2023 Vanderbilt Commodores football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record2–10 (0–8 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJoey Lynch (2nd season)
Offensive schemePro spread
Defensive coordinatorNick Howell (2nd season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumFirstBank Stadium
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 4 Georgia xy   8 – 0     13 – 1  
No. 8 Missouri   6 – 2     11 – 2  
No. 17 Tennessee   4 – 4     9 – 4  
Kentucky   3 – 5     7 – 6  
Florida   3 – 5     5 – 7  
South Carolina   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Vanderbilt   0 – 8     2 – 10  
West Division
No. 5 Alabama xy$^   8 – 0     12 – 2  
No. 9 Ole Miss   6 – 2     11 – 2  
No. 12 LSU   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Texas A&M   4 – 4     7 – 6  
Auburn   3 – 5     6 – 7  
Mississippi State   1 – 7     5 – 7  
Arkansas   1 – 7     4 – 8  
Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores were led by Clark Lea in his third year as their head coach. Following their blowout loss to Ole Miss, the Commodores became ineligible for a bowl selection for the 5th consecutive season. This was the last year of the Eastern and Western divisions of the SEC, as Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC in 2024.

Schedule

Vanderbilt and the SEC announced the 2023 football schedule on September 20, 2022.[1][2] The 2023 Commodores' schedule consists of 6 home games and 6 away games for the regular season. Vanderbilt will host four SEC conference opponents Auburn, Georgia (rivalry), Kentucky (rivalry) and Missouri at home and will travel to four SEC opponents, Florida, Mississippi (rivalry), South Carolina and Tennessee (rivalry) to close out the SEC regular season on the road. Vanderbilt is not scheduled to play SEC West opponents Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas A&M in the 2023 regular season. The Commodores' have two bye weeks this season.

Vanderbilt's out of conference opponents represent the ACC, Mountain West and SWAC. The Commodores will host two of the four non–conference games which are against Alabama A&M from the SWAC and Hawaii from the Mountain West. The Commodores will travel to two non–conference games which are against UNLV also from the Mountain West and will travel to Wake Forest from the ACC.

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 266:30 p.m.Hawaii*
SECNW 35–2821,407
September 26:00 p.m.Alabama A&M*
  • FirstBank Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
SECN+/ESPN+W 47–1322,035
September 910:00 a.m.at Wake Forest*
ACCNL 20–3628,363
September 166:00 p.m.at UNLV*
CBSSNL 37–4022,582
September 2311:00 a.m.Kentucky
  • FirstBank Stadium
  • Nashville, TN (rivalry)
SECNL 28–4526,279
September 303:00 p.m.No. 23 Missouri
  • FirstBank Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
SECNL 21–3826,332
October 73:00 p.m.at Florida
SECNL 14–3889,432
October 1411:00 a.m.No. 1 Georgia
  • FirstBank Stadium
  • Nashville, TN (rivalry)
CBSL 20–3728,500
October 286:30 p.m.at No. 12 Ole Miss
SECNL 7–3362,914
November 43:00 p.m.Auburn
  • FirstBank Stadium
  • Nashville, TN
SECNL 15–3128,500
November 1111:00 a.m.at South Carolina
SECNL 6–4775,682
November 252:30 p.m.at No. 21 Tennessee
SECNL 24–48101,915

[3]

Game summaries

vs Hawaii

Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants
Game One (Week Zero) – Vanderbilt Commodores vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Period 1 2 34Total
Hawaii 14 7 7735
Vanderbilt 7 7 01428

at FirstBank Stadium – Nashville, TN

  • Date: Saturday, August 26th, 2023
  • Game time: 8:10 PM
  • Game weather: 75°
  • Game attendance: 21,407
  • Referee: Cal McNeill
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (Primary Commentator), Matt Stinchcomb (Color Commentator), Alyssa Lang (Sideline Reporter)

vs Alabama A&M (FCS)

Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

at Wake Forest

See also: 2023 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants
Game Three – Vanderbilt Commodores (2–0) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1–0) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Commodores 0 14 0620
Demon Deacons 3 21 3936

at Truist Field, Winston-Salem, NC

  • Date: September 9, 2023
  • Game time: TBA
  • TV: TBA
Game information
Statistics VAN WAKE
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing
Rushing
Receiving
Wake Forest Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at UNLV

Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

vs Kentucky

vs No. 23 Missouri

See also: 2023 Missouri Tigers football team
Game Six – No. 23 Missouri Tigers (4–0) at Vanderbilt Commodores (2–3) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 23 Missouri 3 14 71438
Vanderbilt 7 0 01421

at FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: –
  • Game attendance: 26,332
  • Referee: Jason Autrey
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (6:57) MIZZ – Harrison Mevis 23-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 5:43; Missouri 3–0)
  • (3:46) VAN – Ken Seals 6-yard run (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 3:11; Vanderbilt 7–3)
Second quarter
  • (12:27) MIZZ – Cody Schrader 1-yard run (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:19; Missouri 10–7)
  • (0:55) MIZZ – Theo Wease Jr. 12-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 2:27; Missouri 17–7)
Third quarter
  • (10:37) MIZZ – Luther Burden III 18-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:23; Missouri 24–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (12:59) VAN – Will Sheppard 31-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:33; Missouri 24–14)
  • (11:10) MIZZ – Marquis Johnson 44-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:49; Missouri 31–14)
  • (9:36) VAN – Junior Sherrill 45-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:34; Missouri 31–21)
  • (4:23) MIZZ – Luther Burden III 17-yard pass from Brady Cook (Harrison Mevis kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards, 1:19; Missouri 38–21)
Statistics MIZZ VAN
First downs 28 15
Total yards 75–532 72–300
Rushing yards 34–137 20–41
Passing yards 395 259
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 33–41–0 20–31–1
Time of possession 35:58 24:02
Team Category Player Statistics
Missouri Passing Brady Cook 33/41, 395 yards, 4 TD
Rushing Nathaniel Peat 12 carries, 71 yards
Receiving Luther Burden III 11 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 20/31, 259 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Jayden McGowan 3 carries, 24 yards
Receiving Will Sheppard 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD

at Florida

See also: 2023 Florida Gators football team
Game Seven: Vanderbilt Commodores (2–4) at Florida Gators (3–2) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vanderbilt 7 0 7014
Florida 7 14 71038

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • E at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: cloudy
  • Game attendance: 88,163
  • Referee: Lee Hedrick
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Tori Petry (sideline reporter)
Game information
First quarter
  • (9:05) FLA – Ricky Pearsall 14-yard run (Trey Smack kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 93 yards, 3:27; Florida 7–0)
  • (6:15) VAN – Will Sheppard 85-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 89 yards, 0:39; Tied 7–7)
Second quarter
  • (10:51) FLA – Arlis Boardingham 2-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:53; Florida 14–7)
  • (0:41) FLA – Montrell Johnson Jr. 7-yard run (Trey Smack kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:01; Florida 21–7)
Third quarter
  • (3:16) FLA – Eugene Wilson III 9-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick) (Drive: 14 plays, 91 yards, 6:25; Florida 28–7)
  • (0:44) VAN – Richie Hoskins 21-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:32; Florida 28–14)
Fourth quarter
  • (12:12) FLA – Trey Smack 40-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:24; Florida 31–14)
  • (7:19) FLA – Arlis Boardingham 15-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 36 yards, 2:07; Florida 38–14)
Statistics VAN FLA
First downs 13 25
Total yards 53–344 71–495
Rushing yards 19–64 30–215
Passing yards 280 280
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 19–34–0 34–41–1
Time of possession 23:02 36:58
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 19/34, 280 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Sedrick Alexander 8 carries, 29 yards
Receiving Will Sheppard 3 receptions, 107 yards, TD
Florida Passing Graham Mertz 30/36, 254 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Montrell Johnson Jr. 18 carries, 135 yards, TD
Receiving Arlis Boardingham 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD

vs No. 1 Georgia (rivalry)

See also: 2023 Georgia Bulldogs football team
Game Eight – No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (6–0) at Vanderbilt Commodores (2–5) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 1 Georgia 7 17 31037
Vanderbilt 7 0 01320

at FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: –
  • Game attendance: 28,500
  • Referee: –
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (12:07) VAN – London Humphreys 49-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:53; Vanderbilt 7–0)
  • (5:42) UGA – Carson Beck 1-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:56; Tied 7–7)
Second quarter
  • (13:42) UGA – Kendall Milton 3-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:44; Georgia 14–7)
  • (3:40) UGA – Peyton Woodring 31-yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 55 yards, 7:47; Georgia 17–7)
  • (0:12) UGA – Dominic Lovett 4-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 0:25; Georgia 24–7)
Third quarter
  • (6:22) UGA – Peyton Woodring 44-yard field goal (Drive: 19 plays, 60 yards, 8:30; Georgia 27–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:57) VAN – Richie Hoskins 3-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:25; Georgia 27–14)
  • (9:05) UGA – Peyton Woodring 30-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 5:45; Georgia 30–14)
  • (6:14) VAN – Sedrick Alexander 1-yard run (pass failed) (Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:03; Georgia 30–20)
  • (3:13) UGA – Daijun Edwards 1-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 3:01; Georgia 37–20)
Statistics UGA VAN
First downs 26 9
Total yards 78–552 47–219
Rushing yards 39–291 15–18
Passing yards 261 201
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 29–39–1 19–29–1
Time of possession 37:19 22:41
Team Category Player Statistics
Georgia Passing Carson Beck 29/39, 261 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Daijun Edwards 20 carries, 146 yards, TD
Receiving Dominic Lovett 9 receptions, 72 yards, TD
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 19/29, 201 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Sedrick Alexander 6 carries, 16 yards, TD
Receiving Jayden McGowan 5 receptions, 58 yards

at No. 12 Ole Miss (rivalry)

See also: 2023 Ole Miss Rebels football team
Game Nine – Vanderbilt Commodores (2–6) at No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vanderbilt 0 0 707
No. 12 Ole Miss 13 13 0733

at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi

  • Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,914
  • Referee: Ken Williamson
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
Game information
First Quarter
  • (13:21) Ole Miss – Quinshon Judkins 18 Yd Run (Caden Davis Kick)
    Ole Miss 7–0; 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:39
  • (10:34) Ole Miss – Caden Davis 27 Yd Field Goal
    Ole Miss 10–0; 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:16
  • (0:33) Ole Miss – Caden Davis 48 Yd Field Goal
    Ole Miss 13–0; 10 plays, 38 yards, 3:58
Second Quarter
  • (11:11) Ole Miss – Jaxson Dart 1 Yd Run (Caden Davis Kick)
    Ole Miss 20–0; 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:52
  • (7:40) Ole Miss – Dayton Wade 6 Yd pass from Jaxson Dart (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
    Ole Miss 26–0; 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:53
Third Quarter
  • (1:57) Vanderbilt – Walter Taylor 2 Yd Run (Jacob Borcila Kick)
    Ole Miss 26–7; 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:30
Fourth Quarter
  • (9:33) Ole Miss – Quinshon Judkins 3 Yd Run (Caden Davis Kick)
    Ole Miss 33–7; 9 plays, 47 yards, 3:16
Statistics VAN MISS
First downs 13 22
Total yards 229 431
Rushing yards 169 177
Passing yards 60 254
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 8–20–2 20–29–1
Time of possession 32:59 27:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Walter Taylor 4/12, 38 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Walter Taylor 20 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Junior Sherrill 2 receptions, 28 yards
Ole Miss Passing Jaxson Dart 19/28, 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Quinshon Judkins 17 carries, 124 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Dayton Wade 8 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD

vs Auburn

See also: 2023 Auburn Tigers football team
Game Ten – Auburn Tigers (4–4) at Vanderbilt Commodores (2–7) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Auburn 14 3 14031
Vanderbilt 0 7 8015

at FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
  • Game time: 4:00 PM EST
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: SW 5 mph
  • Game attendance: 28,500
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline reporter)
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Statistics AUB VAN
First downs 14 12
Plays–yards 64–424 62–266
Rushes–yards 37–230 30–100
Passing yards 194 166
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 17–27–1 17–32–1
Time of possession 26:39 33:21
Team Category Player Statistics
Auburn Passing Payton Thorne 17/27, 194 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Jarquez Hunter 19 carries, 183 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Ja'Varrius Johnson 3 receptions, 62 yards
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 16/29, 160 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Sedrick Alexander 9 carries, 40 yards
Receiving Will Sheppard 4 receptions, 43 yards

at South Carolina

See also: 2023 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
Game Eleven – Vanderbilt Commodores (2–8) at South Carolina Gamecocks (4–6) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vanderbilt 0 0 066
South Carolina 6 7 142047

at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina

  • Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST
  • Game weather: Rainy • 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: NE 6.5 MPH
  • Game attendance: 75,682
  • TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
Game information
First quarter
  • (6:37) SC – Alex Huntley 1-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 2:44; South Carolina 6–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:16) SC – Spencer Rattler 1-yard Run (Mitch Jeter Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 95 yards, 4:35; South Carolina 13–0)
Third quarter
  • (7:09) SC – Ahmarean Brown 24-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Mitch Jeter Kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 3:39; South Carolina 20–0)
  • (5:12) SC – Mario Anderson 72-yard Run (Mitch Jeter Kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 82 yards, 0:44; South Carolina 27–0)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:55) VAN – Quincy Skinner Jr. 19-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila PAT failed) (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:17; South Carolina 27–6)
  • (11:20) SC – Keenan Nelson Jr. 18-yard Return of Blocked Punt (Mitch Jeter Kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 1:57; South Carolina 34–6)
  • (5:53) SC – O'Mega Blake 26-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Mitch Jeter PAT failed) (Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 2:45; South Carolina 40–6)
  • (2:20) SC – LaNorris Sellers 36-yard Run (Mitch Jeter Kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 2:02; South Carolina 47–6)
Statistics VAN SC
First downs 17 21
Total yards 235 487
Rushing yards 131 136
Passing yards 104 351
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 13–28–0 28–36–1
Time of possession 32:47 27:13
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing Ken Seals 13–28, 103 yards, TD
Rushing Walter Taylor 6 carries, 39 yards
Receiving London Humphreys 3 receptions, 33 yards
South Carolina Passing Spencer Rattler 28–36, 351 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Mario Anderson 9 carries, 102 yards, TD
Receiving Xavier Legette 9 receptions, 120 yards

at Tennessee (rivalry)

See also: 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team
Game Twelve – Vanderbilt Commodores (2–9) at No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers (7–4) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Vanderbilt 7 3 01424
No. 21 Tennessee 14 17 14348

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

  • Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • 59 °F (15 °C)
  • Game attendance: 101,915
  • Referee: Ken Williamson
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Derek Mason (color), and Taylor Davis (sidelines)
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Statistics VAN TENN
First downs 22 31
Total yards 306 617
Rushing yards 78 168
Passing yards 228 449
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 21–32–0 31–47–0
Time of possession 34:21 25:39
Team Category Player Statistics
Vanderbilt Passing AJ Swann 14/23, 167 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Sedrick Alexander 11 carries, 46 yards
Receiving Junior Sherrill 4 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD
Tennessee Passing Joe Milton III 22/33, 383 yards, 4 TD
Rushing Jaylen Wright 11 carries, 75 yards
Receiving Ramel Keyton 4 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD

Coaching staff

Name Position Consecutive season at
Vanderbilt in current position
Clark Lea Head coach 3rd
Justin Lustig Associate head coach/special teams coordinator/tight ends coach 3rd
Joey Lynch Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks 3rd
Nick Howell Defensive coordinator 2nd
Nick Lezynski Linebackers coach/Defensive Run Game Coordinator 2nd
A.J. Blazek Offensive line coach 3rd
Jovan Haye Defensive ends coach 3rd
Larry Black Defensive tackles coach 2nd
Alex Bailey Wide receivers 2nd
Dan Jackson Defensive Backs coach 2nd
Jayden Everett Running Backs Coach 1st

References

  1. ^ Sallee, Barrett (September 20, 2022). "2023 SEC football schedule by team..." CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Aria Gerson (September 20, 2022). "Vanderbilt football's 2023 schedule is complete: See the full list of opponents, dates". The Tennessean.
  3. ^ "2023 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Schedule". FB Schedules.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
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