2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football
2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Independence Bowl, L 17–41 vs. NC State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Record	6–7 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Derek Mason (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Andy Ludwig (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium

2016 Southeastern Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 14 Florida x	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 22 Tennessee	4	–	4	9	–	4
Georgia	4	–	4	8	–	5
Kentucky	4	–	4	7	–	6
South Carolina	3	–	5	6	–	7
Vanderbilt	3	–	5	6	–	7
Missouri*	2	–	6	4	–	8
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^	8	–	0	14	–	1
No. 24 Auburn	5	–	3	8	–	5
No. 13 LSU	5	–	3	8	–	4
Texas A&M	4	–	4	8	–	5
Arkansas	3	–	5	7	–	6
Mississippi State	3	–	5	6	–	7
Ole Miss*	2	–	6	5	–	7
Championship: Alabama 54, Florida 16
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * Ole Miss and Missouri vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores played their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by third-year head coach Derek Mason. This was Vanderbilt's 126th season of college football. They finished the season 6–7, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Independence Bowl where they lost to NC State.

Schedule

Vanderbilt announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consisted of six home and six away games in the regular season. The Commodores host SEC foes Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and traveled to Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, and Missouri.^[1]

The Commodores hosted two of its four of its non–conference games, which were against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky (WKU) both from Conference USA, and Tennessee State from the Ohio Valley Conference.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 p.m.	South Carolina	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN	L 10–13	30,304
September 10	3:00 p.m.	Middle Tennessee*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN+	W 47–24	29,627
September 17	11:30 a.m.	at Georgia Tech*	Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ACCN	L 7–38	41,916
September 24	3:30 p.m.	at Western Kentucky*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	CBSSN	W 31–30 ^OT	23,674
October 1	11:00 a.m.	No. 23 Florida	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	L 6–13	30,565
October 8	3:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	SECN	L 13–20	55,030
October 15	11:00 a.m.	at Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	SECN	W 17–16	92,746
October 22	6:30 p.m.	No. 25 (FCS) Tennessee State †*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPNU	W 35–17	31,084
November 5	11:00 a.m.	at No. 11 Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	ESPN	L 16–23	87,451
November 12	2:30 p.m.	at Missouri	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	L 17–26	50,261
November 19	7:00 p.m.	Ole Miss	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 38–17	27,763
November 26	6:30 p.m.	No. 24 Tennessee	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 45–34	38,108
December 26	4:00 p.m.	vs. NC State*	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	ESPN2	L 17–41	28,995
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[2]^[3]

Coaching staff

Name	Position
Derek Mason	Head coach/defensive coordinator
Andy Ludwig	Offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
Jeff Genyk	Special teams coordinator/running backs coach
C.J. Ah You	Defensive line coach
Gerry Gdowski	Quarterbacks Coach/recruiting coordinator
Cortez Hankton	Wide receivers coach
Chris Marve	Inside linebackers coach
Marc Mattioli	Defensive backs coach
Osia Lewis	Outside linebackers coach
Cameron Norcross	Offensive line coach
James Dobson	Head strength coach
Jason Grooms	Asst. athletics director and director of football operations
Tyler Barnes	Director of player personnel
Tom Bossung	Head athletic trainer
Rayna Stewart	Director of high school relations
Gary Veach	Head equipment manager
Matt Britain	Assistant director of operations
Mike Kroeger	Player development & operations assistant
Tyler Clarke	Assistant director, strength
Aaron Hill	Assistant strength coach
Ben Schumacher	Assistant strength coach
Cedric Calhoun	Quality control – defense
Kevin Abrams	Graduate assistant – offense
Tate Benton	Graduate assistant – offense
Davis Dudchock	Graduate assistant – football administration
Ryan Blakney	Quality control offense
Rod Chance	Quality control defense
Mike Morita	Quality control offense

^[4]

Coaching changes

On December 15, 2015, coach Mason announced that special teams coach Charles Bankins, OL Coach Keven Lightner will not be retained for 2016. Mason cited a difference in philosophy rather than poor performance for the coaching changes.

"I just see this football team moving in a different direction and I just wanted to make sure these men were treated the right way," Mason said. "I feel like it’s time for us to move forward."^[5]

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
			N/A	N/A	–
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 50 Rivals: 50 247Sports: 50 ESPN: 48
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

Game summaries

South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina	0	0	3	10	13
Vanderbilt	3	7	0	0	10

Middle Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Middle Tennessee	10	7	7	0	24
Vanderbilt	5	28	0	14	47

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	7	0	0	0	7
Georgia Tech	14	3	14	7	38

WKU

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Vanderbilt	0	7	7	10	7	31
WKU	7	7	0	10	6	30

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
#23 Florida	0	10	0	3	13
Vanderbilt	0	3	3	0	6

Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	3	0	7	3	13
Kentucky	7	10	0	3	20

Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	7	0	3	7	17
Georgia	3	3	7	3	16

Tennessee State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#25 (FCS) Tennessee State	14	3	0	0	17
Vanderbilt	7	14	7	7	35

Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	3	10	0	3	16
Auburn	7	3	10	3	23

Vanderbilt's November 5 meeting with Auburn at Jordan-Hare stadium was notable for eventual All-American LB Zach Cunningham's blocked FG in the fourth quarter. Auburn's Daniel Carlson lined up to kick a 35-yard field goal with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers a 10-point lead. Cunningham, who after the game described watching special teams tape to learn the snap timing of the field goal team, leaped over Auburn's offensive line between the center and left guard to block Carlson's kick. Although Vanderbilt turned the ball over on the ensuing possession to seal Auburn's victory, the play became iconic for Cunningham during his redshirt junior season.

Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	0	10	7	0	17
Missouri	6	13	0	7	26

Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ole Miss	10	0	0	7	17
Vanderbilt	7	7	17	7	38

Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	14	17	3	0	34
Vanderbilt	7	17	7	14	45

Vanderbilt's 45–34 win over the Tennessee Volunteers represented the Commodores' 6th win on the season, guaranteeing Vanderbilt's eligibility for Bowl play for the first time since 2013, and the first time during Mason's tenure as Vanderbilt's head coach. Prior to this game, which was played at Vanderbilt Stadium on November 26, Vanderbilt's high Academic Performance Index (API) introduced the possibility of bowl play even with a 5–7 season end record, as the 5–7 teams with the best API are rewarded with bowl appearances.

However, Vanderbilt avoided dependence upon the API and defeated state rival Tennessee, also for the first time since 2013. Kyle Shurmur led Vanderbilt in a breakout performance with 412 passing yards, and Ralph Webb eclipsed Zac Stacy's school record for career rushing yards. Vanderbilt outscored Tennessee 21–3 in the second half and iced the victory with a touchdown rush from Webb late in the fourth quarter.

NC State–Independence Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
NC State	0	14	14	13	41
Vanderbilt	3	0	7	7	17

References

↑ "2016 Commodore football schedule announced" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Department of Athletics. October 29, 2015. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
↑ "2016 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
↑ "2016 Schedule". Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
↑ "Official Football Roster - Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
↑ "Assistant Football Coaches Bankins, Lightner Gone". December 15, 2015.

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[VU16-1] "2016 Commodore football schedule announced" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Department of Athletics. October 29, 2015. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

[2] "2016 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved November 9, 2015.

[3] "2016 Schedule". Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2016.

[4] "Official Football Roster - Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2016.

[5] "Assistant Football Coaches Bankins, Lightner Gone". December 15, 2015.

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Vanderbilt Commodores football
Venues	Old Dudley Field (1892–1921) Curry Field (1922) Dudley Field (1922–1980) FirstBank 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 2023 2024
National championships in bold