Vanderbilt, the Stepping Stone

Before Larry Munson was ours, he was Nashville’s. He called Vanderbilt football and basketball on WSM from 1947 until 1966. That year he joined the Atlanta Braves’ radio crew, gave up the Commodores to do it, and so was free to call Georgia games. Some of the gravel in that voice was earned on Vanderbilt Saturdays.

He never entirely let go of them, either. Our station manager’s grandparents knew Munson well enough to stop and chat with him in the halls of the Ramada where they all stayed before the game. Over the years our station manager heard him speak fondly of Vandy many times, and at least once he gave a full spoken essay on what the Commodores were worth to the SEC. You won’t find that in the clippings. Some things you only know because you were in the hallway.

That makes Munson one more person who used Vanderbilt as a stepping stone. The school has a long habit of it.

A launching pad

Red Sanders coached Vanderbilt in two stints, 1940–42 and 1946–48. He then went to UCLA, where his 1954 Bruins went 9–0 and were named national champions by the Coaches Poll and the Football Writers. James Franklin took Vanderbilt to a bowl in each of his three seasons, and Penn State hired him in January 2014.

On Saturday a 4–0 Georgia team would like to use Vanderbilt as a stepping stone too, on the way somewhere better.

Don’t laugh them off

Georgia leads the series 61–20–2. Since 1982 the Bulldogs have won 33 times and Vandy five. Those five get remembered.

• 1991: Vanderbilt 27, No. 17 Georgia 25, in Nashville
• 1994: Vanderbilt 43, Georgia 30, in Athens
• 2006: Vanderbilt 24, No. 16 Georgia 22, in Athens
• 2013: Vanderbilt 31, No. 15 Georgia 27, in Nashville
• 2016: Vanderbilt 17, Georgia 16, in Athens

Our station manager was a student in Athens for the first two of those and still hasn’t quite got over them. Memory is funny that way. Georgia has since won six straight in the series, including a 62–0 in 2021 and a 55–0 in 2022. Nobody tells stories about 62–0. People remember the losses and forget the blowouts, which is exactly why a team like Vandy can play spoiler.

Flirting with greatness again

This isn’t the old Vanderbilt. Last season the Commodores went 10–3, the first 10-win season in program history. They reached No. 14 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, and quarterback Diego Pavia finished second in the Heisman voting.

Pavia has left, and Clark Lea, now in his sixth season, has handed the offense to a true freshman. More on him in a moment.

The luck ledger

Two Saturdays ago, Vanderbilt trailed NC State 24–7 in the third quarter. With six seconds left, NC State led 31–28 with the ball on fourth down at its own 5. The Wolfpack tried to take an intentional safety. Quarterback CJ Bailey was hit from behind in the end zone, the ball came loose and Vanderbilt cornerback Cayden Daniels fell on it for a touchdown. Final: 35–31. The AP called it the “Music City Miscue.” Per ESPN, teams that had the ball and the lead with 10 seconds left were 1,046–1 over the previous 20 seasons before that afternoon.

That is roughly a decade’s worth of luck spent on one play. Last week at Auburn, some of the bill came due. Vanderbilt held the ball for 37 minutes and still lost 21–15. It went 4 of 17 on third down, and Auburn scored on a blocked punt.

The one who got away

The freshman quarterback is Jared Curtis, from Nashville Christian. He committed to Georgia in March 2024 and flipped to Vanderbilt last December, on the eve of signing day. Now he comes to Sanford Stadium. At Auburn he completed 22 of 33 for 199 yards with an interception.

Kirby Smart isn’t underselling him: “Tremendous talent. Way better athletically than people give him credit for,” Smart said. “He’s strong, he’s quick, powerful. He’s got great arm talent. Everything that everybody thought has been true.”

What Georgia brings

Our own numbers, compiled from ESPN box scores and play-by-play, put Georgia at 54.8 points a game while allowing 13.3. Opponents are averaging 1.63 yards per rush and converting 32.3 percent of third downs. A Vanderbilt offense that went 4 for 17 on third down last week will get no relief here.

Gunner Stockton has thrown for 754 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. Nate Frazier is averaging 8.4 yards a carry with five touchdowns. The offensive line has let only 8.6 percent of designed runs get stuffed at or behind the line. The 2023–2025 Georgia teams combined allowed about 17 percent. It’s four games against uneven opponents, so treat that as an early sign, not a verdict.

Kickoff is 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Sanford Stadium on SEC Network.

Georgia should win this one, and probably easily. Just remember that Vanderbilt has pulled off upsets like this before, and the ones fans remember are the losses.

— The RFA Sports Desk

Sources

• Wikipedia: Larry Munson
• Vanderbilt Athletics: Broadcasting legend Larry Munson dead at 89
• Wikipedia: Red Sanders
• ESPN: Penn State hires James Franklin
• Wikipedia: Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry
• Sports Illustrated: Georgia vs. Vanderbilt series history
• Wikipedia: 1994 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
• CBS Sports: Diego Pavia finishes second in Heisman voting
• Wikipedia: 2026 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
• ABC News (AP): Vanderbilt stuns NC State with fumble recovery in end zone
• ESPN: Auburn 21, Vanderbilt 15
• ESPN: Jared Curtis flips from Georgia to Vanderbilt
• Yahoo Sports: What Kirby Smart said about facing Jared Curtis
• Georgia Athletics: Georgia-Vanderbilt kickoff