Another Record-Setting Season in Football

Behind a record setting performance by Wide Receiver and COMPASS Bowl MVP Jordan Mathews, the Vanderbilt Commodores won their second straight post-season game, tallying 17 unanwered
points in the 4th quarter to defeat the Houston Cougars 41-24 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday, January 4.

The win was also a school record because it marked the Dores' second consecutive year with 9 wins and its third straight bowl appearance. Here's a writeup and highlights from ESPN which televised the game nationally.....

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/category/_/name/vanderbilt-commodores

The game had its highs and lows with the Black & Gold racing out to a 24-0 halftime lead only to see Houston rally to tie the score at 24 going into the fourth quarter, Then Vanderbilt, behind a strong running game and increased defensive pressure added two touchdowns (plus a field goal) and two interceptions to salt the victory away.

All of this puts the Vandy football program in a positive position unseen in modern times (post the early 1900s). In fact it has put the program in a national spotlight with its head coach James Franklin being rumored for almost every major colllege and pro coaching vacncy around....

We should know about Coach Franklin's status one way or another in the next week or so (maybe sooner). Hopefully, it will not be a repeat of the history that began our senior year and occurred again less than two years later.

That's when a young, outgoing, agressive new football coach, Steve Sloan was hired by VU in early 1973. He's energized the program and the fan base, doing so in some ways not seen since Franklin came to Nashville three years ago.

During his two seasons on West End, Sloan sparked the Dores to a 7-3-2 record in 1974 along with only its second bowl berth ever (a 6-6 tie against Texas Tech in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta) before deciding to take the head coaching job with the Rdd Raiders. It was a crushing experience in some ways for the Vanderbilt football program since Sloan at first announced he was staying at Vandy before changing his mind less than 24 hours later (a move he later said he regretted).