1922 Vanderbilt Commodores football team The 1922 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 1922 college football season . In Dan McGugin ' s 18th season as head coach , the Commodores compiled a record of 8 - 0 - 1 ( 4 - 0 in conference games ) and outscored opponents 177 to 16 . Vanderbilt finished atop its conference for the second year in a row , tying with North Carolina and Georgia Tech for the Southern Conference championship . The team ' s defense was unrivaled in the South , having no points scored on them at home ; and led the nation in scoring defense by giving up just 1 . 8 points per game . With an undefeated year , the Commodores were often recognized as the greatest Southern team , leading some to put them in the conversation for the best teams in the nation along with : Princeton , Cornell , California , Michigan , and Iowa . The year saw many historic firsts for the Commodores . The 1922 football season included the dedication of the new Dudley Field , the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football . This was also Vanderbilt ' s first season in the new Southern Conference . Several Vanderbilt players received post - season honors . End and tackle Lynn Bomar was selected as an All - American by Walter Camp , Walter Eckersall , Billy Evans , and Frank G . Menke . He was also a consensus All - Southern player , receiving votes for both positions . Quarterback Doc Kuhn was selected as an All - American by Billy Evans , appearing on his National Honor Roll . Bomar , Kuhn , and four other Commodores were selected for Billy Evans ' Southern Honor Roll . Halfback Jess Neely , one of Vanderbilt ' s greatest ever captains , could be found among Walter Camp ' s roll of honorable mention , and was known as the Commodores ' best passer . Season summary . Preseason . In the first season to barr freshmen from play , Vanderbilt coaches were hard at work preparing to pick the occupants of twenty - three roster spots from its pool of veteran players . Some notable players from the 1921 squad were unable to make the team , such as last year ' s captain ' Pink ' Wade . Thomas Ryan , the team ' s best end and punter a year ago , also did not return for the 1922 season , preferring to stay an adjunct of the oil industry in Tampico , Mexico . The Commodores had also lost tackle ' Pos ' Elam and the quick halfback Rupert Smith to graduation . Yet Vanderbilt ' s prospects still looked bright , with fifteen starters returning from the previous season . Included among these were Jess Neely , Doc Kuhn , Percy Conyers , Alf Sharpe , Tot McCullough , Hugh Mixon , Hek Wakefield , Red Rountree , Freddie Meiers , Tex Bradford , and Fatty Lawrence . Lynn Bomar , who played fullback in 1921 , and replacement quarterback Alvin Bell were also coming back for their sophomore campaigns . Newcomers included halfback Gil Reese , who was given particular attention from backfield coach Lewie Hardage , and guard Garland Morrow . It was noted how this year ' s team was likely to be heavy with people from Nashville and the middle of Tennessee . Among those with Tennessee root s was Vanderbilt captain Jess Neely , his older brother Bill Neely having starred for the Commodores when they held Yale to a scoreless tie in 1910 . Jess had come over from the Middle Tennessee State Normal School . Tuck Kelly was also a transfer , formerly playing center for Kentucky . The Centre Praying Colonels and Georgia Tech were the favorites to continue their from the previous season and be crowned best team of the South ; but they had lost more players in the offseason than some other teams . Vanderbilt , along with Auburn , Georgia , and Sewanee , returned enough players to be considered contenders . Nationally , Yale , Cornell , Harvard , Princeton , and Navy were all expected to have a chance at the title . Michigan was also to have a strong squad , favored to win the West . The 1922 season included the new " try for a point " rule . One was allowed to either kick an extra point after a touchdown as usual , or to place the ball anywhere beyond the 5 - yard line and try to score , either by touchdown or by a kick , and receive the one point if successful . On the " try for a point , " any foul by the defense awarded the offense the point , and any foul by the offense made the try no good . Week 1 : Middle Tennessee State Normal School . Vanderbilt ' s season opened on September 30 , 1922 with a 38 to 0 victory over the Middle Tennessee State Normal School of Murfreesboro . The Normal School was led Alfred B . Miles , in his eighth season as head coach . All of the Commodores ' touchdowns were scored by end run s and forward pass es , which would attest to the underwhelming play of Vanderbilt ' s line . The Normal squad was even said to have matched the Commodores ' line play ; and it may have deserved some of the credit , as " The Normalite " had reported it " corralled a squad of big , stalwart , husk fellows , with proper training in the fundamentals of the game . " However , Vanderbilt coaches were expecting more success from their attempted line plunges , and were rather concerned by the weak showing of the line ; especially if they were to have confidence going into the meat of the schedule . The highlight of the game for the Normal school was its only first down , a 12 - yard end run from its halfback Delay . For the Commodores , Doc Kuhn , Gil Reese , and Freddie Meiers were given praise for displaying skill whilst sprinting around broken fields . Week 2 : Henderson - Brown . In the second game of the year , Vanderbilt beat Henderson - Brown by a score of 33 to 0 . Vanderbilt came out sluggish in the first half . Doc Kuhn , Alvin Bell , and Freddie Meiers , all played at quarterback in the first half , each apparently failing to find a rhythm . Vanderbilt was limited to three first downs in the first half , while Henderson - Brown was limited to two . The only points of the half came on a 70 - yard touchdown run in the first quarter as Commodore halfback Gil Reese darted through the entire Henderson - Brown defense . Hek Wakefield kicked goal . Reese ' s long run was an anomaly in the first half , as Vanderbilt ' s running backs came out slow and its line was arguably outplayed by the weaker line of Henderson - Brown . Adding to their troubles , the Commodores did not complete a single pass at any point during the game , though many were tried . Henderson - Brown also had no luck with the passing game , its one attempt broken up by Vanderbilt ' s defense . Vanderbilt found its stride in the second half , scoring 26 points , including touchdowns on defense and a blocked punt . Halfback Red Rountree took over at quarterback in the second half and provided a spark to the offense . Two drives resulted in nine first downs and two touchdowns , one by Jess Neely and the other by Rountree , the latter drive ending soon after the fourth quarter had started . Fatty Lawrence recovered a fumble in the end zone for Vanderbilt ' s fourth touchdown . Later in the fourth quarter , Garland Morrow broke through the line and blocked a punt which bounded across the goal line , recovered by Scotty Neill for the final touchdown . Hugh Mixon accounted for two extra points . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Henderson - Brown was the following : McCullough ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Morrow ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Walker ( right tackle ) , Conyers ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Neely ( right halfback ) , Reese ( left halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) . Week 3 : Michigan . The third game brought the high point of the season , a scoreless tie with the Michigan Wolverines at the dedication of Dudley Field . Due to the many bonds between Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin and Michigan coach Fielding H . Yost , Vanderbilt and Michigan used to play an annual contest , which was renewed on this day . McGugin was taught his ability to coach while playing under Yost as a guard on Michigan ' s " point - a - minute " offense , and it was Yost who recommended McGugin for the Vanderbilt job . The two coaches were also brothers - in - law . The Wolverines were a national power , and the heavy favorite to win the game . Michigan had beaten Vanderbilt in all prior meetings , and Vanderbilt felt its lineup would not be at full strength . Vanderbilt end Percy Conyers had a rather badly hurt knee , and center Alf Sharpe had just hurt his shoulder . End Lynn Bomar was fighting through a pulled tendon , and end Tot McCullough had some kind of strain in his arm leading to noticeable swelling . Quarterback Doc Kuhn was trying to overcome a sickness , including fever s which kept him from practice . Captain Jess Neely also had a hurt left arm . Last year ' s starting end Thomas Ryan not returning for the Michigan game was also taken bitterly by Vanderbilt ' s fan s . The Wolverines however had a much healthier lineup . Only one spot in the lineup gave Michigan trouble , guard Eddie Johns was forced to sit out due to academic probation . His replacement was Harold Steele . Vanderbilt was also working hard to remedy problems seen in earlier weeks with its line . The more optimistic Vanderbilt faithful were excited at the prospect of end Scotty Neill reporting after a year ' s layoff . His ability at punting the ball was especially noted . The Commodores ' lone advantage going into the game , perhaps not unlike today when Southern schools play those from the North , was their speed . Nonetheless , starting the season with two shutout wins , as well as a new stadium and only the second home game against the vaunted Michigan Wolverines , seemed to invigorate the Commodores . During the pregame talk in his dressing room , Coach McGugin famously said " You are going against Yankee s , some of whose grandfathers killed your grandfathers in the Civil War . " Also reported , probably more accurately , as " Out there lie the bones of your grandfathers ; " referring to a nearby military cemetery , " And down on that field are the grandsons of the Yankee soldiers who put them there . " One may add the often cited , humorous addendum that McGugin ' s father was an officer in the Union Army . This was Vanderbilt ' s first game in its new steel and concrete stadium , Dudley Field . The field was named after William Lofland Dudley , once Chair of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University , and an instrumental figure in the organization of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association ; as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Football Rules Committee . He was known as the ' father of Vanderbilt football . ' The eponymous stadium cost some $ 200 , 000 and could seat up to 22 , 600 people . The first of its kind in the South , the dedication of Dudley Field saw much fanfare . A parade of floats and bands marched through the streets , and Cornelius Vanderbilt IV , the great - great grandson of the university ' s namesake , made an appearance . Three airplane s flew over the stadium as the Vanderbilt band played ' America . ' Governor Alf Taylor welcomed the visiting Wolverines , with a response in turn from Michigan coach Fielding H . Yost . The dedication of the stadium followed : Lt . Herbert Fox of the 136th Air Squadron circled back , flying over the northern goal posts , and dropped a decorated football onto the field which Coach McGugin caught off a single bounce . He then handed the ball to Yost . The game saw little offense , featuring the season ' s top two defenses as measured by points against per game . Vanderbilt punted 17 times , and Michigan punted 10 times . Some were surprised with Michigan ' s lack of an offense , citing it as Michigan ' s best feature . For the entire game , Michigan made only six first down s , with two off of penalties , while Vanderbilt made just one . One of Michigan ' s best , consensus All - American Harry Kipke , had been rendered moot for most of the game . Kipke once later said about this game , " I picked myself up very , very painfully from every blade of grass in the place . " Franklin Cappon seemed the only Michigan player able to gain much for his offense . The best chance to break the tie came early in the first quarter when Vanderbilt was forced to punt from its own 7 - yard line . The punt was partially blocked , giving Michigan the ball at Vanderbilt ' s 25 - yard line . Two end runs , two line bucks , and a forward pass brought the Wolverines inside the 5 - yard line , first and goal . Three runs straight up the middle were stopped before the goal line . Cappon made a yard , Kipke lost one , and Cappon then drove to within a foot of the goal . Vanderbilt captain Jess Neely was heard shouting ' Stop em ! ' On fourth down , Michigan faked a field goal and ran with Harry Kipke off tackle to the right . Kipke was stood up just inches from the end zone . One Vanderbilt player even pushed himself off of the goal post , in an attempt to generate a greater backwards push , as the crowd cheered . The other chances for a Michigan score saw two missed field goals coming from Jack Blott and Paul Goebel , one of them late in the game falling short of the cross bar . Michigan ' s defense responded in kind . Vanderbilt ' s only noteworthy offensive play came in the first quarter , after Jess Neely tackled Kipke hard on a punt return , causing a fumble which Neely recovered . Neely then connected on a 20 or 25 - yard pass to Tot McCullough . This gave Vanderbilt the ball at Michigan ' s 20 - yard line , but the subsequent plays for Vanderbilt saw runs stopped for little gain and a pass intercepted by Irwin Uteritz . The tie was the greatest of achievements for the underdog Commodores , and fans celebrated by throwing some 3 , 000 seat cushions onto the field . Many publications called it " one of the big moments of the gridiron season . " " The Vanderbilt Alumnus " wrote " That 0 to 0 finish meant night shirt parades and a sleepless night of jollification . And so it was . " Vanderbilt ' s yearbook " The Commodore " remarked , " Whence came that irresistible spirit that shattered the Michigan plays no one knows . Every man on the squad possessed it . It was the re - enactment of more than one chapter in the record of Vanderbilt ' s past . There never was a greater reversal in the history of athletics than that day . The dwarf stood like a Titan foot to foot and breast to breast with the grim Michigan giant , and disarmed him . " It is likely still the greatest game of Vanderbilt ' s long history , and a classic in Southern football lore . Lynn Bomar and Jess Neely are often acknowledged as the players of the game for Vanderbilt . Lynn Bomar spent much of his day tackling Michigan ' s runners for a loss , while Jess Neely was a battered and bruised captain playing so hard despite his injured frame . Other plays of note for the Commodores included the shifty moves of Gil Reese , and Scotty Neill ' s punting matching that of Kipke , averaging 42 yards per punt . The defense of Tex Bradford and Tot McCullough was also given praise . Walter Camp noted the strong showing of Vanderbilt , particularly impressed with Reese ' s punt returns and McCullough ' s run defense . He credited McGugin with having developed a well - trained line , and a secondary that was not far behind . In response to the claim that Michigan could not manage a win because of undue confidence , Coach Yost had said " We have no alibi to offer over the showing made at Vanderbilt . We did not score because we encountered one of the best defenses which I have ever seen in action . " The Michigan Wolverines went on to have one of the best records in the nation and receive many postseason accolades . The only blemish on their record was this tie . Michigan and Iowa finished the year tied atop the Western Conference , and Michigan won status as the team with the most All - Americans as cataloged by the Romelke Press Clipping Bureau . Included on this list was Harry Kipke , Paul Goebel , Bernard Kirk , Stanley Muirhead , Irwin Uteritz , Oliver Aas , and Franklin Cappon . Harry Kipke was also named best all - around player in the nation by Norman E . Brown . The next week Michigan played at the dedication of another new stadium – Ohio Stadium . Michigan went on to beat Ohio State by a score of 19 to 0 . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Michigan was the following : McCullough ( left end ) , Bomar ( left tackle ) , Morrow ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Bradford ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Neely ( left halfback ) , Reese ( right halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) . Week 4 : at Texas . The fourth game of the year saw Vanderbilt travel to Dallas , Texas to play the Texas Longhorns . Vanderbilt went on to win by a score of 20 to 10 . Along with the Michigan game , the Texas game had been billed as one of the more important intersectional games since the beginning of the season ; perhaps the best one of the South . Part of the interest came because Vanderbilt had won the game the year before , when it was figured Texas would surely rout them . Texas was last year the experienced powerhouse , while Vanderbilt the team of fresh faces . This year , it was felt the game should feature the exact opposite , with Vanderbilt a fourteen point favorite . The teams were also relatively even in their weight ; the big backfield of the Longhorns met the experienced and heavy line of the Commodores . Bigger still was the interest for watching a match between undefeated teams , and Vanderbilt ' s recent tie against the mighty Wolverines made the pairing seem all the more elite . Dallas radio station WFAA was to broadcast the game back to Austin for Texas students . A rough match had been expected , as an ambulance was kept at the ready near the stadium ' s entrance . Prior to this year ' s match , Vanderbilt had several key players injured . Jess Neely , Garland Morrow , and Tot McCullough all had their issues , seeing significantly shortened playing time . Coach McGugin had said " We are crippled beyond all repair , but we are going out to Texas to win . " The game ' s stand out players included the punting Scotty Neill and the speedy Gil Reese . Texas was apparently strong between the tackles , and so it came upon Gil Reese , called names such as " the Tupelo flash " and " the son of Mercury , " to show his ability at running around the edge . He scored all three of Vanderbilt ' s touchdowns . The first score of the game came from Texas . After the initial kickoff to Vanderbilt , Scotty Neill quickly punted back to Texas , for Vanderbilt had much faith in its defense . The highlight of the ensuing drive was a 22 - yard run around the edge by the Longhorns ' Franklin Stacy . A few plays after this long run , Texas found itself on Vanderbilt ' s 18 - yard line . Then , after Vanderbilt committed an offsides penalty , Texas moved up to the 13 - yard line . Seeking a spark , McGugin sent in his injured captain Jess Neely . It worked to an extent , with Texas losing yards and ending up at the 17 - yard line ; and it was from there that Stacy kicked a field goal . A bit later , Vanderbilt kicked to Stacy , who after a few yards was hit and fumbled the ball , which was recovered by the Commodores ' Hek Wakefield at the 25 - yard line . Vandy ' s Gil Reese ran twice around the edge , giving the Commodores the ball at the 13 - yard line . Vanderbilt ran for a few more using Neely and Doc Kuhn , and then an end run from Reese got the Commodores to the 1 - yard line . Reese punched it in for the score on the next series with a run off - tackle . The try was good , and Vanderbilt led 7 to 3 . A series of punts back and forth followed , with Neill booming rather deep punts . Captain Neely broke this streak of lethargic offense from both sides , running back a 30 - yard punt return . Starting from the 40 - yard line , this drive was credited to Reese . After two Vandy runs , one of about ten yards around end from Neill and another of about four yards through the middle from Kuhn , Reese jetted around the end , " slipping here , twirling there , " for a 46 - yard touchdown . The try was missed , and thus the score was 13 to 3 . The punting duel then resumed , with Neill again getting the upper hand . After a short Texas punt and a decent return from Reese , Vanderbilt found itself in good field position at the 45 - yard line of Texas . On the first play of the drive , the Longhorns ' Edwin Bluestein blew through Vanderbilt ' s line and stopped Reese for a loss . A fifteen yard penalty afterwards did not help the Commodores . The penalty was on Neill for slugging , who was going to be ejected had it not been for the Texas victim , center and captain ' Swede ' Swenson , telling the referee s to allow him to stay . The next play saw a clumsy pass to Neill , who was forced to try and make a play instead of punting the ball as intended , resulting in a fumble recovered by Texas at the 29 - yard line . Texas then got a big play from James Marley , who made a 21 - yard run . As the first quarter ended Texas was on Vanderbilt ' s 5 - yard line . A short run by Marley set up a touchdown from Yancy Culp . Texas thus closed the gap , 13 to 10 . The punting then continued , but this time Neill was not as sharp as before , and Texas saw two field goal attempts near the end of the first half . The first drive was going well until Marley tripped on a run , and the field goal was missed from an uneasy angle . The second field goal attempt was blocked by Hek Wakefield , and recovered by Tex Bradford . The punting resumed at the start of the second half . Reese recovered his own fumble at the 18 - yard line , making it so Texas had the edge in field position during these series of punts . Texas eventually got a chance to score out of this , with a drive starting at Vanderbilt ' s 43 - yard line . Three runs and a pass got Texas to the 20 - yard line , but then a pass from Ivan Robertson was intercepted by Lynn Bomar . The plight of Vanderbilt ' s field position changed after this , with Neill netting a punt of about 60 yards . The next punt from Texas gave Vandy the ball at the 45 - yard line . Kuhn made five yards in two plays , on a 3 - yard run around the left end and a 2 - yard run up the middle . Then Kuhn rushed around the edge for nine or ten on a ' criss cross ' , and Wakefield powered his way through the middle for the rest of the first down . Kuhn went around the edge again , this time for 20 + yards as he was downed inside of the Longhorns ' 10 - yard line . An unsuccessful dive ended the third quarter . The drive was to stall here , with two runs up the middle by Reese having been stopped ; and a fourth down pass attempt from Kuhn to Bomar apparently being blown up . Texas punted again after the next series , the ball rolling to Vanderbilt ' s 45 - yard line . Neill faked a kick and ran for five yards , with the other five needed for the first down made on the next play by either Kuhn or Neely . Reese then lost yards , and a pass attempt from Neely to Bomar was incomplete . On the next play , Neely hit Bomar on a long pass that went twenty - three yards in the air , with Bomar running for some twenty more and down close to the goal . Reese ran it in on the next play , and the try was good . Vanderbilt 20 , Texas 10 . On the next drive of Vanderbilt ' s , Wakefield fumbled on a run off tackle and the Longhorns ' Robertson recovered on Vanderbilt ' s 20 - yard line . A few runs and a pass gave the Longhorns the ball at the 8 - yard line , but they failed to convert on the next series of downs , as Marley fell short of the goal line . Neill then had to punt from his own end zone , and did well with a 52 - yard punt . The two teams traded interceptions , Reese intercepting for Vanderbilt and Eckhardt doing the same for Texas , and Texas got the ball back where they had started . A 17 - yard pass from Robertson gave this drive promise ; but again he was intercepted , this time by Alf Sharpe , just two plays later . Neill punted some 55 yards , and Texas was back at their own 40 - yard line . Robertson completed a 22 - yard pass to Weaver Moore , and then another 15 - yard pass to Richard Burns . The last play of this vigorous drive saw a Texas run downed at about the 12 - yard line as the game ended . Texas felt validated after having played better than expected . This year ' s game was much closer than the last , as shown by the score . In fact , the number of first downs seemed to favor Texas . The Longhorns had fifteen first downs to the Commodores ' eight . A . M . Venne , the referee of the game , suggested Vandy won because of its crafty play , saying the defeat of Texas was due to Vandy ' s ' head work . ' Texas turned out to be one of the best teams Vanderbilt played this season . The next week the Longhorns beat a solid Alabama team which finished first in the South in scoring with 300 points , upset John Heisman ' s undefeated Penn on the road , and beat Georgia . Texas ' s only other loss was an upset by Texas A & M late in the season ; and though Texas A & M had a weak record , it was felt they would field a decent squad by the end of the year . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Texas was the following : Bomar ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Walker ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Lawrence ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Wakefield ( left halfback ) , Reese ( right halfback ) , S . Porter ( fullback ) . Week 5 : Mercer . For the fifth game , Vanderbilt beat the Mercer Baptists by a score of 25 to 0 . Mercer was coached by former All - Southern tackle and Vanderbilt football star Josh Cody . Mercer ' s team was crippled , having many star players out with the dengue fever . Included on the sick list was Ed Irwin , Mercer ' s do - it - all end who was also their best punter and a good passer , right guard ' Judge ' Dasher , and left guard and team captain Carl Lancaster . George Harmon , halfback and Beverly Gaines , tackle , were also unable to perform due to sickness or injuries , George Harmon apparently having hurt his ankle . The Baptists ' back up center W . M . Barron also had the mumps . It was at least noted that ' Coot ' Lynch , replacement for Ed Irwin , was as good an end just without Irwin ' s passing and punting ability . One Glenn Carthron was to replace captain Lancaster , and though a large fellow this replacement was not as comparable as Lynch , for he had just healed from his own illness . For all of the 1922 season , Mercer had been unable to play a full lineup of regulars . Scoring at all would have been quite the achievement for the Mercer Baptists . Vanderbilt therefore used this game to rest its hurt players , featuring mostly substitutes . Replacement quarterback Red Rountree was the star of the game , paving the way for all four of the Commodores ' scores with his punt returns and end runs . The star for the Baptists was their fullback Dave Rice , who got the majority of their yardage on the ground . The Commodores were held scoreless in the first quarter . The first score came early in the second when sub quarterback Red Rountree ran for 43 yards around end . In the same period Lynn Bomar hit Rountree on a 28 - yard pass , but Vanderbilt was unable to use this to score . The second touchdown came after a short punt from Mercer and a good return from Rountree set up a line buck into the end zone from Bomar . In the fourth quarter the Commodores saw two more touchdowns . A pass to Bomar and a strong line plunge from S . T . Porter accounted for the scores . Mercer ' s only chance to score came in the fourth quarter . After Vanderbilt had fumbled Mercer completed a pass down to the 10 - yard line , but that ' s where Mercer was still when the game ended . Red Rountree finished the game with 132 yards rushing , as well as 109 yards on punt returns . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Mercer was the following : Brown ( left end ) , Bomar ( left tackle ) , Orr ( left guard ) , W . Porter ( center ) , Lawrence ( right guard ) , Walker ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Rountree ( quarterback ) , Meiers ( right halfback ) , Mixon ( left halfback ) , S . Porter ( fullback ) . Week 6 : at Tennessee . In the sixth game of the year , Vanderbilt beat the Tennessee Volunteers at Knoxville by a score of 14 to 6 . The eighteenth meeting between Vanderbilt and Tennessee saw a packed stadium , the largest crowd of the season for Shields - Watkins Field . Tennessee was out for revenge , as the Volunteers had only beaten the Commodores twice , and Vanderbilt was ahead in points scored in the series by a vast margin , 347 to 53 . Tennessee also hoped to better its Southern Conference record after having lost to Georgia . Both teams had last week rested their starters , Vanderbilt winning over Mercer , and Tennessee beating Mississippi by a score of 49 to 0 . It was therefore thought the game should be a closer one than in years past , with Vanderbilt only slight favorites . The game turned out to be hotly contested , so much so that many felt Vanderbilt was outplayed but not outfought . Perhaps the week off for many Commodore starters had hindered Vanderbilt ' s ability to play its best . Tennessee drove down to the 7 - yard line in the first quarter , but was held on downs . The first score came from Vanderbilt in the second quarter on a 31 - yard touchdown pass from Jess Neely to Doc Kuhn . Wakefield kicked goal . In the fourth quarter , Tennessee got to the 1 - yard line after a series of long passes . Tennessee fullback Roe Campbell charged over the line for the touchdown . The Volunteers ' Clayton failed to kick goal . Later in the fourth , Vanderbilt intercepted a Tennessee pass in Volunteer territory , leading to a chance to score . After runs at the line failed , a 5 - yard pass from Neely to Lynn Bomar got the touchdown . Hek Wakefield ' s try was successful . Lynn Bomar , Scotty Neill , Gil Reese , and Fatty Lawrence were mentioned as the players of the game for the Commodores , and Campbell was cited as the star for the Volunteers . It was said Neill out - punted the Volunteers on nearly every occasion . " The Nashville Banner " said Lawrence had been " in there doing a man ' s job blocking a kick and tackling with the deadliness of a tiger unleashed in a cave of lions . " This week saw Tulane lose to North Carolina , leaving Vanderbilt as the only undefeated member of the Southern Conference . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Tennessee was the following : McCullough ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Morrow ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Walker ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Neely ( left halfback ) , Rountree ( right halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) . Week 7 : Kentucky . In the seventh week of play , Vanderbilt beat the Kentucky Wildcats by a score of 9 to 0 . Though the Wildcats were aware of the chances of being outmatched , they had a bit of confidence going into the game against Vanderbilt . This was because last week the Wildcats had played Centre , and though they were beaten pretty badly , they managed to hold Centre on the goal line at the end of the game . Kentucky was also feeling bitter about last year ' s loss to the Commodores at home , and motivated to have a signature win against Vanderbilt . The Wildcats scored on Vanderbilt for the first time in its history in the prior year ' s match , and felt they were well prepared going into the crowd at Dudley Field . Lynn Bomar ' s kickoff was fielded by Turner Gregg , returned to the 16 - yard line . Three runs from Kentucky gained 9 yards , and on fourth down the Wildcats punted the ball out of bounds at midfield . After the punt , Vanderbilt ran itself deeper into Kentucky territory on the backs of Doc Kuhn , Freddie Meiers , and Hek Wakefield . The drive did not start well , with Kuhn losing yards as a run around the end was snuffed out by the Kentucky defense . The next play was the beginning of Vanderbilt ' s success , with Meiers getting an 8 - yard run . Kuhn then went up the middle twice for a total of 7 yards . The next series of downs had a short run by Meiers , and a 4 - yard run for a first down from Wakefield . After a 1 - yard end run from Kuhn , Meiers went for 5 yards . Kuhn then went up the middle for six more and a first down . Vanderbilt jumped offsides after a 2 - yard run from Wakefield . Kuhn was stopped for no gain , and on a fake kick play Bomar ran around the end for 5 yards . On the next play , from the 18 - yard line , a drop kick by Wakefield split the uprights . On the next possession , Kentucky drove down to Vanderbilt ' s 20 - yard line . Any attempt to move further was stopped by Vanderbilt ' s defense , and a 35 - yard dropkick from Turner Gregg was missed . The first drive of the second quarter for the Commodores centered around Kuhn , Meiers , and Jess Neely ; but after reaching Kentucky ' s 35 - yard line the ball was turned over on downs . Kentucky did not gain much on the next possession , and punted away . The next series saw a 70 + yard drive from Vanderbilt . With fourth down on the 1 - yard line , Meiers punched it in for the touchdown . Wakefield ' s try was missed . A later punt by the Wildcats saw Kuhn return the ball 43 yards , tackled by the last man before the end zone , Kentucky ' s punter Gregg . The half ended before Vandy could use this to score . Vanderbilt ' s play in the third quarter was hampered by fumbles . The ball was kicked off to Kuhn for a 12 - yard return . Meiers then fumbled the ball , which was recovered by Kentucky . During the ensuing possession Vanderbilt jumped offsides . Vanderbilt ' s defense made up for the Commodores ' rather poor situation . Kentucky tried an end run which resulted in a loss of 3 yards , and on the next play a pass was intercepted by Bomar . The next Vanderbilt drive seemed promising with an average of a bit more than five yards per play , until Vandy had again fumbled the ball away . The Vanderbilt defense once more came to the rescue , as Kentucky could not get 10 yards and therefore the ball went over on downs . The final quarter saw Kentucky attempt a hurried comeback led by forward passes . Only one was completed , a 30 - yard pass from Fuller to Hollowell . Vanderbilt sent in a fresh Gil Reese for Meiers , and Reese thus closed out the game . One play was a 35 - yard run , Reese only failing to score because of Kentucky ' s Brewer just getting his feet from behind . At Kentucky ' s 35 - yard line the drive was stalled with a turnover on downs . The Vanderbilt - Kentucky game was called a ' hard fought battle . ' Once the week had finished , Vanderbilt was the only undefeated team left in the South , since VMI had lost to North Carolina . The following week , Kentucky hosted the high scoring Alabama squad , and was the only team of the season to hold the Crimson Tide scoreless . The Wildcats had also beaten Sewanee earlier this year . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Kentucky was the following : Bomar ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Lawrence ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Morrow ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Meiers ( left halfback ) , Neely ( right halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) Week 8 : at Georgia . In the eighth week of play , the Herman Stegeman led Georgia Bulldogs played Vanderbilt for their homecoming . It was the last game in Athens for Georgia greats such as captain and All - Southern guard Hugh ' Puss ' Whelchel , running back ' Goat ' Tanner , end Dave Collings , and the other guard ' Nemo ' Vandiver . Along with Whelchel , tackle Joe Bennett and fullback John Fletcher were named to All - Southern teams at the end of the year , with Fletcher getting the most votes of any Georgia representative . Among the notables in the large crowd at Sanford Field was recent Governor - elect Clifford Walker . Vanderbilt entered the Georgia game as slight favorites . Vanderbilt usually beat Georgia , but last year had to fight back just to bring the game to a tie , dashing either teams ' hopes of an unblemished record and an undisputed SIAA title . This year , Vanderbilt was acknowledged as back in full form . Since they held Yost ' s machine scoreless , it was figured Georgia could have a rough time with the Commodores ' defense . The game was also seen as the last hurdle for the Commodores before they could be considered champions of the South . Georgia did not have a bad run defense either , but had poorly defended the forward pass in weeks prior . Therefore it was thought Vanderbilt should seek to expose Georgia ' s defense by utilizing its passing game . Georgia was hungry to finally beat Vanderbilt , having this game at the top of its list of desirable victories . The Commodores were as eager to silence the hungry Bulldogs and continue their quest towards a Southern championship . Vanderbilt ' s passing attack was indeed ready to expose the wrinkle in Georgia ' s defense . Though the Commodores were only 3 for 9 on pass plays , they made those three count , for a total of somewhere around ninety yards . These passes showed the mark of ' ceaseless drill ' and seemed to come once Vandy had worked Georgia ' s defense into playing the run just a bit too much . Vanderbilt also found itself in another game where punts may have decided the victor , with Vanderbilt registering the better punts . Scotty Neill punted 14 times , with an average distance of 47 yards . Georgia punted 15 times with an average of 34 yards . Georgia fans were amazed to see Vanderbilt try a rather odd play with its punter twice during the game . After a fair catch , the Commodores lined up as if they were prepared to kick the ball away , and then tried a high hanging onside punt . Both times it was tried it failed , luckily for Georgia as they certainly seemed caught off guard by the display . Perhaps the reason for the Commodores trying such a play was because an onside kick saved them from losing to Georgia the year before . The opening kickoff went to Georgia . The first few series saw little gains by either teams ' running game , and punts were traded back and forth . During one of these series , Whelchel was hurt on a short gain through the middle by the Commodores ' Gil Reese , but he stayed in the game . Jess Neely also tried a long pass to Bomar , which fell incomplete . The first scoring drive of the game started when Reese returned a punt fourteen yards to the 46 - yard line . On the first play of this series , Kuhn ran behind the left tackle for a yard , putting the ball in the middle of the field . Neely then hit Bomar on a long pass thrown from a few yards behind the line of scrimmage . Bomar caught it on about the 7 - yard line , and was downed by Georgia halfback Loren Chester ' Teany ' Randall after having run for five more , down to about the 3 - yard line . The next series of downs saw a touchdown from Reese , on his second run at the left tackle . Wakefield missed the kick . The first play after the ensuing kickoff to Georgia was a 17 - yard run off right tackle by Randall , who was snuffed out for a 4 - yard loss on the next play . Tanner then lost a yard on the play after . Whelchel was injured again and this time sat out . Georgia then kicked to Reese , who signaled for a fair catch but was hit anyway , and so Georgia was penalized the fifteen yards . Vanderbilt used the good field position to try and pin Georgia back , with Neill kicking the ball out of bounds at the 20 - yard line . Georgia punted after the next series to give the Commodores the ball at Georgia ' s 40 - yard line . Kuhn ran around left end for five yards before going out of bounds . A pass was tried , Kuhn to Tex Bradford , but was grounded . Kuhn got another yard through center before Neill punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback , as the quarter ended . The second quarter began much like the first , a trading of punts . This time it was Vanderbilt ' s captain , Jess Neely , who got hurt on the first series . He then sat out . After a few series for both teams , a punt to Reese was fumbled after a Georgia player tackled him hard . Georgia ' s Randall came out of the pile of players with the ball . Georgia now had the ball on Vandy ' s 40 - yard line , and the crowd could be heard chanting " Tie it up ! " Fletcher made nine yards on a double pass play , and Tanner ran for a few more . Fletcher made another short gain for Georgia , off left tackle . Randall hit Paul Anderson on a pass play to get Georgia inside the 20 - yard line . Two more runs by Fletcher for a net gain of nine yards , and Tanner then barely getting the yard needed for a first down , gave the Bulldogs the ball at the 5 - yard line . Fletcher ran into Vandy ' s line on the next play for a yard . Randall went at center but the Vanderbilt defense swarmed and turned him back . Fletcher then went off left tackle for two more . Georgia tried to throw for a touchdown on its final down , but the pass was knocked down at the 2 - yard line . The half ended shortly after . To start the second half , Collings kicked off to Freddie Meiers . Meiers got the best run of the day with a return of 40 yards , giving Vanderbilt the ball at the 45 - yard line . Neill punted to Randall who fell on his own fumble at the 17 - yard line . Vanderbilt held Georgia to a 4th and 1 , but jumped offsides during the punt , giving Georgia a first down . Luckily for Vanderbilt , the next few plays failed and Georgia again punted . Reese returned the punt twenty yards , to Georgia ' s 44 - yard line . Meiers gained two yards with a run up the middle on the next play . On a play not unlike the touchdown in the first quarter , Doc Kuhn dropped back and hit Bomar for a 40 + yard touchdown pass . The pass went twenty eight yards in the air , with Bomar running the rest of the way . Collings tackled Bomar just as he was crossing the goal line , hurting himself in the process . Wakefield missed the kick . Again punts were traded between teams . At the end of the third quarter Georgia was trying to pass , but just one was completed and that was for five yards . A few plays after Neill had just punted back to Georgia was when the quarter ended . Georgia punted back to Vanderbilt at the start of the fourth quarter , who soon punted it back again . Bomar intercepted a pass from Randall on this next drive . After only small gains from the Commodores , the ball was punted back to Georgia . Georgia fumbled the punt but managed to come up with the recovery . Georgia then lost yards and ended up with a bad punt , out of bounds at their own 22 - yard line . The Commodores advanced to within just a few yards of the goal , and it looked as if they would score again . A pass from Reese to Bradford got a few , and Meiers had the best run from scrimmage the Commodores had seen all day for a bit more than ten yards . Kuhn ran for two more through center . Vanderbilt was then caught offside , and after Meiers got one more yard , Reese lost yards trying to go around the end . A pass into the end zone was knocked down , and the Commodores failed to score . Both teams tried to pass from this point until the game ended , especially Georgia in an attempt to net a comeback . Neither team had much success , and so the game ended with a final score of 12 to 0 . Vanderbilt left the game as intended , as favorites to be crowned champions of the South . The 1922 game between Georgia and Vanderbilt marked the last time Georgia had lost two in a row at home to Vanderbilt , for they also lost 46 to 0 at Athens in 1912 . The next week saw Georgia finish its season with a loss to the aforementioned Alabama . Georgia posted a respectable record , given its schedule , of 5 - 4 - 1 . Georgia ' s best win was against Tennessee . Along with the blemishes of Vanderbilt and Alabama , Georgia lost to a strong Auburn team which upset Centre , as well as to a Chicago team which was officially Western Conference co - champion and played a close game with national champion Princeton . The Bulldogs ' one tie was against Virginia , another team which had a close match with Princeton . The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Georgia was the following : Bomar ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Morrow ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Walker ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Reese ( left halfback ) , Neely ( right halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) . Week 9 : Sewanee . Vanderbilt finished the season against its oldest rival , the Sewanee Tigers , at Dudley Field on Thanksgiving Day . Vanderbilt beat Sewanee worse than had been expected , by a score of 26 to 0 . Clinching an undefeated season , the Commodores achieved nineteen first downs to the Tigers ' two . The crowd of 20 , 000 people was the largest ever to see a football game in Nashville . Sewanee got the ball first and rushed to within a yard of a first down , but decided to kick the ball away . The Tigers went for an onside kick , which was recovered by the Commodores on the 40 - yard line . Scotty Neill then muffed a pass from center and was tackled for a 10 - yard loss . The ensuing punt by Neill went 43 yards . Sewanee failed to gain much , and had a short punt out of bounds at the 43 - yard line . This led to Vanderbilt ' s first scoring drive , marked by dashes around end from Gil Reese and powerful runs off tackle by Freddie Meiers . Reese went around the right end for 13 yards . Meiers then ran all the way down to Sewanee ' s 14 - yard line , and Reese skirted around left end for ten more . After Meiers failed to gain on the next play , Reese carried the ball for a score on a flank attack , and Hek Wakefield kicked goal . A few minutes later , Vanderbilt scored another touchdown . Wakefield returned a kick for 33 yards , and Doc Kuhn ran out of bounds for a six - yard gain . Kuhn then faked a run and Sewanee was caught completely off - guard . He tossed the ball to Lynn Bomar , who was left wide open behind the defense . Bomar scampered the remaining 25 yards for the touchdown with ease . Wakefield kicked goal . In the second quarter , Sewanee tried to put a drive together after holding Vanderbilt on downs at the 32 - yard line . Sewanee halfback Jack Gibbons went for three yards , then halfback ' Heinie ' Powers went off tackle for seven more . Gibbons fumbled but recovered for a gain of an additional three . Vanderbilt ' s defense then responded , and Sewanee was forced to punt . Gil Reese returned the punt for 35 yards . The Commodores were not able to do much with this , and punted away after two failed line bucks . As the quarter came to a close , Bomar intercepted a Sewanee pass . Vanderbilt put together another scoring drive this time , started by Meiers running through Sewanee ' s line for a long gain . Reese then hit the line to no avail , and a pass fell incomplete . Kuhn hit Neill on a 10 - yard pass to get the Commodores inside the 5 - yard line . On the next series , Kuhn powered his way through the line for a touchdown . The try failed . The third quarter was Sewanee ' s best . After trading punts , Sewanee ' s offense started to click for the first time . The first long gain for Sewanee was because of a Vanderbilt penalty for roughness . Powers made nine yards around end , and Gibbons plunged over behind his tackles for four more . A long pass from Powers to end ' Shucks ' Shook got Sewanee to about the 8 - yard line . Vanderbilt ' s defense again answered the call , throwing Gibbons for a loss and having no gain from Powers . Sewanee attempted a field goal from the 11 - yard line which narrowly missed . Vanderbilt got back to its previous success in the final quarter , with a drive described as a " savage attack . " The Commodores got to Sewanee ' s 17 - yard line when two passes failed , one dropped by Tex Bradford at the 5 - yard line , to turn the ball over on downs . Sewanee started to get desperate with passes , one of which was intercepted by George Waller . Runs around end and through the middle took Vanderbilt down to the 1 - yard line . After Kuhn got a short gain needed for a first down up the middle , Reese took two runs which together accounted for 19 yards . Reese then ran up behind center to power his way into the end zone . The umpire got knocked down on this play , and suffered a sprained ankle . Sewanee ' s last drive featured a 29 - yard pass from Powers to captain Bill Coughlan , which ended up at the Commodores ' 42 - yard line . Three more passes were tried , but Vanderbilt defended them well . On fourth down Sewanee hit a 9 - yard pass , not enough for the first down . The game ended shortly after Vanderbilt ' s offense took the field , ensuring Vanderbilt ' s undefeated season . The startling lineup for Vanderbilt against Sewanee was the following : Bomar ( left end ) , Bradford ( left tackle ) , Lawrence ( left guard ) , Sharpe ( center ) , Kelly ( right guard ) , Morrow ( right tackle ) , Sc . Neill ( right end ) , Kuhn ( quarterback ) , Neely ( left halfback ) , Reese ( right halfback ) , Wakefield ( fullback ) . Post - season . The 1922 season was among the best in Vanderbilt and Southern history . Many publications listed Vanderbilt ' s season as the best in the South . Georgia Tech was the only challenger for the mythical Southern crown , though the 1922 Southern Conference championship was officially shared between Vanderbilt , Georgia Tech , and North Carolina . Having tied with Georgia for an SIAA championship in 1921 , the Commodores shared a conference championship for the second year in a row . Vanderbilt ' s defense , at least , was universally acknowledged as best in the South . The Vanderbilt defense held all of Michigan , Tennessee , Georgia , and Texas when they were within 3 yards of the goal . Coach McGugin ' s fine record in intersectional matchups started to get some notice . He had beaten the Carlisle Indians 4 - 0 in 1906 , tied Navy on the road in 1907 , tied Yale 0 - 0 on the road in 1910 , lost a close fight with Harvard 9 - 3 in 1912 ; and now one could add the scoreless tie with Michigan of 1922 . Vanderbilt was slotted to play both Texas and Michigan again the next year . Those two matches were to be away games , with the rest of the schedule at home . On December 5 , at the annual football banquet , quarterback Doc Kuhn was elected captain of the Commodore squad for 1923 . Lynn Bomar received first team All - American honors from Frank G . Menke . He was also selected as a second team All - American by Walter Camp , a third team All - American by Walter Eckersall , and appears on Billy Evans ' National Honor Roll . Bomar was one of the first Southern players to make Camp ' s team . Jess Neely , Doc Kuhn , and Scotty Neill got Camp ' s honorable mention . Bomar was one of just two consensus All - Southern selections ; the other was Red Barron of Georgia Tech . Kuhn appeared on Billy Evans ' National Honor Roll , and was the second quarterback , behind Herb ' Flash ' Covington of Centre , selected for Billy Evans ' Southern Honor Roll . Scotty Neill appeared on Billy Evans ' Southern Honor Roll , and on the All - Southern team of Zipp Newman , sports editor for " The Birmingham News " . Other Commodores on Billy Evans ' s Southern Honor Roll were Gil Reese , Tex Bradford , and Tuck Kelly . Assistant coach Wallace Wade left Vanderbilt for the head coaching position at Alabama , where he had much success , establishing Alabama ' s dynasty . He was first pursued by the University of Kentucky , but refused that option once he felt they had kept him too late with a committee hearing . Dan McGugin had been pursued by Alabama , but felt content with Vanderbilt , recommending Wade for the position . In eight years at Alabama , Wade went 61 – 13 – 3 with the school ' s first three national titles ; and had the first Southern team to play in a Rose Bowl . His replacement at Vanderbilt was Mercer coach and former Vanderbilt great Josh Cody .