2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football
BBVA Compass Bowl champion
BBVA Compass Bowl, W 41–24 vs. Houston
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 23
AP	No. 24
Record	9–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	James Franklin (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	John Donovan (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Bob Shoop (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Brent Pry (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	9 Austyn Carta-Samuels Wesley Johnson Jordan Matthews Walker May Chase Garnham Andre Hal Javon Marshall Carey Spear Andrew East
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium

The 2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores played their seven home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee, which has been Vanderbilt football's home stadium since 1922. The 2013 team was coming off back-to-back bowls for the first time in school history. The 2012 season was the best win percentage since 1955 (.692); the nine wins were the most since 1915, and the 5 SEC wins were the most since 1935. The 2013 team was headed by James Franklin who was in his 3rd and final year at Vanderbilt.^[1]

For the third straight year Vanderbilt had made it to a bowl game. Vandy defeated the Houston Cougars in the BBVA Compass Bowl 41–24. Vanderbilt finished with 9 wins in back to back seasons for the first time in school history. This was the last season the Commodores won a bowl game and finished with a winning record until the 2024 season.

A small amount of controversy occurred when Vanderbilt canceled games at home with Northwestern and away with Ohio State. Letters were sent cancelling the games, with the explicit reason being the need to accommodate Mizzou into Vanderbilt's SEC East Division. Northwestern, like Vanderbilt in the SEC, is the sole private institution in the Big 10, alleged that the real reason was fear on the part of Vanderbilt to continue playing its Big 10 counterpart—a series which had been referred to as the Battle of the Nerds.^[2]

On August 9, 2013, four Vanderbilt football players were arrested and indicted for rape. Brandon Vandenburg, Cory Lamont Batey, Brandon E. Banks, and Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie were taken into custody and given a state-mandated HIV test in connection with the Vanderbilt rape case.^[3] All four men were charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. They allegedly carried an unconscious 21-year-old female student into a dorm room in the school's Gilette House, and gang-raped and sodomized her on the floor in a 32-minute attack on June 23, 2013.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} They took graphic photos and videos of the rape.^[8] The victim (who is White) told the court that after Batey (who is Black) raped her, he urinated on her face while saying she deserved what he was doing to her because of the color of her skin, which sources reported was "That’s for 400 years of slavery you b----."^[9][8] The defendants were dismissed from the football team on June 29, 2013 and banned from campus during the six-week investigation that followed.^[10] A fifth player, Chris Boyd, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit accessory after the fact and was dismissed from the team but not the university^[11] for his role in helping to cover up the rape.^[12] Three of the players were convicted, and received prison sentences ranging from 15 years, the minimum allowed by Tennessee law for their crimes, to 17 years. The fourth player accepted a plea deal which included 10 years' probation, and did not receive any jail time.^{[7][13][8][14]}

^[15]

College recruiting information (2013)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Zach Cunningham LB	Pinson, AL	Pinson Valley High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Feb 6, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (84)
Jordan Cunningham WR	Fort Lauderdale, FL	University School of Nova Southeastern University	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Feb 6, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Brandon Vandenburg TE	Indio, CA	College of the Desert	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jan 20, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (83)
Chad Kanoff QB	Pacific Palisades, CA	Harvard-Westlake School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	May 28, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Jay Woods DT	Jackson, GA	Jackson High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Aug 16, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (83)
Gerald Perry WR	Memphis, TN	Whitehaven High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	May 14, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (76)
Darrius Sims DB	Memphis, TN	Whitehaven High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 17, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (76)
Mitchell Parsons TE	Parker, OH	College of the Desert	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jan 21, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Taurean Ferguson DB	Jonesboro, GA	Jonesboro High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Mar 31, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (74)
DeAndre Woods WR	Clay, AL	Clay-Chalkville High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	Oct 21, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (83)
Delando Crooks OL	Atlanta, GA	The New Schools at Carver	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Dec 15, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Nathan Marcus TE	Glen Ellyn, IL	Glenbard West High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Apr 11, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Jonathan Wynn DE	Stone Mountain, GA	Stephenson High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Mar 27, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (76)
Mack Weaver DE	Collierville, FL	Harding Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	248 lb (112 kg)	Aug 22, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Ralph Webb RB	Gainesville, FL	Gainesville High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 2, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (76)
Latevius Rayford WR	Memphis, TN	Central High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 4, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (78)
Jalen Banks DB	Markham, IL	Thornton Township High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Oct 14, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Tre Bell DB	Union, NJ	St. Peter's Preparatory School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Aug 10, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Nigel Bowden LB	Macon, GA	Central High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jun 17, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Landon Stokes DE	Orlando, FL	Lake Highland Preparatory School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 26, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Oren Burks LB	Fairfax Station, VA	South County Secondary School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Aug 11, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (79)
Ryan White DB	Louisville, KY	Trinity High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Jul 31, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Carlos Burse WR	Alpharetta, GA	Alpharetta High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jun 14, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Tommy Openshaw K/P	Jacksonville, FL	Creekside High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Oct 31, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    247Sports:
Sean Dowling OL	Fallbrook, CA	Fallbrook Union High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Dec 22, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (77)
Johnny McCrary QB	Decatur, GA	Cedar Grove High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Feb 16, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (82)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 19    Rivals: 19    247Sports: 19    ESPN: 22
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 6, 2013.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	8:15 p.m.	Ole Miss	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	ESPN	L 35–39	40,350
September 7	6:30 p.m.	Austin Peay*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	CSS	W 38–3	33,162
September 14	6:00 p.m.	at No. 13 South Carolina	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	ESPN	L 25–35	81,371
September 21	11:00 a.m.	at UMass*	Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MA	ESPNews	W 24–7	16,419
September 28	6:30 p.m.	UAB*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN3	W 52–24	32,467
October 5	6:30 p.m.	Missouri	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	CSS	L 28–51	36,892
October 19	11:00 a.m.	No. 15 Georgia	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	W 31–27	40,350
October 26	11:21 a.m.	at No. 14 Texas A&M	Kyle Field College Station, TX	SECTV	L 24–56	86,584
November 9	11:00 a.m.	at Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECRN	W 34–17	88,004
November 16	11:21 a.m.	Kentucky	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECTV	W 22–6	33,488
November 23	6:00 p.m.	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 14–10	97,223
November 30	11:21 a.m.	Wake Forest*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECTV	W 23–21	33,019
January 4, 2014	12:00 p.m.	vs. Houston*	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (BBVA Compass Bowl)	ESPN	W 41–24	42,717
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time