Austin Peay @ Vanderbilt preview

Vanderbilt takes a break from the rugged SEC when it hosts Austin Peay on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Commodores dropped their season opener in heart-breaking fashion when Ole Miss got a 75-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left in the game to pull out a 39-35 victory at Nashville, Tenn. The loss snapped Vanderbilt's seven-game winning streak.

Austin Peay is hoping its second in-state contest in as many weeks is a bit more encouraging. The Governors were overmatched at Tennessee last week, netting just 11 first downs in a 45-0 whitewashing. First-year coach Kirby Cannon is just as unlikely to gain his first win against Vanderbilt, its second straight SEC foe.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSS, ESPN3. LINE: None.

ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY (0-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley): Cannon admitted that his first two games were major challenges. Austin Peay entered the season having never played an SEC team before. The FCS-division Governors will play three FBS schools this season as they face Ohio in a couple of weeks. Austin Peay has lost 17 straight road games and hasn't had a winning season since going 7-4 in 2007. About the only positives from last week's blowout were the fact that Tennessee scored just three points in the second half and the Governors did mount a promising 65-yard drive in the second quarter. The Vols, however, had pulled their starters at halftime and the Governors' best drive ended in a missed field goal.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (0-1, 0-0 SEC): The Commodores escaped a scare when senior receiver Jordan Matthews was ruled concussion-free after getting hammered late in the game against Ole Miss. Matthews had a career-game pulling down 10 catches for 178 yards. He leads the SEC in just about every receiving category. Senior quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels passed for 300 yards last week, including five balls for over 28 yards in last week's loss. Vanderbilt is 12-0-1 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference teams and has won four straight non-conference games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tennessee rushed for 315 yards against Austin Peay last week.

2. The shutout ended Austin Peay’s streak of 84 consecutive games without being shutout dating back to a 54-0 loss to Drake in 2005.

3. Vanderbilt is 15-1 against FCS teams and walloped Presbyterian 58-0 in its only game against an FCS school last season.

PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 48, Austin Peay 10