2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
	East Division
	West Division
	Championship: LSU 37, Georgia 10
	^ – College Football Playoff participant; $ – Conference champion; x – Division champion/co-champions; * – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions ; Rankings from AP Poll

2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football
2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
2019 record	3–9 (1–7 SEC)
Head coach	Derek Mason (6th season);
Offensive coordinator	Gerry Gdowski (1st as OC, 6th overall season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jason Tarver (2nd season)
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium; (Capacity: 40,550)
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

The 2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores played their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by sixth-year head coach Derek Mason.

Previous season[]

The Commodores finished the 2018 season 6–7, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in sixth place in the Eastern Division. They went to the Texas Bowl and lost 38-45 to Baylor. On January 11, 2019, Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig was hired to take the same position at Utah, leaving the position vacant.^[1] On January 31, 2019, Vanderbilt special teams coach Shawn Mennenga left to take the same position for the Green Bay Packers, leaving the position vacant.^[2] On February 8, 2019, Gerry Gdowski, Vanderbilt's quarterbacks coach, was promoted to fill the offensive coordinator vacancy.^[3]

Recruiting[]

Position key[]

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Anfernee Orji S	Rockwall, TX	Rockwall	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jul 3, 2018
Anfernee Orji S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Dontye Carriere-Williams CB	Miami, FL	Independence C.C.	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Dec 18, 2018
Dontye Carriere-Williams CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Daevion Davis DT	Madison, AL	James Clemens	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	Jun 27, 2018
Daevion Davis DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Devin Boddie ATH	Memphis, TN	Whitehaven	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jun 27, 2018
Devin Boddie ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jayden Harrison WR	Nashville, TN	Pearl Cohn	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Jun 30, 2018
Jayden Harrison WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Keyon Brooks RB	Acworth, GA	Kennesaw Mountain	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Keyon Brooks RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brayden Bapst OT	Washington, DC	St. John's College HS	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	246 lb (112 kg)	Nov 6, 2018
Brayden Bapst OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Christian James DE	Memphis, TN	Christian Brothers	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jun 18, 2018
Christian James DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Justin Harris S	Attalla, AL	Etowah	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 24, 2018
Justin Harris S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Joel DeCoursey TE	Zionsville, IN	Zionsville	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Feb 28, 2018
Joel DeCoursey TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jamil Muhammad ATH	Madison, AL	James Clemens	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	Jun 21, 2018
Jamil Muhammad ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Donald Fitzgerald OT	Nashville, TN	Hillsboro	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Dec 10, 2018
Donald Fitzgerald OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jaylen Mahoney CB	Rock Hill, SC	South Pointe	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 3, 2018
Jaylen Mahoney CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Julian Hernandez OG	Fort Lauderdale, FL	St. Thomas Aquinas	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	294 lb (133 kg)	Sep 5, 2018
Julian Hernandez OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
JR Tran-Reno ATH	Birmingham, AL	Briarwood Christian	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 26, 2018
JR Tran-Reno ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Justin Ball TE	Washington, DC	Gonzaga	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jun 23, 2018
Justin Ball TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Gabriel Jeudy CB	Charlotte, NC	Ardrey Kell	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	Sep 9, 2018
Gabriel Jeudy CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brandon Maddox DT	North Augusta, SC	Pima C.C.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Dec 15, 2018
Brandon Maddox DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nate Clifton OT	Brentwood, TN	Brentwood Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 17, 2018
Nate Clifton OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jared Wheatley P	Indian Trail, NC	Porter Ridge	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 4, 2018
Jared Wheatley P	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason[]

SEC media poll[]

The 2019 SEC Media Days were held July 15–18 in Birmingham, Alabama. In the preseason media poll, Vanderbilt was projected to finish in last in the East Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East Division)
1	Georgia	1789 (233)
2	Florida	1499 (21)
3	Missouri	1149 (3)
4	South Carolina	883 (1)
5	Tennessee	804 (1)
6	Kentucky	798 (1)
7	Vanderbilt	358

Preseason All-SEC teams[]

The Commodores had three players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Offense

2nd team

Ke'Shawn Vaughn – RB

Kalija Lipscomb – WR

Jared Pinkney – TE

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:30 p.m.	No. 3 Georgia	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 6–30	40,350
September 7	11:00 a.m.	at Purdue*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	L 24–42	50,506
September 21	11:00 a.m.	No. 4 LSU	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	L 38–66	32,048
September 28	11:00 a.m.	Northern Illinois*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	W 24–18	24,519
October 5	6:30 p.m.	at Ole Miss	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)	SECN	L 6–31	47,601
October 12	3:00 p.m.	UNLV*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	L 10–34	20,048
October 19	3:00 p.m.	No. 22 Missouri	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	W 21–14	23,900
November 2	6:30 p.m.	at South Carolina	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	L 7–24	71,945
November 9	11:00 a.m.	at No. 10 Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	ESPN	L 0–56	86,201
November 16	2:30 p.m.	Kentucky	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	L 14–38	23,288
November 23	2:30 p.m.	East Tennessee State*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN Alt.	W 38–0	19,863
November 30	3:00 p.m.	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	L 10–28	87,367
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[5]

Game summaries[]

Week 1: vs. #3 Georgia[]

Week 1: #3 Georgia Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Commodores

	1	2	3	4	Total
#3 Georgia	14	7	3	6	30
Vanderbilt	0	6	0	0	6

at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Date: August 31, 2019
Game time: 7:30 pm
Game attendance: 40,350
TV announcers (ESPN): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
Recap, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

UGA – Demetris Robinson 3-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 11:01. #3 Georgia 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:59.
UGA – James Cook 18-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 0:56. #3 Georgia 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 5:34.

Second quarter

UGA – Brian Herrien 1-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 8:01. #3 Georgia 21–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 4:03.
VAN – Ryley Guay 26-yard field goal, 2:25. #3 Georgia 21–3. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:36.
VAN – Ryley Guay 46-yard field goal, 0:04. #3 Georgia 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 1:06.

Third quarter

UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 50-yard field goal, 7:48. #3 Georgia 24–6. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 5:23.

Fourth quarter

UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 37-yard field goal, 7:20. #3 Georgia 27–6. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:21.
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 31-yard field goal, 2:13. #3 Georgia 30–6. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:23.

Top passers

UGA – Jake Fromm – 15/23, 156 yards, TD
VAN – Riley Neal – 14/25, 85 yards

Top rushers

UGA – D'Andre Swift – 16 rushes, 147 yards
VAN – Ke'Shawn Vaughn – 15 rushes, 74 yards

Top receivers

UGA – Lawrence Cager – 2 receptions, 41 yards
VAN – Ke'Shawn Vaughn – 3 receptions, 24 yards

at Purdue[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	7	3	0	14	24
Boilermakers	7	7	14	14	42

LSU[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Tigers	28	10	21	7	66
Commodores	7	10	14	7	38

Northern Illinois[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	0	10	8	18
Commodores	14	0	7	3	24

at Ole Miss[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	0	6	0	0	6
Rebels	10	0	14	7	31

UNLV[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	7	17	0	10	34
Commodores	7	3	0	0	10

Missouri[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Tigers	0	7	7	0	14
Commodores	0	14	0	7	21

at South Carolina[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	7	0	0	0	7
Gamecocks	0	14	0	10	24

at Florida[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	0	0	0	0	0
No. 10 Gators	0	14	28	14	56

Kentucky[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	21	14	0	38
Commodores	14	0	0	0	14

East Tennessee State[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	0	0	0	0
Commodores	7	7	17	7	38

at Tennessee[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	3	0	0	7	10
Volunteers	7	14	0	7	28

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	76	Ke'Shawn Vaughn	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

References[]

^ "Vanderbilt football offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig leaves for Utah". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
^ "Reports: Matt LaFleur hires Vanderbilt's Shawn Mennenga for Green Bay Packers staff". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
^ "Report: Gdowski to be promoted to OC". Vandy247. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
^ "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019.
^ "Vanderbilt, SEC announce 2019 football schedule". Vanderbilt Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2019.

[1] "Vanderbilt football offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig leaves for Utah". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-01-13.

[2] "Reports: Matt LaFleur hires Vanderbilt's Shawn Mennenga for Green Bay Packers staff". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-02-01.

[3] "Report: Gdowski to be promoted to OC". Vandy247. Retrieved 2019-02-08.

[4] "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019.

[5] "Vanderbilt, SEC announce 2019 football schedule". Vanderbilt Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2019.

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[5]

v t Vanderbilt Commodores football
Venues	Old Dudley Field (1892–1921) Curry Field (1922) Dudley Field (1922–1980) Vanderbilt Stadium (1980–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Georgia Georgia Tech Kentucky Ole Miss Sewanee Tennessee
Culture & lore	History Origin of "Commodores" "Dynamite" Marching band Porter Cup Vanderbilt rape case 1906 Carlisle game 1910 Yale game 1922 Michigan game IMG Sports Newtork
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks All-Americans All-Southerns NFL draftees Statistical leaders William Lofland Dudley
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
National championships in bold

2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football

Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
2019 record	3–9 (1–7 SEC)
Head coach	Derek Mason (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gerry Gdowski (1st as OC, 6th overall season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jason Tarver (2nd season)
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium (Capacity: 40,550)
Uniform

Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
No. 4 Georgia x		7	–	1		12	–	2
No. 6 Florida		6	–	2		11	–	2
Tennessee		5	–	3		8	–	5
Kentucky		3	–	5		8	–	5
Missouri *		3	–	5		6	–	6
South Carolina		3	–	5		4	–	8
Vanderbilt		1	–	7		3	–	9
West Division
No. 1 LSU x$#^		8	–	0		15	–	0
No. 8 Alabama		6	–	2		11	–	2
No. 14 Auburn		5	–	3		9	–	4
Texas A&M		4	–	4		8	–	5
Mississippi State		3	–	5		6	–	7
Ole Miss		2	–	6		4	–	8
Arkansas		0	–	8		2	–	10
Championship: LSU 37, Georgia 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from AP Poll