page_title: 1920 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
section_title: Week 3: Georgia Tech
hierarchical_section_title: 1920 Vanderbilt Commodores football team / Season summary / Week 3: Georgia Tech
caption_attribution_description: English: Georgia Tech football captain A. R. "Buck" Flowers c. 1920
context_page_description: The 1920 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 1920 college football season. The team's head coach was Dan McGugin, who served his 16th season in that capacity. Members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Commodores played five home games in Nashville, Tennessee, and finished the season with a record 4–3–1 and 3–3 in the SIAA. The Commodores outscored their opponents, 134–124. Fred Russell's Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football gives the year of 1920 the title "One of Most Difficult Schedules."
context_section_description: The third week of play brought one of the worst losses ever suffered at Dudley Field, to William Alexander's Georgia Tech Golden Tornado 44–0. It was the worst since North Carolina won 48 to 0 in 1900. Coach Alexander employed previous coach John Heisman's "jump shift." Georgia Tech entered into the meat of its schedule after three dominating wins. Upcoming engagements with Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, and Centre were to determine the season's outcome. Pittsburgh and Centre, but Glenn "Pop" Warner's Pittsburgh especially, were the biggest opponents. Vanderbilt was seen as the warm up act to these two, for it was far superior to any of Tech's prior games. The first game of the year to have direct implications for the Southern championship, it was cited by some as the most interesting southern contest of the week. Georgia Tech's Golden Tornado were clear favorites, emboldened by the supposed weakness of Vandy's line. One plus for Vanderbilt was the return of Frank Goar, the team's best punter. 
  Georgia Tech outplayed Vanderbilt and had the ball for three-fourths of the game. Many Commodores left with injuries. Vanderbilt's ends were easily skirted by the Tech backs Red Barron, Buck Flowers, and Frank Ferst. In the first period, Captain Flowers made a drop kick from 44 yards out. Ferst came in for Buck Flowers, when Georgia Tech started to use substitutes in the middle of the second quarter.
  The third quarter saw Vanderbilt's one exciting drive offensively. "With Godchaux, Kuhn, and Raeburn subbing in the backfield, the Commodores opened a series of forward passes and runs that netted about 50 yards before Flowers intercepted a long pass on his own 10-yard line and raced 50 yards before being pushed out of bounds by a Vandy tackler". Fumbles would cost Vanderbilt, one by Grailey Berryhill leading to Tech's third touchdown. In the fourth quarter a fight broke out, involving Gink Hendrick, some Tech players, and spectators.  Hendrick claimed to be protecting Jess Neely from some player for Georgia Tech. No ejections could be made since too many players were involved. Tech lost some 133 yards from penalties during the contest.
  The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Georgia Tech: Neill (left end), Ryan (left tackle), Hendrick (left guard), Hill (center), Bailey (right guard), Holmes (right tackle), Baker (right end), Latham (quarterback), Berryhill (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Wade (fullback).
caption: Georgia Tech captain Buck Flowers (pictured).
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