Vanderbilt at No. 2 Georgia: Game Central Rundown, Live Updates and Analysis – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
ATHENS, Ga.. — Vanderbilt football has pulled off the impossible before, can it do it again?
Two seasons ago, the Commodores beat a top-ranked Alabama team at home, pulling off the unthinkable and ushering in a brand new era and standard for the Vanderbilt football program. The Commodores have national championship and playoff aspirations now, regardless of what people on the outside think.
Today is the perfect benchmark for Vanderbilt to see how it stacks up compared to a national title contender. Vanderbilt travels to Athens today to take on No. 2 Georgia. Vanderbilt enters the game with a 3-1 record, dropping its last game to Auburn on the road a week ago.
The underlying story line for today’s game is Vanderbilt five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis going against Georgia. Curtis originally committed to Georgia before flipping his commitment to Vanderbilt in early December 2025. It was a move that few people saw coming. Since being named the starting quarterback two weeks ago, Curtis has lived up to the hype. 
But there is one important note about Curtis’ game against the school he originally planned to play at. Curtis was listed as “questionable” on Wednesday night’s injury report. Thursday, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said that Curtis has not been a full-go in practice this week, but he has been feeling better by the day.
Having Curtis is crucial for Vanderbilt if it wants to beat a top team like Georgia. Regardless of the storyline, Curtis has the talent to keep Vanderbilt in games. If Curtis does not turn out to play, Vanderbilt will play Blaze Berlowitz at quarterback.
The Commodores have maybe their toughest challenge of the year today. It is time to see what it is made of.
Vanderbilt and Georgia are scheduled to kickoff at 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
Note: This story will be frequently updated throughout the day and game.
Be sure to refresh your browser for live updates from Vanderbilt vs. Austin Peay. The most recent updates will appear at the top.
FINAL: Georgia 38, Vanderbilt 14
Georgia scored on final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake and send Vanderbilt home 3-2. The Commodores will be back in action next week with a home game against No. 9 Ole Miss.
Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 14
Vanderbilt held Georgia to a field goal, but it still trails by three scores. Commodores now down 17 with 12:27 to go in the game. Vanderbilt has stayed in the fight for the most part, can it come up with another huge comeback?
Georgia 28, Vanderbilt 14
Vanderbilt surrenders a touchdown on the first drive of the second half. Commodores now down 28-14 with 8:21 to go in the third quarter. Time to see if the offense can keep up what it had going in the first half.
Georgia 21, Vanderbilt 14
Sedrick Alexander capped off a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit back to seven points with 31 seconds left before hafltime. The Commodores have actually stayed in the fight thus far, out-gaining Georgia 234-207 in yardage.
Georgia 21, Vanderbilt 7
Vanderbilt's defense surrenders a completed pass on a wheel route that ended up going out of bounds a foot in front of the end zone. The next play, Georgia ran an end around for a 1-yard touchdown. Commodores defense has been unable to get much push or momentum against Georgia. This is feeling like this game is close to getting out of hand.
Georgia 14, Vanderbilt 7
Vanderbilt's secondary got beat on a deep throw from Gunner Stockton that put Georgia on the 1-yard line. The next play, Georgia ran it in for a touchdown. Vanderbilt now trails by seven once again, hoping to go score-for-score.
Georgia 7, Vanderbilt 7
Vanderbilt has tied the game with a 60-yard passing touchdown from Blaze Berlowitz to Junior Sherrill. What a throw from Berlowitz and a play by Sherrill to create separation downfield on third and long.
Georgia 7, Vanderbilt 0
Vanderbilt's defense was no match for the Georgia offense the first time out on the field. The Bulldogs went 80 yards on a drive that ended in a Gunner Stockton passing touchdown. Commodores will look to respond now.
If a player goes down during the game, we'll keep tabs on it and share any and all updates.
– Per a report from Pete Thamel, Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis is OUT for today's game. Blaze Berlowitz will be Vanderbilt's starter today.
– The biggest piece of injury news for Vanderbilt is the status of Jared Curtis. Thursday, Clark Lea said that Curtis was making progress on an undisclosed injury he suffered during a play in the Auburn game. Friday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Curtis will “attempt to play” Saturday.
– Elsewhere on the injury report was starting EDGE Miles Capers and starting offensive linemen Clinton Azubuike and Lyndon Cooper all listed as “probable.” Capers is dealing with what Lea called a “nagging” neck injury while Cooper has been practicing all week.
– Once again, Vanderbilt will be without cornerback Jaylin Lackey and linebacker Jamison Curtis with soft tissue injuries and defensive lineman Nikhil Jefferson to an injury as well. As Lea said two weeks ago, defensive lineman Aaron Bryant is out for the season with an ACL injury
Who: Vanderbilt (3-1) vs. No. 2 Georgia (4-0)
When: Saturday, Oct.3, 11:45 a.m. CT
Where: Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga.
TV: SEC Network
Series History: Georgia leads Vanderbilt 61-20-2 all-time.
Last time out, Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt lost its SEC opener to Auburn on the road, 21-15
Last time out, Georgia: Georgia dominated Oklahoma in its first game of SEC play by a score of 41-13.
Weather: This will be the worst weather Vanderbilt has seen this season. Temperatures will be in the lower 80s at kickoff and rise a couple degrees by the end of the game. However, there is a chance that it could rain during the game. Per the forecast on the weather channel, there is a 24% chance of rain at kickoff, but a 63% chance during the 2 p.m. ET hour in Athens.
Spread: Georgia -25 points
Over/Under: 50.5 points
Source: FanDuel Sportsbook
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER
Vanderbilt knows that it is a huge underdog going into this weekend’s game. The Commodores do not care, though. As usual, Vanderbilt is embracing its underdog role by tending to the internal and ignoring the external. More on Vanderbilt’s mentality in this story by Vandy On SI’s Joey Dwyer.
One of the biggest concerns coming out of last week’s game was how long it took for Vanderbilt’s offense to get into the end zone. Vanderbilt has been playing from behind in each of the last two weeks. More from Vandy On SI’s Graham Baakko on how the Commodores plan to start faster offensively.
Last week against Auburn, Vanderbilt backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz lined up as wide receiver for two snaps, even catching a zero-yard pass from Jared Curtis. Clark Lea certainly seems open to the idea of giving Berlowitz more opportunities at the position. Read Graham Baakko’s story on what Lea said about Berlowitz’ future at the position.
QB: Jared Curtis, Blaze Berlowitz
RB: Sedrick Alexander, MK Young
X Receiver: Junior Sherrill, Ja'Cory Thomas, Joseph McVay
Y Receiver: Brycen Coleman, Cole Adams, Claibourne Richards
Z Receiver: Tristen Brown, Kayleb Barnett
Tight End: Cole Spence, Gabe Fisher, Maurice Veney
Tight End: Jayvontay Conner, Walter Taylor
Quick Tackle: Clinton Azubuike, CJ Williams
Quick Guard: Kevo Wesley, Micah DeBose, Ted Gregoire
Center: Lyndon Cooper, Gunnar Givens or Keegan Wechsler
Strong Guard: Cade McConnell, Mitchell Smith
Strong Tackle: Orion Irving, Beau Johnson
EDGE: Brian Allen, Edwin Kolenge, Hayden Bray
Defensive Tackle: Issa Ouattara, Bradley Mann, Talan Carter
Defensive Tackle: Glenn Seabrooks III, Jaylon Stone, Mike Diatta
Razor: Miles Capers, Mason Carter, Jake Stanish
Linebacker: Nick Rinaldi, Bryce Cowan, Josiah Broxton
Linebacker: Bryan Longwell, Bryce Cowan, Austin Howard or Jamison Curtis
STAR: Mason Lewis or Carson Lawrence, Jailen Ruth
Cornerback: Martel Hight, Jaylin Davies, Cobey Sellers
Cornerback: Jordan Matthews, Cayden Daniels, Bishop Starling
Safety: Ricardo Jones, Dontae Carter, Davin Chandler
Safety: CJ Heard, Jalen Gilbert, Vanzale Hinton
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source