DALLAS (FWAA) – The Vanderbilt
Commodores (5-4) snapped a 22-game losing streak to
Florida and beat the Gators in The Swamp for the first time
since 1945 with a 34-17 win. The key road victory now has Vandy
one win shy of a third consecutive bowl season and earned the
Commodores the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the
Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 9.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College
Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.
The Commodores intercepted three passes in the first
two-and-a-half quarters, building a 24-3 lead after starting
possessions inside the Gators' 22-yard line after each takeaway.
The short fields enabled Vanderbilt to win with only 12 first
downs and 187 total yards.
In addition to winning for the first time in Gainesville in
68 years, the win marked the first time in school history that
Vandy has defeated SEC rivals Florida and Georgia in the same
season.
"We're a fundamentalist program, and I think that's why over
time we get better. By really relying on your fundamentals and
emphasizing fundamentals, I think you have a chance to have some
success," Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin said after the
game. "If you look over our last year and a half, we're 6-0 in
the month of November, which if you study Vanderbilt's history
that hasn't always been the case this late in the season.”
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Nov. 9 included:
• Alabama (9-0): The top-ranked Crimson
Tide ran away from No. 10 LSU in the second half to record
an impressive 38-17 win. Alabama allowed only 52 yards in
the second half while its offense broke a 17-17
third-quarter tie.
• Stanford (8-1): The Cardinal took
control of the Pac-12 North Division with a 26-20 win over
Oregon. Stanford led 26-0 in the fourth quarter before
Oregon, who came in aberging almost 56 points per game,
scored the game's final 20 points. Tyler Gaffney led
Stanford with 157 rushing yards on a school-record 45
carries..
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national
team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the ninth season
that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor.
Each remaining Monday during the 2013 college football regular season,
the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the
Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games
that have decided the college football national championship, including
four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 1, 2014, at University of Phoenix
Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will
be played on Dec. 28, 2013, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For
more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of
the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.
2013 FWAA ALL-AMERICA
COMMITTEE |
Mark Anderson |
Las Vegas Review-Journal |
Mountain West |
Greg Barnes |
Inside Carolina |
ACC |
Kirk Bohls |
Austin American-Statesman |
Big 12 |
Joseph Duarte |
Houston Chronicle |
Conference USA |
Lee Feinswog |
Sports225.com |
SEC |
Tommy Hicks |
Mobile Press Register |
Sun Belt |
Joey Johnston |
Tampa Tribune |
American |
David Jones |
Harrisburg Patriot-News |
Big Ten |
Lindsay Schnell |
The Oregonian |
Pac-12 |
George Schroeder |
USA Today |
National |
Phil Steele |
Phil Steele Publications |
National |
John Wagner |
Toledo Blade |
Mid-American |
|