December 31, 2012

Vanderbilt-NC State postgame notes

Dec. 31, 2012

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Vanderbilt-NC State Postgame Notes
December 31, 2012 LP Field – Nashville, Tenn.

Pregame Notes
– Vanderbilt is in its 123rd year of organized football.
– The Commodores wore gold jerseys helmets with black helmets and pants; marking the third time this season the team wore the combination (Florida, Tennessee).
– Vanderbilt won the toss and elected to receive in the first half with NC State receiving the ball in the second half.
– Attendance was 55,801.

Team Notes
– Vanderbilt appeared in the team’s second consecutive bowl game, marking the first time in school history for back-to-back bowl appearances.
– The Commodores last appeared in the Music City Bowl in 2008, topping Boston College 16-14.
– For the eighth time this season Vanderbilt led at the half, the Commodores went 6-1 when leading at the half in the previous seven games.
– Vanderbilt converted two of NC State’s four first half turnovers into 14 points.
– Vanderbilt forced 10 turnovers during the final three games of the season (Tennessee, Wake Forest and NC State) after forcing just six in the team’s first 10 games.
– Vanderbilt’s 15 wins over the last two years are the most in consecutive seasons since 1928-29 when the Commodores won 15 games.
– With the win, Vanderbilt goes to 9-4 overall, matching the single-season high for victories set twice previously (1915, 1904).
– The win also marks Vanderbilt’s seventh consecutive victory, the program’s longest win streak since an eight-game streak to conclude the 1948 season. Vanderbilt’s current win streak is the Southeastern Conference’s longest.
– With the victory, the Commodores move to 3-2-1 all-time in six bowl appearances. They are also 2-0 in Music City Bowl appearances (Vanderbilt topped No. 24 Boston College 16-14 in the 2008 Music City Bowl).

Individual Notes
– Chris Boyd’s five-yard receiving TD on the Dores’ first drive was his fifth receiving score of the season and 14th touchdown pass of the season for Jordan Rodgers.
– Jordan Rodgers went 4-for-5 for 28 yards and a TD on the team’s opening drive.
– Kenny Ladler’s interception in the first quarter was his second of the season and fourth of his career.
– Johnell Thomas’ first forced fumble of the season set up the Commodores in the second quarter near midfield after Caleb Azubike’s first career fumble recovery.
– Darreon Herring’s forced fumble in the second quarter was his second of the season and Kenny Ladler’s fumble recovery was his first of the year.
– Zac Stacy’s six-yard TD run in the second quarter was his 10th rushing score of the season and 30th of his career.
– Brian Kimbrow’s 52-yard kick return in the second quarter set up the Commodores’ third score of the day and matched Andre Hal’s team-best this season.
– Wesley Tate’s seven-yard TD run in the second quarter was his eighth rushing score of the season.
– Eric Samuels’ interception in the second quarter was his first of the season and the second of his career.
– Jordan Matthews’ 18-yard TD reception in the second quarter was his eighth of the season and pushed him over 1300 yards for the season.
– Trey Wilson’s third quarter pick was his third interception of the season and his sixth of his career. He now has a school record 285 return yards breaking Robert Davis’ of 229 yards from 1990-93.
– Zac Stacy’s 107 yards rushing are the most by a Commodore in Vanderbilt bowl history. The 100-yard rushing game is his fourth of the season and 10th of his career.
– Zac Stacy ended the season with 1141 yards rushing, the second-most in school history (behind his own school record set in 2011) and a school record 3143 yards in his career. Stacy has the two highest single-season rushing totals in Vanderbilt history, setting the marks in the last two seasons.
– Zac Stacy was named the game’s MVP for his performance, running for 107 yards on 25 carries with one touchdown.
– Jordan Matthews’ seven catches on the day gave him 94 for the season, the second-most in SEC history and second-most in Vanderbilt history.
– Jordan Rodgers’ 15-yard rushing TD was his second of the season and his sixth of his VU career.
– Jordan Rodgers moved into third on Vanderbilt’s senior single-season passing yards list with 2539 yards passing this season.
– Jordan Matthews extended his school record with 61 receiving yards giving him 1323 receiving yards this season.
– Kenny Ladler set a new career-best with 10 tackles in the win and finishes the season with a team-best 90 stops.
– Kyle Woestmann made two sacks to lead the Dores and finishes with six on the season.

Offensive Notes
– For the seventh time this season Vanderbilt took their offensive opening drive for points (Northwestern, Presbyterian, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake Forest). The Commodores are 5-1 in the previous six games.
– Vanderbilt outscored opponents 67-43 in the first quarter this season.
– Vanderbilt’s 28 points in the first half matched the Vanderbilt’s most points in a bowl game from the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1982.
– For the eighth time this season Vanderbilt led at the half, the Commodores went 6-1 when leading at the half in the previous seven games.
– The Commodores were 4-for-4 in the red zone, scoring all four touchdowns from within in the 20-yard line in the first half and finished the game 6-for-6 with six scores.
– Vanderbilt scored at least 30 points in five of their last six games, including four games of 40-plus points.
– VU’s 38 points are the most ever scored in a bowl game by the Commodores.
– The Commodores scored 390 points this season are the most since World War I, the team’s 30 point per game average is also the highest since World War I.
– Vanderbilt converted three-of-four fourth down attempts.

Defensive Notes
– Kenny Ladler’s interception in the first quarter was his second of the season and fourth of his career.
– The interception by Kenny Ladler was the Commodores’ fifth pick in the last three games.
– Vanderbilt held the Wolfpack offense to 17 total yards of offense in the first quarter and did not allow any points for the seventh time this season.
– Johnell Thomas’ first forced fumble of the season set up the Commodores in the second quarter near midfield after Caleb Azubike’s first career fumble recovery.
– Darreon Herring’s forced fumble in the second quarter was his second of the season and Kenny Ladler’s fumble recovery was his first of the year.
– The Commodores’ four forced turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) in the first half are the most turnovers forced in a game this season passing the Dores’ three interceptions in the win over Tennessee.
– Trey Wilson’s third quarter pick was his third interception of the season and his sixth of his career. He now has a school record 285 return yards breaking Robert Davis’ of 229 yards from 1990-93.
– Vanderbilt forced 10 turnovers during the final three games of the season (Tennessee, Wake Forest and NC State) after forcing just six in the team’s first 10 games.
– The Commodores allowed 243 points this season, the fewest since 1997 (204 points).
– Vanderbilt outscored its 13 opponents by a 147-point total – the most since 1955.

Special Team Notes
– Brian Kimbrow’s 52-yard kick return in the second quarter, matched Andre Hal’s team-best this season.
– Carey Spear added a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter to his season total, giving him 20 made field goals on the season. The made field goal gave Spear 10 straight made field goals dating back to the Auburn game.
– Richard Kent wrapped up his Vanderbilt career with a stellar performance, punting five times for an average of 46.2 yards with a long of 51 yards and three punts inside the 20-yard line.