Vanderbilt finally got the result it wanted Saturday night, and it did it with a mix of patience, defense and a couple of special teams swings that helped break things open in a 28-9 win over Austin Peay.
The Commodores’ first points of the night came the old-fashioned way. They opened with a 13-play march that chewed up the field and ended with a Brock Taylor field goal for a 3-0 lead. Vanderbilt leaned heavily on the run on that drive, handing it off 10 times and throwing just twice.
Austin Peay answered fast and briefly flipped the script. Chris Parson hit Denver Harper for a 24-yard touchdown on the Governors’ first possession, but the extra point never stood. Vanderbilt got a block, Martel Hight scooped up the loose ball and returned it for two points, trimming the margin to 6-5.
Taylor added another field goal after Vanderbilt’s next drive bogged down inside the red zone, and then the offense finally started turning long possessions into touchdowns. With a little more than six minutes left in the second quarter, Blaze Berlowitz guided a nine-play, 88-yard drive and finished it himself with a seven-yard rushing score.
Austin Peay answered with a field goal before halftime, keeping things within reach at 15-9.
The separation came after the break. Midway through the third quarter, Vanderbilt faced fourth down and inches, and Sedrick Alexander took the handoff, shed a tackle and raced 18 yards to the end zone. The two-point try failed, but the Commodores had stretched the lead to 21-9.
Then the special teams unit struck again to open the fourth quarter. Austin Peay muffed a snap on a punt, gathered it up and then kicked it into Josiah Broxton, who took it the rest of the way for a touchdown that pushed the margin to 28-9.
Another storyline worth watching was the first look at five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis. He played two drives and went 7-for-9 for 60 yards.
Vanderbilt’s defense took over after halftime and did not allow a point over the final two quarters, shutting Austin Peay down the rest of the way.
Next up, Vanderbilt returns home to face Delaware. That game is set for 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Opens With An Early Tight End Problem To Watch
Vanderbilt is already facing an early wrinkle at tight end before the season even gets rolling. Cole Spence will miss the opener against Austin Peay after getting hurt earlier in the week, and Clark Lea said the sophomore was questionable but unlikely to play as the staff takes a careful approach to his recovery.
Jayvontay Conner, the transfer, is now positioned to carry the load in Spences absence, giving the Commodores an immediate test at a spot that can matter in both the passing game and the run game. It is an early-season adjustment, but one Vanderbilt will have to sort through quickly as it prepares for the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Is Back In A Conversation Georgia Fans Know Well
Clark Leas name is back in a national coaching conversation after ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit grouped him with three of the sports most closely watched sideline leaders as a top candidate for the 2026 Coach of the Year award. For Vanderbilt fans, it is another sign that Leas work has moved beyond simply stabilizing the program and into a broader discussion about what sustained success can look like in Nashville.
Herbstreits list also included Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, Kirby Smart at Georgia and Curt Cignetti at Indiana, a reminder of how crowded the race already looks before the season gets going. Vanderbilt will have its own chance to keep building momentum when the Commodores open the upcoming year, and Leas place on that early national watch list gives the season a little more weight before the first snap is even played. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Won But One Big Concern Showed Up Immediately
Vanderbilt got the result it needed in the opener, handling Austin Peay 28-9 and moving to 1-0, but the larger question coming out of the game was less about the final score than how the offense arrived there. The Commodores were deliberate from the start, leaning on possession, field position and a low-risk approach as they prepared to turn the page toward Delaware, and that style left observers watching closely to see what it might mean once the schedule stiffens.
Blaze Berlowitz was steady in his first start, but the passing game did not exactly announce itself as a source of big-play threat. The concern now is whether Vanderbilt can pair that kind of control with enough explosiveness to keep opponents from crowding the box and forcing longer drives, because the opener suggested the Commodores may need more from the quarterback spot if they want this season to feel different from the last few. [Read more 🡒]