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.