Nov. 14, 2017
Vanderbilt Game Notes 
| Vanderbilt Depth Chart
Missouri Game Notes | Missouri Depth Chart
OPENING KICK
– Vanderbilt closes out the home schedule Saturday night by honoring 20 seniors playing their final game at Vanderbilt Stadium.
– The Commodores are averaging 252.4 yards passing over the team’s last five games.
– VU is averaging 10 tackles for loss in the team’s wins this season.
– RB Ralph Webb ranks 10th on the SEC’s all-time rushing list and needs 45 yards to become just the ninth player in league history to rush for 4,000 yards.
– QB Kyle Shurmur matched Jay Cutler for second in a single season at Vanderbilt with 21 TD passes last week and needs one to equal Whit Taylor’s single-season school record (22) set in 1982. Shurmur needs 204 yards to become the sixth Commodore to throw for 5,000 yards in his career.
– OLB Charles Wright‘s eight sacks are the second-most in the SEC.
TV
SEC NETWORK
PBP: Taylor Zarzour
Analyst: Andre Ware
Reporter: Olivia Harlan
RADIO
VANDERBILT IMG NETWORK
Flagship: WLAC 1510-AM/98.3 FM
Voice of the Commodores: Joe Fisher
Analyst: Norman Jordan
Sideline: Mitch Light
Sirius: 157 | XM: 192
SENIOR NIGHT
Vanderbilt is set to honor 21 seniors on Saturday night against Missouri with all 21 having seen playing time in their Commodore careers, including 19 of the 21 appearing on the team’s depth chart.
The group has combined for over 300 starts in their careers, including Ralph Webb is set to start his 48th straight game at running back. Oren Burks and Tre Herndon each have 30+ starts in their careers, respectively.
Seniors to be honored
23 Khari Blasingame – Huntsville, Ala.
20 Oren Burks – Fairfax Station, Va.
19 C.J. Duncan – Montgomery, Ala.
3 Taurean Ferguson – Jonesboro, Ga.
31 Tre Herndon – Chattanooga, Tenn.
77 Nifae Lealao – Sacramento, Calif.
83 Nathan Marcus – Glen Ellyn, Ill.
97 Reid Nelson – Hueytown, Ala.
41 Baffour Osei – Accra, Ghana
28 Dallas Rivers – Stone Mountain, Ga.
17 Tommy Openshaw – Jacksonville, Fla.
9 Caleb Scott – Suwanee, Ga.
10 Trent Sherfield – Danville, Ill.
4 Emmanuel Smith – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
3 Shawn Stankavage – Durham, N.C.
51 Scott Sypniewski – Ottawa, Ill.
2 Arnold Tarpley III – Pittsburgh, Pa.
7 Ralph Webb – Gainesville, Fla.
14 Ryan White – Louisville, Ky.
74 Jay Woods – Jackson, Ga.
49 Jonathan Wynn – Stone Mountain, Ga.
SHERFIELD MOVES INTO TOP 10
Trent Sherfield moved into ninth all-time at Vanderbilt with 126 receptions after hauling in eight passes last week against Kentucky. He also moved into ninth all-time in receiving yards at VU with 1,761 yards in his career.
He needs seven catches to move into eighth on the receptions list and eight yards to move up on spot on the yards list.
GROWING THROUGH THE AIR
Vanderbilt’s passing game has grown as the season has progressed.
QB Kyle Shurmur notched his second 300-yard game in the last three with 308 yards against Kentucky last Saturday. The Commodores bring the fourth-best passing attack in the SEC (229.2 ypg) into the match-up with Missouri, who owns the second-best passing game in the league (306.0 ypg).
The Dores averaged 206 yards per game (1,030 yards) through the team’s first five games of the season but have grown over the last five games. VU has passed for 1,262 yards (252.4 ypg) over the last five games.
Shurmur finished strong in 2016 as well, averaging 290.5 yards (1,162 yards) and completing nearly 60 percent of his passes during the Dores’ four November games.
TFL = WINS
The Commodores’ defense is averaging 6.7 tackles for loss entering the weekend, which ranks third in the SEC behind Missouri (7.7) and Texas A&M (7.4).
The Dores have used those negative plays to help fuel the team’s victories this season, averaging 10 TFLs in the squad’s wins compared to 4.5 in the losses.
Charles Wright‘s 9.5 are tied for seventh in the league with Missouri’s Terez Hall tied for second with 10.0.
Dare Odeyingbo has been the most consistent Dore in the backfield, being involved in a tackle for loss in seven of the Commodores’ 10 games to total eight for the year. Wright and Odeyingbo are two of 20 players on the VU roster to record at least one tackle for loss this season.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
Saturday’s game will be just the third night game of the season for the Commodores and first since beating Kansas State 14-7 on Sept. 16.
Vanderbilt is 2-0 in night games with wins over the Wildcats and in the season-opener against Middle Tennessee.
THE BREAKUP
Vanderbilt’s pass defense ranks seventh in the SEC, allowing 191.7 yards per game and 212.7 in league games.
The Commodores’ success has been helped by breaking up passes. The squad has broken up 42 passes, fourth-most in the league.
Tre Herndon and Joejuan Williams lead the way for VU with nine each, sixth-most in the SEC.
MOVE THE CHAINS
Trent Sherfield enters the weekend with 40 receptions on the year, leads the Commodores with 621 yards receiving and has been vital in moving the chains for VU.
He’s been the team’s most effective player in gaining first downs with 31 of his 40 catches resulting in a fresh set of downs. He’s also been QB Kyle Shurmur‘s go-to guy on third down, making 18 catches with 15 of those resulting in first downs.
Ralph Webb has produced the most first downs on the ground, moving the chains 21 times this season.
The Commodores are averaging 16.3 first downs per game.
