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2006 Vanderbilt Commodores

CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 31, 2006

2006 Vanderbilt Commodores Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews


Nov. 18
Tennessee 39 ... Vanderbilt 14
Tennessee was well motivated after losing to Vanderbilt last year exploding on a 33-point run after getting down 7-6 midway through the second quarter on a seven-yard George Smith touchdown run. Erik AInge threw two touchdown passes, LaMarcus Coker tore off an 87-yard touchdown run, and James Wilhoit hit field goals from 43, 27, 22 and 41 yards to blow the game open. Vandy's Patrick Johnson capped the scoring with a 21-yard field goal with just over a minute left.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge went 21-of-26 for 266 yards and two touchdown passes.
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 21-26, 266 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Lamarcus Coker, 10-126, 2 TDs  Receiving: Robert Meachem, 7-95, 1 TD
Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 10-23, 97 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing:
Chris Nickson, 13-44  Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-16

Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Vanderbilt had to deal with a Tennessee team jacked up to come up with a win after last year’s disastrous loss to end the season. Chris Nickson was brought back down to earth after several good weeks having no time to work and being unable to bust off any big runs. Earl Bennett was held in check, and none of the backs could get going. This wasn’t exactly the way the team wanted to go into the off-season, but it was still a good stepping-stone season with Nickson turning into a playmaker to build around.

2006 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
2-10
2006 Results: 4
-8
Preview 2006 predicted wins

9/2 at Michigan L 27-7
9/9 at Alabama L 13-10
9/16 Arkansas L 21-19
9/23 Tennessee St W 38-9
9/30 Temple W 43-14
10/7 at Ole Miss L 17-10
10/14 at Georgia W 24-22
10/21 South Carolina L 24-13
10/28 at Duke W 45-28
11/4 Florida L 25-19
11/11 at Kentucky L 38-26
11/18 Tennessee L 39-10

2005 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
3-8
2005 Results: 5-6

Preview 2005 predicted wins

9/1 at Wake Forest W 24-20
9/10 at Arkansas W 28-24
9/17 Ole Miss W 31-23
9/24 Richmond W 37-13
10/1 MTSU L 17-15
10/8 LSU L 34-6
10/15 Georgia L 34-17
10/22 at So Carolina L 35-28
11/5 at Florida L 49-42 2OT
11/12 Kentucky L 48-43
11/19 at Tennessee W 28-24

Nov. 11
Kentucky 38 ... Vanderbilt 26
In a wild shootout with 1,218 yards of total offense and 896 passing yards, Kentucky became bowl eligible thanks to a 21-point fourth quarter to pull away with Andre Woodson throwing two of his four touchdown passes, and Rafael Little running for a three-yard score. Vanderbilt got huge days from QB Chris Nickson and WR Earl Bennett as the two combined 11 times for 220 yards and a 41-yard touchdown, while Nickson ran for two touchdowns. Keenan Burton caught 11 passes for 17 1yards with touchdowns from six and 57 yards out.
Player of the game ... Kentucky QB Andre Woodson completed 29 of 42 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 23-27, 446 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Nickson, 16-71, 2 TD. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 11-220, 1 TD
Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 29-42, 450 yds, 4 TD
Rushing:
Rafael Little, 20-132, 1 TD  Receiving: Keenan Burton, 11-171, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Bowl eligibility might be gone after the loss to Kentucky, but the team sure has been fun. The defense struggled way too much to come up with any sort of stop with no answer whatsoever for the Wildcat passing game. On the plus side, Chris Nickson took another major step in his development as he combines with Earl Bennett to form one of the SEC's hottest tandems. It would be nice to come up with an upset against Tennessee next week to close out with a bang, but just improving a bit more going into next season, at least on defense, is all that matters. The D needs something to build on.

Nov. 4
Florida 25 ... Vanderbilt 19
Chris Leak ran for two four-yard touchdown runs and threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Dallas Baker, but Florida needed to hold on late as Vanderbilt got Chris Nickson touchdown passes to George Smith and Earl Bennett in the fourth quarter to make it interesting. The Gators recovered the on-side kick attempt after the 31-yard score from Bennett and ran out the the final 1:32. Cassen Jackson-Garrison ran for a 13-yard score for the Commodores in the quarter.
Player of the game ... Florida CB Ryan Smith made 11 tackles, one interception, blocked a punt and made a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 27-44, 298 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 11-43, 1 TD. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 13-157, 1 TD
Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 18-25, 237 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing:
DeShawn Wynn, 15-64  Receiving: Andre Caldwell, 8-68
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Breakdowns on special teams and early struggles on defense proved to be to much to overcome against Florida. Chris Nickson did a great job of bombing away in the fourth quarter and Earl Bennett, for the second straight year, flat-out torched the Gator secondary. Close calls aren't going to make the team feel much better considering the offense outgained Florida's. Now it'll take wins over Kentucky and Tennessee to be bowl eligible.

Oct. 28
Vanderbilt 45 ... Duke 28
Vanderbilt jumped out to a 28-0 lead and coasted from there as Chris Nickson ran for three touchdowns and threw for two scores highlighted by a 77-yard pass to Earl Bennett in the first quarter. Duke got a school-record four touchdown runs from Justin Boyle, with three in the fourth quarter, but the Commodores had things well in hand with 512 yards of total offense while converting eight of 13 third down chances.
Player of the game ... Vanderbilt QB Chris Nickson completed 14-of-24 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 156 yards and three more scores on 15 carries.  
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 14-24, 250 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Chris Nickson, 15-156, 3 TDs  Receiving: Earl Bennett, 9-184, 1 TD
Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 10-25, 106 yds, 2 INTs
Rushing:
Justin Boyle, 14-113, 4 TDs  Receiving: Jomar Wright, 4-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Vanderbilt was expected to roll against Duke, but to blow up for 512 yards, with a brilliant performance from Chris Nickson, puts the team on the potential track for a bowl game if it can pull off a shocker against either Florida or Tennessee and beat Kentucky. That might seem a bit ambitious considering it was just a win over Duke, but if Nickson can stay hot, and the D can come up with some key turnovers, the possibility is there. Coming out hot, like the Commodores did against the Blue Devils, and hoping the look-ahead factor kicks in, will be vital to having any prayer at home against the East's big boys.

Oct. 21
South Carolina 31 ... Vanderbilt 13
South Carolina turned it over four times, but outgained Vandy 327 yards to 253 and forced three turnovers of its own. Syvelle Newton threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice and a 23-yard scoring pass to Kenny McKinley, and  ran for a seven-yard score in the third to help USC pull away. Mike Davis put it out of reach with a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Commodores struggled all game long to generate any consistent offense, but was able to capitalize on mistakes to stay in the game with a 13-yard Chris Nickson scoring run and two Bryan Hahnfeldt field goals.
Player of the game ... South Carolina LB Jasper Brinkley made seven tackles, broke up two passes, and made three tackles for loss.
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 4-15, 76 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Nickson, 14-70, 1 TD. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-16
South Carolina - Passing: Syvelle Newton, 11-18, 133 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing:
Cory Boyd, 22-113  Receiving: Sidney Rice, 7-89
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Vandy wasn't able to capitalize on the big win over Georgia with a horrible offensive showing against South Carolina. The defense provided every break possible forcing four turnovers, but QB Chris Nickson was off all game long with his passes and only moved the ball with his legs rushing for 70 yards. The offensive line struggled against the USC pressure and wasn't able to get any room to move for the backs. The Commodores should be able to get back on track against Duke next week, but with Florida and Tennessee still on the schedule, the home loss to the Gamecocks effectively killed all bowl dreams.

Oct. 14
Vanderbilt 24 ... Georgia 22
Bryant Hahnfeldt's 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining lifted Vanderbilt to a stunning 24-22 win. Georgia had pulled ahead in the fourth quarter on linebacker Tony Taylor's 24-yard interception return with 9:22 remaining, but the door was still open for Vandy after quarterback Matthew Stafford's two-point conversion rush attempt was stopped short keeping the lead 22-21. Chris Nickson threw two touchdown passes for the Commodores, while the defense held Georgia's offense to three field goals and a second quarter 23-yard touchdown catch from Martrez Milner.
Player of the game ... Vanderbilt QB Chris Nickson completed 15 of 29 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns and ran nine times for 59 yards.
Stat Leaders: Georgia - Passing: Joe Tereshinski, 11-17, 151 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Thomas Brown, 11-75  Receiving: Martrez Milner, 6-67, 1 TD
Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 15-29, 190 yds, 2 TD
Rushing:
Chris Nickson, 9-59  Receiving: Earl Bennett, 8-89, 1 TD

Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After being close to coming up with a big win after losing to Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss by seven points or fewer, Vanderbilt grew up with its final drive against Georgia. Chris Nickson was cool, calm, and collected when he had to be, while the defense did a great job of bending, but rarely breaking. This was one of the biggest wins in the last several years for Vandy football, but it's only a program changing victory if there are more to follow. The team needs to use the momentum from this to beat South Carolina and Duke to be in range for a bowl bid.

Oct. 7
Ole Miss 17 ... Vanderbilt 10
Ole Miss came up with its second win of the year thanks to five turnovers including a game-saving interception from Charles Clark inside the team's ten as time ran out. BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for two short first quarter scores and Joshua Shene kicked a 32-yard field goal for all the points the Rebels would need. Vandy QB Chris Nickson, who left the game with an ankle injury, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sean Walker, but after a 37-yard field goal in the final five minutes. With one last shot, backup QB Mackenzi Adams threw a 44-yard pass to Earl Bennett and got down to the Ole Miss 22 before throwing the final interception.
Player of the game ... Ole Miss LB Rory Johnson made 16 tackles, forced three fumbles, recovered two, and broke up a pass.
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 10-20, 176 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mackenzi Adams, 11-51. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 10-179
Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 3-8, 31 yds, 2 INT
Rushing:
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 24-101, 2 TD  Receiving: Michael Hicks, 1-18
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It would've been interesting if Chris Nickson could've played the entire game against Ole Miss. On fire to start completing 11 of13 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown, Nickson went out with an ankle injury and Mackenzi Adams couldn't come up with the win despite leading the team on a good last drive to get close. Turnovers, missed opportunities, and the lack of a clutch stop early when the mistakes were happening all contributed to the loss, and now the team has to get its focus back with a bowl shot all but gone. Vandy needed this win, and it gave it away.

Sept. 30
Vanderbilt 43 ... Temple 14
Vanderbilt got a 43-yard touchdown run from Cassen Jackson-Garrison on its second play of the game on the way to a 24- 0 lead. Jackson-Garrison ran for a 16-yard score in the second quarter and Stephen Bright caught two touchdown passes. Temple finally got on the board with a 78-yard scoring dash from Tim Brown as time ran out in the first half, and got a ten-yard touchdown catch from Marcus Brown in the third quarter.
Player of the game ... Vanderbilt RB Cassen Jackson-Garrison ran 13 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt  - Passing: Chris Nickson, 9-20, 162, 2 TD
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 13-142, 2 TD. Receiving: Stephen Bright, 4-92, 2 TD
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 11-16, 148 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing:
Tim Brown, 31-147, 1 TD  Receiving: Bruce Francis, 4-96
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Vanderbilt's offense put up nice numbers over the last two weeks against Tennessee State and Temple, but QB Chris Nickson is still too inconsistent. He should've been able to move the chains better against the weak Owl defense and needed to be more effective through the air. If he can't complete half his passes against Temple, how will he do on the road in SEC play over the next few weeks? The team simply isn't strong enough to beat most teams if it isn't sharp in all phases. Nine penalties against Temple were too many.

Sept. 23
Vanderbilt 38 ... Tennessee State 9
Vanderbilt came up with four turnovers with a Marcus Buggs pick six sparking a 21-point second half run with Chris Nickson rushing for a six-yard score and Earl Bennett catching a 33-yard scoring pass. TSU finally got into the end zone in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard Chris Johnson touchdown catch, but it wasn't nearly enough. Nickson threw two short touchdown passes starting off with a five-yard pass to Marlon White and finishing with a six-yard strike to Jared Hawkins.
Player of the game ... Vanderbilt DE Curtis Gatewood made nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt  - Passing: Chris Nickson, 9-13, 108 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 14-71. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-81, 1 TD
Tennessee State - Passing: Anyonio Heffner, 10-21, 159 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing:
Javarris Williams, 12-28  Receiving: Brandon Belvin, 4-66
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Vanderbilt needed an easy win after struggling through two tough, close losses over the last two weeks. Chris Nickson made a few key throws against Tennessee State, but there's still not quite enough coming from the passing game to take the heat off Cassen Jackson-Garrison and the ground attack. The passing game needs to start to take flight next week against a woeful Temple team before dealing with Ole Miss. This is a great chance for Vandy to go on a run and get to .500 before facing Georgia.

Sept. 16
Arkansas 21 ... Vanderbilt 19
Arkansas survived as a Bryant Hahnfeldt 48-yard field goal attempt fell just short in the final minute. The Hogs got three Mitch Mustain touchdown passes highlighted by a 56-yard scoring play to Marcus Monk, but Vanderbilt hung tough with a Chris Nickson touchdown pass and a 15-yard scoring run. The Hogs got outgained 240 yards to 170, but averaged 11.2 yards per pass to Vandy's 4.8.
Player of the game ... Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain completed 13 of 20 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt  - Passing: Chris Nickson, 12-26, 124 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 21-90. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-31
Arkansas - Passing: Mitch Mustain, 13-20, 224 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing:
Felix Jones, 11-78  Receiving: Marcus Monk, 5-124, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The running game got going against Arkansas with 240 yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry, but Vandy is going to have a hard time winning if Chris Nickson isn't more effective at throwing the ball. He had problems with interceptions against Alabama, and this week he had big problems with his accuracy. This isn't the same Vandy team of a few years ago that got shoved around by everyone, but it's 0-3. That'll change over the next two weeks against Tennessee State and Temple.

Sept. 9
Alabama 13 ... Vanderbilt 10
Alabama forced four turnovers and kept Vandy off the scoreboard in the second half while the offense scored on a 31-yard D.J. Hall catch and a 47-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal for the second half points needed to pull off the win. Vanderbilt got its touchdown with :14 to play in the first half on a six-yard Earl Bennett catch, but failed to keep the ball moving in the second half holding on to it for fewer than nine minutes. Jonathan Goff made 13 tackles and forced two fumbles for the Commodores.
Player of the game ... Alabama DB Simeon Castille made four tackles, half a tackle for loss, and intercepted two passes
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 15-23, 140 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 9-42. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 5-45, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 18-29, 207 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing:
Ken Darby, 21-65. Receiving: Keith Brown, 8-99
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... When you've stunk as long as Vandy has, it's hard to know when you're being handed the opportunity to win. Alabama pt up some nice yards and moved the ball well, but the Commodores were right in the game until the end. It's a plus that the offense could turn it over three times (and one more with a final Hail Mary) and still be able to stick around against a team like the Tide, but to start coming up with wins, QB Chris Nickson has to be far better at not turning the ball over. The running game will look better now that it's not playing Michigan or Alabama.

Sept. 2
Michigan 27 ... Vanderbilt 7
Michigan was hardly sharp, but the defense held Vanderbilt to 171 yards of total offense and was never threatened after a 30-yard touchdown catch from Marlon White brought the Commodores to within three in the second quarter. Chad Henne threw two second half touchdown passes for the Wolverines with a 27-yard pass to Mario Manningham putting it away in the final minutes. Michigan also got two Garrett Rivas field goals after starting off the scoring with a 19-yard scoring run from Kevin Grady.
Player of the game ... Michigan RB Mike Hart ran 31 times for 146 yards.
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 11-23, 136 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mike Hart, 31-146. Receiving: Steve Breaston, 4-68
Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 11-25, 99 yds
Rushing:
Chris Nickson, 16-23. Receiving: Earl Bennett, 6-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The team never gave up against Michigan and kept battling, but it never made enough big plays and didn't come through with anything on offense in the second half. Chris Nickson certainly wasn't Jay Cutler in his first game as a starter, but he did show off a little bit of mobility and was the only rushing threat the team had. To stay with Alabama next week, the offensive line has to play better and has to give the backs more room to move.

2006 Vanderbilt Preview

- Vanderbilt Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

1982 was Vanderbilt's last winning season, and the last time it went to a bowl game.
If that wasn't bad enough, the program has cranked out one winning season since 1975 and just three winning campaigns since 1968. That's why last year hurts so much.

If you're Vanderbilt, you have to take advantage of every opportunity. It's not every year there's a Jay Cutler at quarterback. It's not every year Vandy can hang around with Florida in a wild shootout and beat Tennessee at Tennessee. It's not every year Vandy can beat the Vols, Arkansas, and Ole Miss, yet blow a chance at a winning season with a loss to Middle Tennessee State.

As close as the Commodores came to a historic season, the positive is that 2005 provided hope that the woeful program might finally be more than just a speed bump for the rest of the SEC. No, there's no Cutler anymore, but the overall talent level has risen up a bit showing that head coach Bobby Johnson might be making the impossible situation a little bit better.

Of course, Vanderbilt plays in the SEC East meaning year in and year out it's, at best, the fifth best team in the division. It has to be the program everyone overlooks before playing a big-time SEC foe, and it has to be nearly flawless. It can't be 70th in the nation in turnover margin, and it has to be just as tight on penalties again to be in the hunt for six wins.

Everything has to be working well in all phases, or else the team has to do one thing really, really well. Last year it was the passing game that everyone had to deal with. This season, the team will have to find its strength.

There are several major positives to build around. The starting offensive line, especially tackles Brian Stamper and Chris Williams, should be excellent. Earl Bennett and the receiving corps will be strong, Cassen Jackson-Garrison is a veteran runner who'll have his moments, and the defense should be good up the middle with good tackles and safeties and an All-SEC talent in linebacker Jonathan Goff.

Unfortunately, there are questions at starting quarterback, the running game won't be that great, and there's a big-time lack of playmakers on defense. In other words, there are too many holes to fill to have even the most remote of prayers to contend in the improved East. However, five wins is very possible again because of ...

The Schedule: This isn't last year's team. It's not going to win any of the road games at Michigan, Alabama or Georgia, and it's not going to beat Florida or Tennessee, but the rest of the slate isn't that bad getting winnable games against Temple and Tennessee State at home and more possible victories on the road against teams like Ole Miss, Duke, and Kentucky. Florida and Tennessee have to come to Dudley Field, but they'll likely take this year's game very, very seriously.

Best Offensive Player: Sophomore WR Earl Bennett. Jay Cutler used Bennett over and over and over again abusing South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Richmond for 54 catches in those four games along. Now the talented sophomore has to prove that last season wasn't a fluke and be effective no matter who's at quarterback.

Best Defensive Player: Sophomore SS Reshard Langford. One of the few Commodores who'd start for anyone in the SEC, Langford is a big-hitting 6-2, 218 pounds with excellent range. He'll be playing at the next level in a few years.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore QB Chris Nickson and/or redshirt freshman QB Mackenzi Adams. Neither one will be close the passer or leader that Jay Cutler was, but they're both far better overall athletes and each will add a different dimension to the attack. They're out to prove that the offense won't crash and burn without the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

The season will be a success if ... Vandy wins five games. Forget about beating the big boys, but this is a good enough team to win home dates against Tennessee State and Kent State and hope victories on the road against teams their own size like Duke and Kentucky. If there can be an upset over Arkansas or South Carolina, or a road win over Ole Miss, five wins is a possibility.

Key game: Sept. 16 vs. Arkansas. Arkansas is better than the team Vandy beat 28-24 last year, but a win in the SEC home opener is a must to have any hope of a bowl game. This is the only SEC home game until late October.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Penalties: Opponents 84 for 769 yards - Vanderbilt 46 for 340 yards
- Vanderbilt first quarter scoring: 36 - Vanderbilt fourth quarter scoring: 102
-
Fourth down conversions: Vanderbilt 11 of 18 (61%) - Opponents 7 of 15 (47%)

The Last Time Vanderbilt…
…played in a bowl game…1982 (Hall of Fame Classic vs. Air Force)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1999 (Citadel)
…was shutout…2003 (Tennessee)
…scored 50 points…2003 (UT-Chattanooga)
…went undefeated…1944
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (Jay Cutler)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1995 (Jermaine Johnson)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2001 (Dan Stricker)
…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (RB Jay Cutler)

   



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