NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt football opened the 2026 campaign with a 28-9 victory over Austin Peay in front of a sold-out crowd at FirstBank Stadium.
The Commodores (1-0, 0-0 SEC) delivered strong performances on defense and special teams in the season-opening victory. Vandy returned a blocked PAT for two points in the first quarter and added a 27-yard punt return for a score in the third quarter. Additionally, the Dores held the Governors (1-1, 0-0 UAC) to 178 total yards on Saturday.
With the win, Vanderbilt has now won eight straight home games dating back to last season. It marks the first time the Dores have rolled off nine consecutive victories at home since doing so across the 1973, 1974 and 1975 seasons.
Graduate Blaze Berlowitz made the most of his first collegiate start, as the Cushing, Oklahoma, native combined for 194 total yards and posted a quarterback rating of 147.0. Berlowitz ran for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter and connected on 11 of his 16 passing attempts, as nine different Commodores had at least one catch.
Graduate Issa Ouattara made his presence felt in a big way in his return to the field after missing all but one game last season. The Cologne, Germany, native had his first career multi-sack game, with 2.0 sacks, and blocked a PAT, which Martel Hight picked up and returned 88 yards to give Vandy two points.
Senior Sedrick Alexander ran for a game-high 60 yards and added a score to his stat line. Alexander’s dash for six with 5:24 left to play in the third quarter marked his 22nd career score on the ground, breaking a tie with Ke’Shawn Vaughn for fourth on Vanderbilt’s all-time rushing touchdown list.
Senior wide receiver Junior Sherrill hauled in a team-best four catches for a game-high 70 yards. Sherrill’s performance against Austin Peay put him over 1,500 receiving yards at the collegiate level. He has now made at least one catch in each of his last 38 games.
Special teams accounted for the first eight points of the 2026 season, as junior Brock Taylor had a pair of 30-plus-yard field goals sandwiched around Ouattara and Hight’s heroics after an APSU touchdown that gave Vanderbilt an 8-6 lead. Taylor added a pair of PATs to his ledger on Saturday, as the Knoxville, Tennessee, native has now accounted for 200 points at Vanderbilt.
The special teams unit found the end zone again in the third quarter. Sophomore Josiah Broxton fielded a short punt and ran it back 27 yards untouched to give Vandy a 28-9 advantage. It was the first career touchdown for the linebacker out of Tallahassee, Florida.
Vanderbilt had a total of six players combined for 5.0 sacks. Along with Ouattara’s 2.0 sacks, graduate Brian Allen Jr., collected a sack, while graduate Nick Rinaldi, junior Glenn Seabrooks III, graduate Edwin Kolenge and graduate Hayden Bray each had a half sack. Rinaldi and junior CJ Heard paced the defense with six tackles each.
The game went into a lightning delay with 2:16 left in the contest. After a brief meeting on the field, both teams agreed to end the game shortly after the stoppage in play began.
The Commodores return to action on Saturday, as Vanderbilt hosts Delaware. Kickoff against the Blue Hens is set for 3:15 p.m. CT.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt football team, follow @VandyFB on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.