Vanderbilt 42, Alabama A&M 0: Commodores have no trouble

Kyle Shurmur threw for 202 yards passing and four touchdowns as the Vanderbilt Commodores easily dispatched the Alabama A&M Bulldogs by a score of 42-0.

Vanderbilt left little doubt about the outcome of this one. The Commodores scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions, and after a touchdown pass to Jared Pinkney midway through the third quarter, Shurmur’s day was done. His final line: 15-for-18 passing, 202 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and Shurmur also added his first career rushing touchdown.

On the other side of the ball, Vanderbilt never allowed Alabama A&M to get anything going. The Commodores’ defense forced two turnovers and also blocked a punt. Alabama A&M ran just one play on the Vanderbilt side of the 50, and Vanderbilt recorded its first shutout since a 40-0 win over Kentucky in 2012. The Bulldogs managed just 103 yards of total offense.

While there isn’t a whole lot to take away from this — Alabama A&M was ranked 245th in the Sagarin ratings entering the game and lost to UAB 38-7 last week — one potential trouble spot for Vanderbilt, and a somewhat surprising one, was the running game: even with defenses suddenly having to worry about the pass, Ralph Webb was largely held in check for most of the game, ending with 54 yards on 13 carries (though he did score a touchdown.)

Vanderbilt improved to 2-0 on the year and has allowed just 6 points on the season. The Commodores will be back in action next Saturday night as they host Kansas State.