NASHVILLE – Another slow start hampered Vanderbilt on Saturday. Yet again, the Commodores shook out of their funk in time to secure a win.
Kalija Lipscomb hauled in a late, fourth-quarter touchdown catch to help Vanderbilt overcome an early deficit and rally for a 31-27 win over Tennessee State at Vanderbilt Stadium.
Here’s how it went down:
WHAT HAPPENED: Vanderbilt’s first half was defined by mistakes. A pair of Kyle Shurmur interceptions in Commodore territory – including one in the VU end zone – cost the Dores as Tennessee State built a 13-10 lead at halftime. But the Tigers stormed back with two straight touchdowns to take a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter. That’s when Vanderbilt responded with Lipscomb’s touchdown catch and a fourth-down stop on defense to stave off the upset.
TURNING POINT: The Commodores trailed by three, 27-24, with under seven to play and faced a third down near midfield. Shurmur uncorked a long pass for Lipscomb, who hauled in the catch and ran 68-yards for the go-ahead score. On TSU’s next possession, the Tigers trailed 31-27 and needed a touchdown. But the Dores stuffed TSU on fourth down deep in its own territory to clinch the win for the black and gold.
HELMET STICKERS
WR Kalija Lipscomb
The junior’s 68-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter pushed Vanderbilt ahead and marked his longest scoring grab of the season. Saturday marked Lipscomb’s second 100-yard receiving game of his career and fourth straight game this season with at least nine catches, as he finished with nine grabs for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Vaughn headlined a strong day running the ball for the Commodores with 146 yards on 17 attempts. He ran 78 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to give Vanderbilt a 24-13 lead.
LB Jordan Griffin
Griffin led the Dores on defense with 10 tackles, including five solo stops. He chipped in two tackles on Tennessee State’s final drive that helped stuff the Tigers’ rally.
GIVE ME THE NUMBERS
256
Rush yards for Vanderbilt, led by Vaughn’s 146 yards. Blasingame also added 88 yards on the ground as the Commodores averaged 7.5 yards per carry on the night.
2
Interceptions thrown by Shurmur, both in the first quarter. The Commodores moved the ball well in the first half, but turnovers stifled potential scoring drives early and led to Vanderbilt ultimately trailing 13-10 at halftime.
WORTH NOTING: Ke’Shawn Vaughn’s 78-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the longest run by a Commodore since Zac Stacy recorded a 90-yard run against Wake Forest on Nov 24, 2012.
WHAT’S NEXT: Vanderbilt jumps back into SEC play with a road trip to Georgia next Saturday. Kickoff will be at either 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. CT.
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
