Vanderbilt is rolling into Week 1 with a fresh look and a familiar goal: keep the season-opening streak alive.
The Commodores revealed their uniform combination for the home matchup against Austin Peay, going with white helmets, black jerseys and white pants. It’s the first game of the year for a Vanderbilt team coming off a 10-3 season, which marked the program’s first double-digit win total ever.
The opener also gives Vanderbilt another shot at a season-starting win. The Commodores have taken their last four season openers, a sharp turnaround from the stretch before that when they went 2-7 in their previous nine.
Austin Peay arrives after opening its own season with a 35-17 win over visiting Gardner-Webb. The Governors, an FCS team from the United Athletic Conference, also beat Middle Tennessee 34-14 in their opener last season and finished that year 7-5.
Saturday’s game will be only the third meeting between the programs. Vanderbilt has won the first two, both in Nashville, including a 47-7 victory on Sept. 19, 2015.
The Commodores are also moving into a new era at quarterback. Blaze Berlowitz steps in with Diego Pavia gone. The 6-foot-3 senior is in his second season at Vanderbilt and has limited game action under his belt, throwing for 131 yards and a touchdown last season while also adding a rushing score.
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt is set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on SEC Network+.
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Vanderbilts 2026 Hopes May Hinge On One Early Clark Lea Test
Vanderbilt heads into its season opener against Austin Peay with more than a routine tune-up hanging over it. Clark Lea spent part of the buildup talking about two of the biggest unknowns on his roster, the teams emotional regulation and how the offense will handle the quarterback position, both of which will be tested early in a game that should offer a first real look at where the Commodores stand.
The quarterback competition between veteran Blaze Berlowitz and freshman Jared Curtis gives the opener added weight, since the position is central to how well the offense gets organized and how smoothly it functions. Lea made clear that effective play there is tied directly to Vanderbilts goals for the 2026 season, which is why this first outing feels like more than just the start of a new year. [Read more 🡒]