NASHVILLE – Kyle Shurmur arrived at Vanderbilt’s weekly press conference on Tuesday looking a bit different. This time, Shurmur rocked a stellar mustache, which, he explained, was a nod to the Commodores’ upcoming matchup with rival Tennessee.
“Everybody for UT week the past few years has done a fancy facial hair thing,” Shurmur said, stroking his ‘stache. “I’m finally old enough to actually get some. I had to participate this year.”
A scruffy Shurmur arrives at a prime time for Vanderbilt. Shurmur will play his final game at Vanderbilt Stadium this Saturday against the Volunteers (3 p.m. CT SEC Network). It’s yet to be determined whether the matchup with be his last game in a Commodore uniform; Vanderbilt (5-6) needs to beat Tennessee (5-6) to secure a trip to the postseason.
Regardless of how Saturday’s matchup turns out, Shurmur’s career has been an historic one on West End. In last week’s 36-29 overtime win over Ole Miss, the senior passed Vanderbilt legend Jay Cutler for No. 1 all-time in career touchdown passes (60). Shurmur sits second on the Dores’ career list in passing yards (8,212), trailing Cutler by just 485 yards. Moreover, Shurmur is the first Vanderbilt quarterback to notch multiple 20-touchdown seasons and is one of just two VU signal-callers (Greg Zolman) to throw for at least 2,000 yards in three straight seasons.
The Vanderbilt record book is already littered with Shurmur’s name. But asked how it felt to break Cutler’s career touchdown record against Ole Miss, the quarterback smiled. Then junior wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb interjected.
“He’s happy,” Lipscomb joked. “He’s screaming inside.”
Shurmur just shrugged off his teammate.
“It was cool,” he said, “but it was even cooler to get the win.”
Another win would send Vanderbilt to a bowl game for the second time in three seasons, likewise adding to Shurmur’s record-breaking legacy. Vanderbilt seeks its third straight win over the Vols, a feat not accomplished since the Commodores claimed three in a row over their in-state rival between 1923-26 (Vanderbilt did not play Tennessee in 1924). That’s also how long it’s been since a Vanderbilt quarterback beat Tennessee three times in his career.
On Tuesday, Shurmur wasn’t interested in discussing his Vanderbilt legacy – yet.
“I’ll deal with that after the game,” he said. “Right now, I’m treating this like any other week. Prepare hard and go out and play hard with my teammates, just like it’s every other week.”
Shurmur has been Vanderbilt’s starter for the last four years of Derek Mason’s tenure in Nashville. Now, the Commodores’ head coach gets emotional when discussing his quarterback’s impact on the program.
“Much like Kyle, I’ll leave that up to you guys to talk about,” Mason said. “I know I love him. I know he’s been my quarterback. We’ve been through a lot here, same as these other seniors in this locker room. We’ve been though a lot… Every step of the way, he’s been my quarterback and I’ve been his head coach. I’m not backing off of that. We get one more opportunity in this regular season and I wouldn’t do it with anybody but Kyle.”
The son of New York Giants’ head coach Pat Shurmur, Kyle Shurmur is playing some of his best football when it matters most. In Vanderbilt’s last four games, Shurmur has thrown for 848 yards, nine touchdowns and just one interception. He is completing 66.7 percent of his throws during that stretch, when Vanderbilt has gone 2-2. Shurmur is just as good in three career games (2-1) against Tennessee, averaging 302.7 yards per game (9.2 yards per attempt) with nine total touchdowns and two picks.
Shurmur’s fellow seniors are not surprised by his prolific career.
“We get to practice against one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC, so we are able to see it every day,” safety LaDarius Wiley said. “Just being able to see him grow into the quarterback he has become, and continue to grow, it’s been awesome to watch.”
Shurmur knows he is guaranteed only one more game in his college career. His plan, of course, is to add another on top of that. But while a rewritten record book is already part of Shurmur’s legacy at Vanderbilt, a win over Tennessee – and what would follow – is the senior’s only focus this week.
“This is good,” he said, “but we’re not done yet.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
