Two teams. One certainty.
A horrid losing streak will end.
The Vanderbilt Commodores have a chance to snap a 19-game Southeastern Conference losing streak. The Mississippi State Bulldogs have a nine-game SEC streak of their own.
MSU will also try to avoid starting a season 0-5 for the first time in school history.
Vandy’s 1-4 record is deceiving. Vanderbilt has outperformed its opponents in multiple categories, but turnovers have loomed large in every loss.
The Commodores are just a few plays away from a 3-2 record.
In the first game of the season, the Mississippi Rebels escaped Nashville with a last-minute field goal for a three-point-win.
The Commodores followed that with a 51-6 win over Chattanooga and a 30-14 loss at No. 20 Texas Christian.
“They’ve been in every game. Last week they took it into overtime and they had a chance to win,” MSU head coach Jackie Sherrill said. “They’re getting better and better.”
Vanderbilt’s best offensive player is sophomore quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler has thrown for 990 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Sherrill said that Cutler is a tough player who runs the option very well.
Norval McKenzie and Kwane Doster lead the Commodores’ ground attack. The two combine for almost 100 yards a game.
Doster also leads the Commodores in all-purpose yards with 109.2 a game.
Vanderbilt’s defense is the strength of the team. The Commodores held a Rebel team that averages 40 points a game to only 24.
Vandy held Georgia Tech to 108 passing yards and 17 points in regulation before allowing a touchdown in overtime and losing 24-17.
“Defensively they do some different things,” Sherrill said. “They will give you some safety blitz and move people around.” The Vandy “D” defends the pass allows just 187 yards a game, but allows 149 rushing.
Head coach Bobby Johnson is in his second year at Vandy.
Johnson has only had three losing seasons in nine years as a head coach. Two of those seasons took place at Furman before last season’s 2-10 campaign at Vanderbilt.