2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Record0–9 (0–9 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTodd Fitch (1st season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorTed Roof (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumVanderbilt Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 13 Florida x   8 2     8 4  
No. 7 Georgia   7 2     8 2  
Missouri   5 5     5 5  
Kentucky   4 6     5 6  
Tennessee*   3 7     3 7  
South Carolina   2 8     2 8  
Vanderbilt   0 9     0 9  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^   10 0     13 0  
No. 4 Texas A&M   8 1     9 1  
Auburn   6 4     6 5  
LSU*   5 5     5 5  
Ole Miss   4 5     5 5  
Arkansas   3 7     3 7  
Mississippi State   3 7     4 7  
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. LSU was ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban.
    Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule.
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2020 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 interim head coach Todd Fitch, who replaced Derek Mason after his firing on November 29, 2020. On December 14, 2020, Clark Lea was hired as head coach.

On November 28, in game against Missouri, Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power Five conference game by delivering the opening kickoff for the second half. Fuller, the Commodores' goalkeeper on the school's SEC championship women's soccer team, was added to the football roster after the team's regular kicking specialists had to be quarantined due to COVID-19 protocols.[1][2] The following game, against Tennessee in the season finale, Fuller would become the first women to score in a Power Five game, going a perfect 2/2 on extra point attempts.[3][4]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

SEC Media Days

In the preseason media poll, Vanderbilt was predicted to finish in last place in the East Division.[5]

Media poll (East Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Florida 624 (53)
2 Georgia 613 (43)
3 Tennessee 434
4 Kentucky 405
5 South Carolina 287
6 Missouri 224
7 Vanderbilt 101

Schedule

Vanderbilt had games scheduled against Colorado State, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech and Mercer, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7][8]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 266:30 p.m.at No. 10 Texas A&MSECN Alt.L 12–1724,073
October 36:30 p.m.No. 20 LSUSECNL 7–412,000
October 1011:00 a.m.South Carolina
  • Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
SECNL 7–411,288
October 313:00 p.m.Ole Miss
  • Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Nashville, TN (rivalry)
SECNL 21–54840
November 72:30 p.m.at Mississippi StateSECNL 17–2412,888
November 1411:00 a.m.at KentuckySECNL 35–3812,000
November 2111:00 a.m.No. 6 Floridadagger
  • Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
ABCL 17–381,147
November 28 [a]11:00 a.m.at MissouriSECNL 0–4111,053
December 123:00 p.m.Tennessee
  • Vanderbilt Stadium
  • Nashville, TN (rivalry)
SECNL 17–42849
^[a] The game between Vanderbilt and Missouri was originally scheduled to take place on October 17. However, due to COVID-19 management requirements in response to positive tests and subsequent quarantine of individuals within the Vanderbilt program, the game was rescheduled for December 12.[9][10] The SEC postponed Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt to facilitate the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt–Missouri game. The shuffling allows for the opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to play 10 regular-season games.[11][12]

Personnel

2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 2 Amir Abdur-Rahman Jr
RB 3 Ja'Veon Marlow Jr
WR 4 James Bostic III Sr
QB 5 Mike Wright Fr
QB 6 Jeremy Moussa Jr
WR 7 Camron Johnson Jr
QB 8 Ken Seals Fr
RB 9 Rocko Griffin Fr
TE 10 Gavin Schoenwald Jr
WR 11 Tyrell Alexander GS
WR 13 Jackson Winrow GS
WR 14 Devin Boddie Jr. So
QB 15 Danny Clark Jr
WR 16 Mac Hereford GS
WR 17 Keithan Starling Jr. Sr
WR 18 Logan Kyle Fr
WR 19 Chris Pierce Jr. Sr
RB 21 Keyon Henry-Brooks So
RB 25 Mitchell Pryor Jr
RB 32 Jamauri Wakefield GS
TE 35 Kyle White Jr
FB 51 Luke Blanton Jr
OL 52 Kevo Wesley Fr
OL 54 Tyler Steen Jr
OL 57 Drew Birchmeier GS
OL 61 Jonah Buchanan Sr
OL 62 Julian Hernandez So
OL 63 Grant Miller Sr
OL 64 Stephen Spanellis GS
OL 65 Michael Warden Jr
OL 67 Trent Weaver Fr
OL 68 Jason Brooks Jr. Fr
OL 70 Bradley Ashmore Fr
OL 71 Donald Fitzgerald So
OL 72 Dan Dawkins Jr
OL 73 Jonathan Stewart Sr
OL 74 Cole Clemens Sr
OL 75 Ben Cox Fr
OL 76 Connor Mignone GS
OL 78 Bryce Bailey Sr
WR 81 Will Sheppard Fr
TE 84 Justin Ball So
TE 85 Joel DeCoursey So
TE 86 Ben Bresnahan Jr
WR 88 Jayden Harrison So
TE 89 Diego LaMonica Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 1 Donovan Kaufman Fr
CB 4 Randall Haynie Sr
CB 6 Gabe Jeudy-Lally So
DL 8 Alex Williams So
DL 9 Daevion Davis So
DL 10 Dayo Odeyingbo Sr
S 11 Justin Harris So
LB 12 Brayden DeVault-Smith Sr
S 13 Brendon Harris Jr
S 14 Maxwell Worship Jr
CB 15 Elijah Hamilton GS
CB 16 B. J. Anderson Sr
LB 17 Feleti Afemui Sr
LB 21 Kenny Herbert Sr
S 22 Chase Lloyd Fr
DB 23 Jaylen Mahoney So
LB 24 Alston Orji Jr
LB 26 Anfernee Orji So
CB 27 Ryan McCord Fr
CB 28 Allan George Sr
S, LB 29 Jack Barton Fr
S 30 De'Rickey Wright Fr
LB 31 A. J. Walsh Fr
S 33 Dashaun Jerkins Jr
DL 41 Elijah McAllister Jr
S 42 Camden Coleman Jr
LB 43 Tré Brown So
DL 44 Christian James So
LB 45 Griffin Lampton Fr
DL 46 Michael Spencer Fr
LB 48 Andre Mintze GS
LB 50 Ethan Barr Fr
STAR 52 Alex Brown Jr
LB 53 Tommy Eckels Fr
DL 57 Drew Birchmeier GS
DL 66 Cameron Robinson Sr
DL 69 Brayden Bapst So
DE, LB 88 Michael Owusu Sr
DL 90 Cameron Tidd GS
DL 92 Derek Green So
DL 93 Tolu Thomas-Ailara So
DL 94 Rutger Reitmaier Jr
DL 95 Raashaan Wilkins Jr. Jr
DE 96 Nate Clifton So
DL 97 Lorenza Surgers Jr
DL 99 Malik Langham Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 32 Sarah Fuller Sr
P 36 Jared Wheatley So
K, P 37 Pierson Cooke Jr
K 38 Oren Milstein GS
K 39 Javan Rice Jr
K 47 Wes Farley Jr
LS 49 Zach Drevno Jr
LS 58 Wesley Schelling Fr
LS 59 Scott Meyer GS
P 95 Harrison Smith Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Ted Roof
    Defensive coordinator
  • Devin Fitzsimmons
    Special teams coordinator/Tight ends
  • Tony Ball
    Wide receivers
  • Aaron Henry
    Cornerbacks
  • Tim Horton
    Running backs
  • Marc Mattioli
    Defensive backs
  • Jovan Haye
    Defensive ends
  • Kenechi Udeze
    Linebackers
  • Bret Ingalls
    Senior offensive analyst
  • Jeff Imamura
    Defensive analyst
  • Caden Thomson
    Defensive analyst

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 30, 2023

Game summaries

At No. 10 Texas A&M

1 2 3 4 Total
Commodores 3 2 7 0 12
No. 10 Aggies 7 0 7 3 17
Statistics VAN TAMU
First downs 17 17
Total yards 255 372
Rushing yards 105 183
Passing yards 150 189
Turnovers 2 3
Time of possession 33:59 26:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 20/29, 150 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Ja'Veon Marlow 16 rushes, 65 yards
Receiving Amir Abdur-Rahman 5 receptions, 72 yards, TD
Texas A&M Passing Kellen Mond 17/28, 189 yards, TD
Rushing Isaiah Spiller 8 rushes, 117 yards
Receiving Caleb Chapman 4 receptions, 40 yards, TD

No. 20 LSU

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 20 Tigers 7 14 13 7 41
Commodores 0 7 0 0 7
Statistics LSU VAN
First downs 28 17
Total yards 498 266
Rushing yards 161 153
Passing yards 337 113
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 29:13 30:47
Team Category Player Statistics
LSU Passing Myles Brennan 23/37, 337 yards, 4 TD, INT
Rushing John Emery Jr. 12 rushes, 103 yards, T
Receiving Terrace Marshall Jr. 2 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 11/25, 113 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Ja'Veon Marlow 17 rushes, 83 yards
Receiving Camron Johnson 3 receptions, 63 yards

South Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total
Gamecocks 3 7 17 14 41
Commodores 0 0 7 0 7
Statistics SC VAN
First downs 18 15
Total yards 485 249
Rushing yards 289 76
Passing yards 196 173
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 31:27 28:33
Team Category Player Statistics
South Carolina Passing Collin Hill 16/24, 196 yards
Rushing Kevin Harris 21 rushes, 171 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Nick Muse 5 receptions, 85 yards
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 17/24, 148 yards, TD
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 13 rushes, 72 yards
Receiving Amir Abdur-Rahman 2 receptions, 46 yards

Ole Miss

1 2 3 4 Total
Rebels 21 12 21 0 54
Commodores 0 14 0 7 21
Statistics MISS VAN
First downs 35 24
Total yards 641 421
Rushing yards 192 102
Passing yards 449 319
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 29:52 30:08
Team Category Player Statistics
Ole Miss Passing Matt Corral 31/34, 412 yards, 6 TD
Rushing Jerrion Ealy 15 rushes, 95 yards
Receiving Elijah Moore 14 receptions, 238 yards, 3 TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 31/40, 319 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 23 rushes, 66 yards, TD
Receiving Camron Johnson 14 receptions, 97 yards

At Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total
Commodores 0 0 7 10 17
Bulldogs 14 3 0 7 24
Statistics VAN MSST
First downs 30 14
Total yards 478 204
Rushing yards 142 -22
Passing yards 336 226
Turnovers 5 0
Time of possession 32:10 27:50
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 31/46, 336 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 20 rushes, 115 yards, TD
Receiving Camron Johnson 10 receptions, 114 yards
Mississippi State Passing Will Rogers 35/46, 226 yards, TD
Rushing Jo'Quavious Marks 6 rushes, 10 yards, TD
Receiving Malik Heath 9 receptions, 79 yards

At Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total
Commodores 0 14 7 14 35
Wildcats 14 10 7 7 38
Statistics VAN UK
First downs 29 23
Total yards 407 458
Rushing yards 180 308
Passing yards 227 150
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 32:26 27:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 21/32, 225 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 29 rushes, 121 yards
Receiving Amir Abdur-Rahman 7 receptions, 89 yards
Kentucky Passing Terry Wilson 13/15, 110 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Chris Rodriguez Jr. 13 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Keaton Upshaw 2 receptions, 41 yards, TD

No. 6 Florida

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 6 Gators 7 10 14 7 38
Commodores 10 0 7 0 17
Statistics FLA VAN
First downs 29 21
Total yards 586 406
Rushing yards 173 87
Passing yards 413 319
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 34:17 25:43
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Passing Kyle Trask 26/35, 383 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Dameon Pierce 11 rushes, 55 yards, TD
Receiving Kadarius Toney 6 receptions, 107 yards, TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 22/34, 319 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Mitchell Pryor 13 rushes, 44 yards
Receiving Chris Pierce Jr. 4 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD

At Missouri

1 2 3 4 Total
Commodores 0 0 0 0 0
Tigers 7 14 6 14 41
Statistics VAN MIZ
First downs 13 31
Total yards 185 603
Rushing yards 82 223
Passing yards 103 380
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 27:10 32:50
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 11/18, 79 yards
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 15 rushes, 64 yards
Receiving Camron Johnson 5 receptions, 33 yards
Missouri Passing Connor Bazelak 30/37, 318 yards
Rushing Larry Rountree III 21 rushes, 160 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Tyler Badie 7 receptions, 102 yards

Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total
Volunteers 7 21 7 7 42
Commodores 7 3 0 7 17
Statistics TENN VAN
First downs 24 16
Total yards 540 292
Rushing yards 212 53
Passing yards 328 239
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 33:37 26:23
Team Category Player Statistics
Tennessee Passing Harrison Bailey 14/18, 207 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Eric Gray 13 rushes, 74 yards
Receiving Velus Jones Jr. 7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 22/39, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Keyon Henry-Brooks 20 rushes, 56 yards
Receiving Amir Abdur-Rahman 3 receptions, 69 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
2 54 Dayo Odeyingbo DE Indianapolis Colts

References

  1. ^ Sallee, Barrett (November 28, 2020). "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller makes history as first woman to play in a Power Five college football game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Vanderbilt's Sarah Fuller could be first woman to play in Power 5 football game". ABC News. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller makes history again as first woman to score points in Power Five game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Sparks, Adam (December 12, 2020). "Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller becomes first woman to score in Power Five college football game". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Talty, John (July 30, 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. ^ Dellenger, Ross (July 30, 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Dellenger, Ross (August 7, 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Vanderbilt at Missouri Football Game Postponed". SEC. October 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "2020 Football Schedule Announced" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Department of Athletics. August 7, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Toppmeyer, Blake; Sparks, Adam (November 23, 2020). "Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt postponed; Commodores to play Missouri". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Vanderbilt University Football Schedule: 2020 Season". SEC.