Know Your Opponent: Vanderbilt

Playing in a hostile environment for the first time in over a month, the Gators face the Commodores of Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee established in 1873 and named after American industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt (also known by the nickname “Commodore”). Vanderbilt is the smallest and only private university in the Southeastern Conference, and enrolls just under 13,000 students (almost 7,000 of which are undergrads). The school colors are black and gold.

Jeff Driskel set a school record for single-game rushing yards
by a quarterback (177) when Florida last met Vandy in
Nashville. The Gators won 31-17 in front of the first sell-out
crowd at Vanderbilt Stadium in four years.
Frederick Breedon - Getty Images

Vanderbilt has an old tradition of playing football, but has only enjoyed modest and sparing success. Vanderbilt played its first season in 1890 and was a charter member of the SEC in 1933, but has yet to win a conference title (the only charter member other than Sewanee not to have won a title and the only still a member of the conference). The Commodores play home games in Vanderbilt Stadium, the SEC’s smallest football facility. Vanderbilt Stadium has a capacity of about 40,000.

Unlike most its conference brethren, Vanderbilt has never won an SEC or national title. Vandy has played in only seven bowl games in over 12 decades of playing the sport and only won four. Also, the Commodores have never won more than nine games in one season; in the past 100 years, Vanderbilt has three nine-win seasons (1915, 2012, and 2013).

Florida and Vanderbilt have been playing football against each other since 1945, although the series has only been played annually since 1992. The Gators and Commodores have played a total of 47 times; Florida has defeated Vanderbilt on 35 occasions, while Vandy has triumphed over Florida just 10 times (two games have ended as ties). Florida won 22 straight games in the series from 1989 to 2012 and 19 straight games in Gainesville from 1951 and 2011. In 2013, Vanderbilt snapped these long-standing losing streaks by defeating the Gators 34-17 in Gainesville. Both Florida’s 1996 and 2006 national championship squads were nearly upset by inspired Vanderbilt teams. Quarterback Jay Cutler led the Commodores into overtime with the Gators in 2005, but couldn’t seal the upset.