of the season for VU.
Sam Loy averaged 42.2 yards per punt.
Darrius Sims returned three kicks for a season-best 109 yards.