Field Level Media
Oct 27, 2018
Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn rushed for a career-high 172 yards and scored three touchdowns, leading the Commodores to a 45-31 victory at Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville.
Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney caught five balls for 93 yards and two scores. The Commodores intercepted Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey (23 of 36, 240 yards, two touchdowns) twice and didn't turn the ball over.
Running back Rakeem Boyd carried 19 times for 113 yards and a score for the Razorbacks (2-7, 0-5 SEC).
With Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-4) clinging to a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, Vaughn had runs of 12 and 15 yards to set up his third score, a 3-yard run with 4:40 left that put the
Commodores up 14.
Arkansas kicker Connor Limpert cut Vandy's lead to 21-17 with a 55-yard field goal with 8:39 left in the third quarter, which Vandy kicker Ryley Guay answered with a 36-yarder with 1:15 to play in the third.
After a Razorback punt, Vandy quarterback Kyle Shurmur (13 of 19, 192 yards, two touchdowns) hit Pinkney and running back Khari Blasingame with screen passes for 39 and 23 yards, respectively. That set up Vaughn's 11-yard scoring run with 11:31 to play, putting Vandy up 31-17.
Each team scored on its opening drive. Arkansas tallied on a 5-yard run by Boyd and Vanderbilt answered with a 63-yard dash by Vaughn.
Late in the first quarter, Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams picked Storey at midfield and returned it to the Razorbacks' 42-yard line. A 13-yard Vaughn run got the Commodores a first down at the 1 before Shurmur found Pinkney wide-open on play-action on the next snap for a score.
After giving the ball back to Vandy at the Arkansas 44 following a punt, the Razorbacks defense held and forced a punt. Arkansas drove 92 yards in eight plays, scoring when running back Chase Hayden, running through a massive hole between left guard and center, galloped 38 yards untouched as the Razorbacks caught Vandy in a run blitz.
Vandy punched back when Shurmur found Pinkney in a narrow window along the left sideline between two defenders. The junior made a contested catch and banged his way through traffic near the right sideline before diving into the end zone for a 40-yard score.
--Field Level Media