Vanderbilt Commodores vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Match Player Stats On Sep 24, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 24, 2016

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Western Kentucky let Vanderbilt hang around and paid for it dearly.

The Commodores, down 14 late in the first half, stunned the Hilltoppers 31-30 on Saturday when they deflected a two-point conversion attempt in the first overtime to seal the victory.

Vanderbilt went ahead in overtime when Kyle Shurmur threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Marcus on third-and-goal and Tommy Openshaw kicked the extra point.

Western Kentucky responded with an 8-yard scoring pass from Mike White to Shaquille Johnson. The Hilltoppers elected to go for two and the win, but their pass attempt was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

Vanderbilt had forced overtime on the final play of the fourth quarter when Ralph Webb ran into the end zone from 2 yards.

Western Kentucky running back Anthony Wales rushed for 157 yards in front of a school-record crowd of 23,674 at Houchens-Smith Stadium and appeared to help seal a win on the Hilltoppers' last drive in regulation with three huge runs. Ryan Nuss kicked a 25-yard field goal with 1:02 left for a seven-point lead.

Western Kentucky had a 501-389 edge in total yardage, but crucial mistakes kept the game close until the final moments.

The Commodores, down 14 early and dominated to that point in total offense, tied the score 5:45 into the third quarter on Webb's 2-yard scoring run, his second touchdown of the day.

But Wales took advantage of a huge hole on the left side of the line, scampering 21 yards for the go-ahead score with 11:33 left.

Vanderbilt battled back, with Shurmur hooking up with Caleb Scott for a 66-yard completion, setting up Openshaw's 22-yard field goal with 5:29 left.

Western Kentucky took a 14-point lead in the first half after backup quarterback quarterback Tyler Ferguson hit Nacarius Fant with a beautiful 61-yard throw down the right side of the field. But the Commodores got a 4-yard score when Webb found the end zone inside the right pylon with 2:16 left in the half.

Despite a 248-84 edge in total yards in the first half, the Hilltoppers had just a seven-point halftime lead thanks to undisciplined play that cost them 70 yards in penalties and two lost fumbles.

Western Kentucky right tackle Jimmie Sims was ejected for targeting early in the second quarter after Vanderbilt's Tre Herdon picked up one of those miscues deep in Vanderbilt territory.