Vanderbilt beats Connecticut 24-21

Carey Spear kicked a 31-yard field goal with 2:56 left, and the Vanderbilt Commodores rallied from 21-14 down in the fourth quarter and beat the Connecticut Huskies 24-21 Saturday night. The victory gives new coach James Franklin a 2-0 start and Vanderbilt’s first winning streak since 2008. Tim Fugger had two of Vanderbilt’s five sacks, and the Commodores forced four turnovers, all by Johnny McEntee. Senior Casey Hayward picked off a McEntee pass at midfield, then weaved his way back across the field to finish off a 50-yard return. His first career interception return for a TD tied it at 21 apiece with 6:45 left.
Franklin surprised his Commodores with black helmets after pregame warm-ups, putting them in all black. The Commodores hadn’t used black helmets since 1990, and they came out fired up in what turned into a defensive slugfest with 12 combined sacks, two returns for TDs and a blocked punt for a TD.