Vanderbilt Commodores (0-3)
vs.
Ole Miss (1-4)
VUCommodores.com
Twitter • @VandyFootball
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In-Game Notes • @VandyNotes
Oct. 31, 2020 • 3 p.m. CT
Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tenn.
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 hosts Ole Miss for a 3 p.m. CT kick at Vanderbilt Stadium with live television coverage on SEC Network.
• The contest is designated as the team’s second annual “Set The Expectation” game. The Commodores became the first SEC program to host a “Set The Expectation” game in the 2019 home opener versus Georgia. The event originated in June of 2019 when Brenda Tracy, a registered nurse from Oregon, shared with the football team her devastating personal story and vital message of preventing sexual violence. Tracy, who spoke with the team again this fall, also serves on the NCAA’s Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence.
• The Commodores and Rebels have played annually since 1970 with Saturday’s tilt marking the 95th in the series. The only team Vandy has played more than Ole Miss is Tennessee with 114 games. Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have split the last two contests with the Commodores winning 36-29 in overtime in 2018 and the Rebels responding in 2019 with a 31-6 victory.
• Vandy has not played since Oct. 10 against South Carolina after it’s Oct. 17 date at Missouri was postponed to Dec. 12. The Commodores’ scheduled open date was Oct. 24.
• Vanderbilt’s Ken Seals became just the third SEC 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. His first two games were against top-20 opponents in No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 20 LSU. He is the fourth true freshman since 2012 to make his first two starts against top-20 foes, and the first since Tanner Mangum of BYU did so in 2015 against No. 20 Boise State (Sept. 12) and No. 10 UCLA (Sept. 19).
• After totaling 1.5 sacks against South Carolina, senior defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo paces the Commodores with 3.5 tackles for lost yardage and 2.5 sacks.
• Junior tight end Ben Bresnahan owns a team-leading 11 receptions. He entered the campaign with only seven career catches. Bresnahan finished the South Carolina game with a career-high tying 38 receiving yards.
• Vanderbilt has three offensive touchdowns this season, scored by three Commodores: Bresnahan, junior wide receiver Amir Abdur-Rahman and junior wide receiver Cam Johnson.
• Sophomore Jayden Harrison returned his first career kickoffs against South Carolina, averaging 20.8 yards/return. Overall, the Commodores rank third in the SEC in kickoff return average (24.1).
• Vanderbilt added its first punt returns of the season against the Gamecocks with Johnson running two back for 16 total yards (8.0 yards/return).
• Sophomore linebacker Anfernee Orji, who shifted from safety this season, owns a team-leading 19 tackles in three contests after recording six in nine games as a true freshman.
• The Commodores recovered three fumbles at Texas A&M, the most in a game since jumping on three at No. 10 Florida on Nov. 7, 2015. Vanderbilt added another fumble recovery against South Carolina and is tied for 21st nationally in fumbles recovered (4). The Commodores had five fumble recoveries in all of 2019.
• Vandy has gained five turnovers this season and has at least one turnover gained in each of the first three games. The last time Vanderbilt had caused a turnover in three consecutive games was Aug. 31-Sept. 21, 2019, also in the first three contests of the season.
• Vanderbilt leads the SEC in four penalty categories: fewest penalties/game (3.3), fewest penalty yards/game (26.7), fewest penalties (10) and fewest penalty yards (80).
• Vanderbilt chose seven team captains for the 2020 campaign: Odeyingbo, fifth-year linebacker Andre Mintze, Johnson, junior defensive back Camden Coleman, cornerback Elijah Hamilton, center Grant Miller and punter Harrison Smith.
