1919 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1919 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1919 record 512 (312 SIAA)
Head coach Dan McGugin (15th season)
Offensive scheme Short punt
Captain Josh Cody
Home stadium Dudley Field
1919 SIAA football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Auburn $ 5 1 0  8 1 0
Alabama 6 1 0  8 1 0
Kentucky 3 0 1  3 4 1
Georgia Tech 3 1 0  7 3 0
Tulane 3 1 1  6 2 1
Vanderbilt 3 1 2  5 1 2
Furman 2 1 1  6 2 1
Mississippi A&M 5 2 0  6 2 0
Georgia 4 2 2  4 2 3
LSU 3 2 0  6 2 0
Clemson 3 2 2  6 2 2
Florida 2 2 0  5 3 0
Wofford 1 1 0  3 2 1
Ole Miss 1 4 0  4 4 0
The Citadel 1 4 0  4 4 1
Sewanee 1 4 0  3 6 0
Transylvania 0 0 0  0 1 0
Georgetown 0 0 0  0 2 0
Tennessee 0 3 2  3 3 3
South Carolina 0 4 1  1 7 1
Mercer 0 1 0  0 2 0
Mississippi College 0 4 0  3 5 1
Howard 0 4 0  3 5 2
  • $ Conference champion

The 1919 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1919 college football season. The 1919 season was Dan McGugin's 15th year as head coach. McGugin was returning from his stent in the Army during World War I where he was relieved by interim head coach Ray Morrison. Josh Cody was selected third-team All-America by Walter Camp, for the second time (he also received the honor in 1915).

Before the season

After World War I, Josh Cody returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year.[1] He was elected captain.

Schedule

Date Opponent Site Result
October 4 Union (TN)* Dudley FieldNashville, Tennessee W 410  
October 11 Tennessee Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee (Rivalry) T 33  
October 18 at Georgia Tech Grant FieldAtlanta L 020  
October 25 Auburn Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee W 76  
November 1 at Kentucky Stoll FieldLexington, Kentucky (Rivalry) T 00  
November 8 Alabama Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee W 1612  
November 15 at Virginia* Lambeth FieldCharlottesville, Virginia W 106  
November 27 Sewanee Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee (Rivalry) W 3321  
*Non-conference game.

[2]

Season summary

Union

The season opened with a 41–0 victory over the Union Bulldogs.

Tennessee

A steady rain hindered the Tennessee game which ended a 3–3 tie. Josh Cody scored on a 30-yard drop kick, while Buck Hatcher made a 25-yard drop kick.[3]

at Georgia Tech

Vanderbilt fell to Georgia Tech in the mud 20–0. Buck Flowers and fullback Gaiver starred.[4]

The starting lineup was Adams (left end), Cody (left tackle), Bailey (left guard), Early (center), Buckner (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Goar (right end), Sherman (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Berryhill (right halfback), Hendrix (fullback).[5]

Auburn

Auburn at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Auburn 0 600 6
Vanderbilt 0 700 7

SIAA champion Auburn suffered its only loss to Vanderbilt, 7–6. Josh Cody returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown and made the winning extra point.[6] A bit after, Ed Sherling ran in from the 1-yard line, but Pete Bonner missed goal.[6]

Tom Lipscomb and Frank Goar were sent in on Auburn's last drive. Goar had been sick and Lipscomb was suffering from an injured ankle. The two spurned the team to victory in what the Vanderbilt yearbook called "the greatest defensive stand ever staged by any Vanderbilt team."

The starting lineup was Zerfoss (left end), Cody (left tackle), Buckner (left guard), Early (center) Holmes (right guard), Bailey (right tackle), Adams (right end), Latham (quarterback), Berryhill (left halfback), Floyd (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[6]

Kentucky

On Stoll Field in Lexington, the Kentucky Wildcats fought the Commodores to a scoreless tie.

Alabama

1 234Total
Alabama 0 066 12
Vanderbilt 0 1303 16
  • Date: November 8
  • Location: Dudley Field
    Nashville, Tennessee

On a muddy field, the Commodores beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 16–12, giving the Tide their only loss of the season.[7][8]

On its first drive of the game, Alabama took the ball to the Vanderbilt 2-yard line, but then fumbled the ball that was recovered by Josh Cody of the Commodores to end the scoring threat.[7] The second Alabama fumble resulted in the first touchdown of the game. Early in the second quarter, Riggs Stephenson fumbled the ball that was recovered by Tommy Zerfoss and returned 35-yards for a 7–0 Vanderbilt lead.[7] They further extended their lead to 13–0 at halftime on a 20-yard Grailey Berryhill touchdown run.[7]

Alabama rallied in the second half with a pair of two-yards Stephenson touchdown runs in the third and fourth quarter that made the score 13–12.[7] Cody then provided for the final margin in the 16–12 Commodores' victory with his 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.[7]

The starting lineup was Adams (left end), Cody (left tackle), Hendrix (left guard), Early (center), Bailey (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Westgate (right end), Latham (quarterback), Richardson (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[9]

at Virginia

Vanderbilt v. Virginia

Vanderbilt met the Virginia Cavaliers on Lambeth Field and won 10–6. The starting lineup was Zerfoss (left end), Cody (left tackle), Hendrix (left guard), Early (center) Bailey (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Adams (right end), Latham (quarterback), Berryhill (left halfback), Wade (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[10]

Sewanee

On a field wet from previous rains, the Sewanee Tigers put up a game fight as Vanderbilt won 33–21. The starting lineup was Zerfoss (left end), Cody (left tackle), Hendrix (left guard), Early (center), Basley (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Adams (right end), Latham (quarterback), Richardson (left halfback), Floyd (right halfback), Wade (fullback).[11]

Postseason

Fuzzy Woodruff recalls "Auburn claimed it. "We defeated Tech" said Auburn. "Yes, but we defeated you" said Vanderbilt. "Yes", said Alabama, "but Tech, Tulane ,and Tennessee took your measure. We defeated Georgia Tech, who tied Tulane, so we are champions...The newspapers, however, more or less generally supported the claim of Auburn..."[12]

References

  1. "McGugin Will Have Powerful Machine in Coming Grid Battles". Atlanta Constitution. July 27, 1919. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "1919 Vanderbilt Commodores Schedule and Results".
  3. "Football Gleanings". The Davidsonian. October 15, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Georgia Tech Swamps Vanderbilt, 20 to 0". The Washington Post. October 19, 1919. p. 23. Retrieved May 13, 2016 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Woodruff 1928, p. 84
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Cody Leads Teammates To Hard-Won Victory". The Tennessean. October 26, 1919. p. 20. Retrieved June 5, 2016 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alabama is defeated by own fumbles". The New Orleans Item. NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers. November 9, 1919.
  8. http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/19-m-footbl-recaps.pdf
  9. Woodruff 1928, p. 96
  10. Woodruff 1928, p. 97
  11. "Commodores Win By 33 to 21 Score". The Atlanta Constitution. November 28, 1919. p. 19. Retrieved May 13, 2016 via Newspapers.com.
  12. Woodruff 1928, p. 105
  • Woodruff, Fuzzy (1928). A History of Southern Football 1890–1928. 2.
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