Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn runs into the end zone after catching a pass during last week’s game at Missouri.NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt Commodores don’t have time to lament the four football games that have slipped through their grasp this year because they couldn’t make the play to finish off a victory.
With two games remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Commodores must win out if they want to play in a bowl for the second time in three seasons.
“It’s win or go home,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said.
Junior receiver Kalija Lipscomb said it’s a bit frustrating that the Commodores (4-6, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) have had trouble playing a full 60 minutes each game, but he said they also know they’re close and almost beat three top-15 teams. On the other hand, they have lost four of their past five games.
“We have to put four complete quarters together, and hopefully we do that this week,” Lipscomb said.
Now the Commodores host another team disappointed with its record as Ole Miss (5-5, 1-5) visits tonight. Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss when the Rebels came to town two years ago as the Commodores made their push for Mason’s first bowl game as a head coach. Now the Rebels have lost three straight, including last week’s 38-24 loss to Texas A&M, despite boasting one of the nation’s best offenses.
Coach Matt Luke and the Rebels face a quick turnaround too, playing the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State on Thanksgiving next week. Luke has a similar message to Mason’s, pushing his Rebels to finish games.
“They keep getting up off the mat to keep battling,” Luke said. “The object of the game is to win, and that’s what those guys want. They’re coming up short, they’re disappointed, frustrated, but we have 10 more days left to pour into it to find a way to get that win in the fourth quarter. We’re going to pour everything into these last 10 days to keep these guys fighting and competing and find a way to win this thing in the fourth quarter.”
The biggest surprise for the Ole Miss offense this season is junior college transfer Scottie Phillips, who has run for 927 yards and an SEC-leading 12 rushing touchdowns. He had just 4 yards on the ground against Texas A&M last weekend after spraining an ankle in the first quarter, though, and his status against Vanderbilt was uncertain.
It’s been a rough year for the Ole Miss defense, which ranks at or near the bottom of the SEC in many categories. One bright spot is the emergence of sophomore linebacker Mohamed Sanogo, who matched his college best with 16 tackles against Texas A&M. He leads the team with 92 tackles and is fourth in the SEC with an average of 9.2 tackles per game.
For the Commodores, Ke’Shawn Vaughn has put together back-to-back games that rank among the best in Vanderbilt history. He ran for 172 yards at Arkansas on Oct. 27, then topped that by running for 182 yards in a 33-28 loss at Missouri last week. His 354 rushing yards in consecutive games is the best by a Vanderbilt running back since Frank Mordica went for a combined 435 yards on the ground against Air Force and Tennessee in 1978.
Vaughn ranks fourth in the SEC this season with 849 rushing yards and has nine scores on the ground.
Vanderbilt linebacker Jordan Griffin is second in the SEC with 98 total tackles, and he’s fourth with 50 solo tackles in a career season for the senior.