Back in black, and winning, too.
Vanderbilt’s football team has a new coach, a new attitude and displayed a new look during last Saturday’s 24-21 triumph over Connecticut. Wearing black helmets in addition to their black jerseys and pants, the Commodores rallied from a 21-14 deficit in the fourth quarter and prevailed on a 31-year Casey Spear field goal with 2:56 remaining.
“In years past, those were the games we hadn’t won,” junior defensive tackle Rob Lohr said. “Setting the tone is what we did. We let people know that we’re serious and that this isn’t the Vanderbilt of the past few seasons. It’s a new year, and the past doesn’t matter. We’re here to play now.”
Dressing in black from head to toe was a first for Vanderbilt since 1990.
Lohr, a 6-foot-4, 290-pounder from Phoenixville, Pa., racked up four lost-yardage tackles for the Commodores, who held the Huskies to 193 yards and are 2-0 after consecutive 2-10 seasons. The Huskies played Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season, giving Vanderbilt its first win over a team coming off a BCS bowl since a 2006 upset of Georgia in Athens.