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Nov. 14, 2020 • 11 a.m. CT
Kroger Field • Lexington, Ky.
SEC Network
Dave Neal (play-by-play), DJ Shockley (analyst),
Dawn Davenport (sideline)
WQZQ 830 AM • 93.3 FM
Joe Fisher (play-by-play), Norman Jordan (analyst),
Kevin Ingram (sideline)
• Vanderbilt plays consecutive road games for the first time this season when the Commodores kick against Kentucky at 11 a.m. CT at Kroger Field with live television coverage on SEC Network.
• After not playing a road game in the month of October for the third time in program history, the Commodores close the campaign with four road contests in their final six tilts — at Mississippi State, at Kentucky, at Georgia and at Missouri.
• Saturday’s contest marks the 93rd meeting between the Commodores and Wildcats, with Kentucky holding a 46-42-4 series advantage. Vandy has played only two other schools — Tennessee and Ole Miss — more than Kentucky. Vanderbilt is looking for its first victory in the rivalry since 2015. The two have met annually since 1953.
• Vanderbilt’s defense held Mississippi State to minus-22 rushing yards, a program record and tied for the 20th fewest allowed in a contest in SEC history.
• Vanderbilt is averaging 1.2 turnovers gained/game, up from an average of 0.9 turnovers gained/game in 2019. The Wildcats enter Saturday’s contest with an average of 1.3 turnovers lost/game.
• After notching 1.0 tackle for loss at Mississippi State, senior defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo has increased his career total to 27.0, just 0.5 away from cracking the top eight in Vanderbilt history. Odeyingbo paces the Commodores with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
• Vanderbilt recovered three fumbles at Texas A&M, its most in a game since jumping on three at No. 10 Florida on Nov. 7, 2015. Vandy added its latest recovery against Ole Miss at the end of the opening half and is tied for 22nd nationally in fumbles recovered (5). The Commodores had five fumble recoveries in all of 2019.
• The Commodores lead the SEC in fewest penalties (22) and fewest penalty yards (182) while standing second in fewest penalties/game (4.4) and third in fewest penalty yards/game (36.4). A season ago, Vanderbilt did not rank within the top four of the league in any of the four categories.
• In the last two games, Vandy’s offense has found its stride by averaging 449.5 yards of total offense. In the first three contests, the unit averaged 256.7 total offensive yards/game.
• The uptick in yardage has led to an increase on the scoreboard. Vanderbilt has tallied 38 points in the last two contests after scoring 26 through the first three contests.
• Ken Seals, who ranks second among SEC freshmen and ninth overall in total offense/game with 206.6, became just the league’s third true freshman quarterback to start a season opener — and the first to do so in a true road game — when he took the field at Texas A&M on Sept. 26.
• Seals threw for a career-high 336 yards at Mississippi State, a Vanderbilt freshman record. Seals is the lone Vandy freshman quarterback with two 300-yard passing games in a season. He is also the first Commodore quarterback to register back-to-back 300-yard passing games since Kyle Shurmur against Kentucky (Nov. 11) and Missouri (Nov. 18) in 2017.
• Seals, a native of Azle, Texas, completed 31-of-40 passes (77.5 percent) versus Ole Miss, good for the eighth-best completion percentage in a Commodore contest.
• In the last two weeks, junior wide receiver Cam Johnson has caught 24 passes for 211 yards. He hauled in 14 passes versus Ole Miss, tied for the sixth most in a game and the most by a Commodore since Trent Sherfield’s 16 grabs against Austin Peay in 2015. Johnson is the first Vanderbilt wide receiver with 10 or more receptions in consecutive games since Kalija Lipscomb against Nevada (11 on Sept. 8, 2018) and Notre Dame (10 on Sept. 15, 2018).
• Senior wide receiver Chris Pierce Jr. has caught a touchdown pass in consecutive weeks after having two touchdown grabs in his career entering the Ole Miss game. Pierce Jr. and junior tight end Ben Bresnahan are tied for the team lead with two scoring catches apiece.