VUFB Game Week – Texas – Vanderbilt Commodores | Official Athletic Site

Commodores make their first visit to Austin since 1903 to take on fourth straight ranked opponent
Game 9: 9/11 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at 20/19 Texas (6-2, 3-1 SEC)
When: Saturday, Nov. 1 • 11 a.m.
Where: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas
Watch: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath)
Listen: 102.5 The Game/94.9 The Fan (Andrew Allegretta, Norman Jordan and Kevin Ingram);
ESPN Radio (Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer and Ian Fitzsimmons)
HEADED TO THE LONE STAR STATE
• Vanderbilt heads to Texas this week to face the Longhorns in Austin for just the second time in program history and first since 1903.
• The Commodores are 8-4-1 all-time versus the Longhorns and have won three of the last five contests since 1925.
• Both teams are ranked in the AP Poll for the second consecutive meeting after No. 5 Texas narrowly defeated the 25th-ranked Commodores 27-24 in Nashville last season.
• The Dores are off to a 7-1 start for the first time since 1941 and have recorded three regular season wins over AP top 25 opponents for the first time in program history.
• Vanderbilt is tied with Alabama for most wins over AP top 15 teams this season with three.
• The Commodores are one of five teams nationally and four in the Power 4 ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing offense and defense (Indiana, James Madison, Michigan, Missouri).
EARNING THEIR STRIPES
• Vanderbilt grinded out a 17-10 victory over Missouri in Week 9, holding the Tigers to their lowest point total all season.
• Vandy earned its seventh win before November for just the second time ever, matching the 1915 team.
• The Dores forced a turnover in the win to record a takeaway in nine of the last 10 games.
• Makhilyn Young broke an 80-yard touchdown rush, the longest by a Commodore since 2022.
• Diego Pavia scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, his 20th overall touchdown on the season.
• Bryan Longwell, Miles Capers and Dontae Carter each matched or set new career marks in tackles.
• Vanderbilt is now 2-0 all-time when hosting College GameDay.
POLL PLACEMENT
• Vanderbilt rose to No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches Poll following its victory over Missouri.
• The Commodores are a top 10 team in the AP Poll for the first time since 1947 and just the fifth time in program history. No. 9 is Vandy’s highest ranking since reaching No. 7 in 1937.
• Vandy has three wins over three top-15 teams for the first time in program history. Th three wins over ranked opponents matches the program’s total from the previous 11 seasons combined.
• It’s the second consecutive season the Dores have appeared in the polls, marking the first occurrence since 2012 and 2013. It is just the second time Vanderbilt has reached the top 25 in consecutive seasons since 1956 and only the sixth occurrence in the AP poll’s 90-year history.
• Week 10 marks the seventh consecutive appearance in the AP poll this season. It is the first time in program history the Dores have been ranked for more than four weeks in a single season.
SCORING MARGINS
• Through eight games, Vanderbilt is outscoring its opponents 307-150, a margin of +157. The 307 points is most scored by the program before November, passing the 2013 squad which scored 257.
• The Commodores won each of their first five games of the season by 20-plus points, marking the first time Vandy has opened the year with five-straight blowout wins since 1915. 
• The +157 output is the largest scoring margin by a Vanderbilt team entering November in program history, surpassing the 1955 season when the Dores held a +86 edge at the end of October.
YOUNG RUNNING WILD & FREE
• Makhilyn Young is one of three Commodores over 300 yards rushing this season. With 382 yards on 37 carries, Young is averaging 12.3 yards per carry, most on the team with double-figure carries. His five touchdown runs are tied for second on the team behind Sedrick Alexander.
• “MK” led Vandy with 86 rushing yards on four carries in the win over Missouri. He broke an 80-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to give the Dores their first lead. It was Vandy’s longest play from scrimmage this season and the longest run by a Commodore since 2022.
• Young ran for 85 yards on just six carries in the win over LSU. He added a 10-yard reception on 4th-and-1 to keep a third-quarter drive alive that led to touchdown in final minute of the period. His final carry of the day went for 43 yards, putting the Dores in the red zone and helping run out the final 3:12 of the win.
BROCKET LAUNCHER
• Brock Taylor knocked home a field goal against Missouri to run his streak to 18 consecutive made kicks. The streak is the sixth-longest active run in the nation.
• Taylor was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance vs. Utah State going 2-for-2 on field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points.
• Taylor nailed a 51-yard kick at South Carolina, giving him six makes of 50 or more yards. He is the first player in school history with at least five 50-yard-plus field goals. 
• Taylor made his last 11 field goal attempts of the 2024 season over the final eight games (he did not attempt a field goal in the Birmingham Bowl).
• He connected on a program-record 57-yard field goal at Missouri in 2024. 
BACKFIELD CAPERS
• Miles Capers’ 9.0 TFL this season already mark a career best, surpassing his eight from the 2024 season. He had 11.5 career TFL entering the season.
• His 4.5 sacks through seven games also eclipsed his previous season high of three from 2024. He leads the Dores and ranks 11th in the SEC.
• Capers has recorded multiple tackles in every game this season and 15-straight contests dating back to October 2024. 
• He has made 2.5 tackles for loss in three games this season and has had at least one in four of the last five games.
• Capers tied his career best with a season-high seven tackles in the win over Missouri in Week 9.
RELIABLE
• Eli Stowers ranks sixth nationally among tight ends with 397 receiving yards through eight games in 2025.
• He ranks third among all active tight ends with 1,401 career receiving yards. Both players ahead of Stowers have played four full seasons to Stowers’ two-plus at the position. 
• Stowers’ 12.2 yards per catch career average is seventh nationally among active tight ends.
• He went over 1,000 yards receiving at Vanderbilt after posting three receptions for 42 yards in the Dores’ victory over Missouri last weekend.
HEARD HIM
• Safety CJ Heard leads the Commodores with 43 tackles through his first eight games in the black and gold while adding a sack, four quarterback hurries, an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery.
• He posted eight stops with a fumble he forced and recovered in the win over Missouri in Week 9. His forced fumble and recovery set up Vandy’s ensuing game-winning touchdown drive.
• Heard also had a tackle for no gain and a quarterback hurry on back-to-back plays after Missouri entered the red zone, leading to a missed field goal by the Tigers late in the third quarter.
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