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Vanderbilt Football: Commodores handle Wolf Pack to move to 2-0

By Stetson Marlin

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Teammates congratulate Josh Crawford #6 of the Vanderbilt Commodores after scoring his first career touchdown as a Commodore against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Vanderbilt Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Teammates congratulate Josh Crawford #6 of the Vanderbilt Commodores after scoring his first career touchdown as a Commodore against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Vanderbilt Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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The Vanderbilt football team handled the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, winning 41-10, moving to 2-0 on the year.

The Vanderbilt football team made a name for themselves on Saturday, beating Nevada by the score of 41-10. This was a key win for the Commodores, considering they have a very tough road matchup next Saturday in South Bend against Notre Dame.

Game Recap

The game started out slow, as both teams didn’t score at all in the first quarter. Vanderbilt was able to strike first early in the 2nd quarter though, as Kyle Shurmur connected with Kalija Lipscomb from two yards out to give the Commodores a 7-0 lead. The Commodores scored just under a minute later on a Ke’shawn Vaughn run from seven yards out, capitalizing off of a Wolf Pack fumble.

The two teams traded field goals before Nevada scored their first and only touchdown of the day with just under a minute left in the 1st half.

Vanderbilt dominated out of the half, scoring either a field goal or a touchdown on three straight drives. Vaughn scored his second touchdown of the day on a 46-yard rush. Shurmur then connected in the end zone with Lipscomb again for the second time to give the Commodores a 34-10 lead.

Josh Crawford rushed it in from one yard out, scoring the final points of the game for the Commodores.

Key Notes

This is a big win for the Vanderbilt Commodores, giving them momentum heading into one of their toughest games of the season. Before the game, I had no clue how this game would turn out. Nevada had an offense that put up 72 points in the season opener, but the Commodores defense shut them down, holding them to only 10 points, all in the 1st half.

It took some time for the Commodores offense to get going again, but once they did, they were able to put points up on the board.

Shurmur looked good for Vanderbilt. He finished with 258 passing yards on 23-32 passing, along with two passing touchdowns to Lipscomb. Lipscomb and Jared Pinkney were two of Shurmur’s favorite targets on Saturday. Lipscomb finished with 10 receptions for 85 yards while Pinkney finished with four receptions for 98 yards.

Last week, I mentioned that the Commodores need a running back to step up this week, making a name for themselves. Vaughn did just that. He finished with 11 rushes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

The Vanderbilt defense looked good yet again on Saturday. Josh Smith led all Commodores defensively, finishing with 10 total tackles and three TFL’s. The defense intercepted the ball twice on Saturday, as both Allen George and Joejuan Williams finished with an interception.

Up Next

Vanderbilt will head up north to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame heads into this game ranked as the No. 8 team in the nation. The Fighting Irish have wins against Michigan and Ball State. After a huge win against Michigan, the Fighting Irish followed it up with a disappointing performance against Ball State, so it’ll be interesting to see what team shows up.

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