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Vanderbilt football has its first SEC win.
Clark Lea and company escaped Starkville with a 25-23 win over Mississippi State to move to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in league play. Now, this Vanderbilt team is squarely removed from the category of team that Lea's worst teams are in.
Here's a few stats that got the job done for Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Vanderbilt has prided itself on being a run-first team all along, but it’s struggled to have any semblance of a consistent rushing attack in 2026. That changed Saturday.
Lea and company spent the bye week working to establish some sort of rushing attack and to get it in sync. Finally, their efforts paid off.
“I was really impressed and pleased with the way we committed to the run game and had identity in the run game,” Lea said. “That ran through Jamezell and Seddy and MK, all of them, Jared had some good runs, too. It just felt more in sync, like what we were looking for. That takes pressure off the quarterback and it also creates a situation where you're possessing the ball and control of the game and we were able to do that.”
Taylor made a program-record six kicks on Saturday. What can you even say about that? Lea asks.
That’s not to mention the two 50+ yarders he made, including a game-altering one.
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“I feel like my confidence is what really helps me at the end of the day,” Taylor said postgame, in the first postgame presser of his career. “I feel like I say control what you can control a lot and tonight, it was fun that a lot of those points were put in my hands. But, at the end of the day, I'm thankful for the win, this team deserved this win, and we’re excited to bring it back to Nashville.”
Vanderbilt controlled the game for most of the afternoon because it was able to keep Mississippi State’s offense out of rhythm. Give its defense and its offense credit for that.
Tim Beck’s offense possessed the ball for 39:55 while Mississippi State’s possessed it for 20:05. That was the difference Saturday.
"We played the way we want to play at Vanderbilt," Lea said postgame with his son sitting alongside him. "We've been talking a lot about three-phase effort and that was a three-phase effort tonight."
Hight went back to playing solely corner to start the season, but that’s no longer his role. The indication is that he’ll be a receiver the rest of the way and won’t play defense at all.
Saturday, Hight had one reception for three yards. Vanderbilt is sticking with its new plan, though.
“It is [a permanent change],” Lea said. “We're not in a position right now where we have the luxury to sit back and let things happen. We need to explore every possible combination of people, both at corner and at receiver, and we felt like we've had success, throwing the ball. Obviously, tonight's game was just a little different, but we know Martel can add something with his speed and athleticism and his catch radius, his ability. He got behind the defense one tonight. We just underthrew it, but I'm excited about what he could bring to that side of the ball. I'm excited to see him continue to grow in that position, but it felt like the right thing for the team, and he's the ultimate team guy, and I think it bodes well for his future, too. So that was the impetus for the decision. We're just trying to find ways to win.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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