1974 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1974 Vanderbilt Commodores football
1974 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Peach Bowl, T 6–6 vs. Texas Tech
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	7–3–2 (2–3–1 SEC)
Head coach	Steve Sloan (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Rex Dockery (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bill Parcells (2nd season)
Captain	David Lee
Home stadium	Dudley Field
	Seasons ← 1973 1975 →

1974 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5 Alabama $	6	–	0	–	0	11	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Auburn	4	–	2	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
Georgia	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	6	–	0
No. 17 Mississippi State	3	–	3	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 15 Florida	3	–	3	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Kentucky	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
No. 20 Tennessee	2	–	3	–	1	7	–	3	–	2
Vanderbilt	2	–	3	–	1	7	–	3	–	2
LSU	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	1
Ole Miss	0	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1974 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. The Commodores scored 313 points while allowing 199 points.^[1] Led by head coach Steve Sloan, the Commodores had their best record since 1955 and appeared in the school's second bowl game. Vanderbilt did not return to a bowl game until 1982.

Vanderbilt defeated Florida, Ole Miss, Tulane, Louisville, Army, Chattanooga, and the Virginia Military Institute.^[2] Vanderbilt lost to Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. Vanderbilt's final two games ended in ties: the regular season finale against rival Tennessee and the 1974 Peach Bowl against Texas Tech.^[3] Vanderbilt's final record was 7–3–2 (2–3–1 in the SEC).^[4] After the season, head coach Steve Sloan left Vanderbilt to become head coach at Texas Tech, the team Vanderbilt had faced in the Peach Bowl to close the season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	Chattanooga*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 28–6	19,900	^[5]
September 21	VMI*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 45–7	16,500	^[6]
September 28	at No. 4 Alabama	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		L 10–23	58,419	^[7]^[8]
October 12	No. 8 Florida	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 24–10	25,800	^[9]
October 19	at Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		L 31–38	51,100	^[10]
October 26	Ole Miss	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)		W 24–14	30,875	^[11]
November 2	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY		W 38–14	30,109	^[12]
November 9	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)		L 12–38	56,000	^[13]
November 16	Tulane*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 30–22	15,000	^[14]
November 23	at Louisville*	Fairgrounds Stadium Louisville, KY		W 44–0	8,936	^[15]
November 30	Tennessee	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)		T 21–21	35,300	^[16]
December 28	vs. Texas Tech*	Atlanta Stadium Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl)	ABC	T 6–6	31,695	^[17]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[18]^[19]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Mark Ilgenfritz	Defensive end	5	118	Cleveland Browns
Doug Nettles	Defensive end	5	129	Baltimore Colts

^[20]

References

^ "1974 Vanderbilt game by game results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
^ "1974 Vanderbilt game by game results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
^ "1974 Vanderbilt game by game results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
^ "1974 Vanderbilt game by game results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
^ "Nothing routine about VU's win". The Tennessean. September 15, 1974. Retrieved September 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vandy runs over VMI". The Sun Herald. September 22, 1974. Retrieved February 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Martin, Steve (September 29, 1974). "Vandy proves it can play too". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1A. Retrieved July 5, 2014 – via Google News Archives.
^ Johnson, Randy (September 29, 1974). "Alabama passing is key factor in 23–10 victory over Vandy". The Gadsden Times. p. 37. Retrieved July 5, 2014 – via Google News Archives.
^ "Vanderbilt upsets Gators". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 13, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vandy falls to Bulldogs". Bristol Herald Courier. October 20, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vandy decks Rebels 24–14". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 27, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "O'Rourke keys Vandy past Army by 38–14". The Courier-Journal. November 3, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Kentucky pops Vandy". The Sunday Express-News. November 10, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lee-to-Burton pass gives Vandy 30–22 victory". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. November 17, 1974. Retrieved October 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vandy crushes Louisville". The Tampa Tribune. November 24, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tennessee ties fumbling Vandy in final 7 seconds". The Courier-Journal. December 1, 1974. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Vandy, Red Raiders battle to 6–6 stalemate in Peach Bowl". Valley Morning Star. December 29, 1974. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1974 Vanderbilt game by game results". Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
^ 1974 Vanderbilt Commodores Schedule and Results
^ "1975 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.