NCAAF Game Preview - Vanderbilt at Purdue
Sat Sep 7, 2019 12:00 PM EDT

TxAM
10
Clem
24
F
NMS
10
Bama
62
F
Murr
17
UGA
63
F
SD
14
Okla
70
F
Cin
0
OSU
42
F
LSU
45
Tex
38
F
Army
21
Mich
24
F(1OT)
Tul
6
Aub
24
F
UT-M
0
Fla
45
F
NIU
17
Utah
35
F
Cal
20
Wash
19
F
Buff
13
PSU
45
F
NEV
6
Oreg
77
F
C Mi
0
Wisc
61
F
UCF
48
FlAtl
14
F
WestMI
17
MSU
51
F
Rut
0
Iowa
30
F
Syr
20
MD
63
F
NoCol
17
WaSt
59
F
Stan
20
USC
45
F
Marsh
7
Boise
14
F
Neb
31
Colo
34
F OT
Wake
41
Rice
21
F
W&M
17
UVA
52
F
SacSt
7
AzSt
19
F
Ohio
10
Pitt
20
F
(N/A)
23
Kent
26
F
WVU
7
MIZ
38
F
Sou
24
Mem
55
F
BGSU
0
K St
52
F
OD
17
VaTec
31
F
ChaSo
10
SCar
72
F
Vand
24
Purd
42
F
UAB
31
Akr
20
F
WCU
0
NCSt
41
F
SoFL
10
GATec
14
F
Ford
29
Ball
57
F
TnTec
17
MiaOH
48
F
SMiss
15
MissSt
38
F
Gram
14
LT
20
F
SIU
45
UMass
20
F
E Il
0
Ind
52
F
Ill
31
UConn
23
F
Rich
13
BC
45
F
UNCC
41
App
56
F
WIl
13
ColSt
38
F
UTSA
14
Bayl
63
F
SDSU
23
UCLA
14
F
ULMon
44
FlaSt
45
F OT
StFPA
7
JMU
44
F
Maine
18
GaSo
26
F
GWebb
9
ECU
48
F
NCAT
13
Duke
45
F
(N/A)
0
SamHu
77
F
Furm
42
GASt
48
F
Chat
20
JacSt
41
F
Wyo
23
TxSt
14
F
JacSt
14
SoAl
37
F
NorTx
27
SMU
49
F
McNee
14
OkSt
56
F
TnSt
26
MidTN
45
F
CoCar
12
Kans
7
F
BYU
29
Tenn
26
F(1OT)
E Ky
0
Lou
42
F
W Ky
20
FLInt
14
F
Stony
7
UtSt
62
F
Ark
17
Miss
31
F
Lib
14
ULLaf
35
F
E Mi
17
KY
38
F
UTEP
3
TxTch
38
F
PVAM
17
Hou
37
F
MiaFL
25
UNC
28
F
Tuls
34
SJSU
16
F
ArkSt
43
UNLV
17
F
MIN
38
Fres
35
F(1OT)
NoAZ
41
Ariz
65
F
OreSt
28
Hawaii
31
F
Vanderbilt-Purdue Preview
Fri Sep 6, 2019 3:14 AM

Vanderbilt quarterback Riley Neal produced some of his best work on the football fields of Indiana.

He broke all the major passing records at Yorktown High School and led the Tigers to the first 11-win season in school history. He won the starting job as a Ball State freshman in 2015 and appeared to have the Cardinals poised for a turnaround season after going 4-3 to open the 2016 season. Then the injuries hit and Neal's career bottomed out.

On Saturday, the Commodores hope their new starter can rekindle his old magic when he returns to his home state to face Purdue.

"He's got to go into this ball game knowing and understanding that his team needs him," Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. "So let's get to work. He's a guy who's mature enough to understand that."

Perhaps a change of scenery will help the 6-foot-6, 225-pound fifth-year senior jump start a career some believe could lead to an NFL job.

He needs to perform better than he did in his Vanderbilt debut last week, going 14 of 25 for 83 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and no completions longer than 12 yards in a 30-6 loss to No. 3 Georgia.

Purdue (0-1) poses a different type of challenge.

While the Boilermakers' defense isn't nearly as stingy as Georgia's, the typically run-heavy Commodores (0-1) may need Neal to play a key role in keeping up with coach Jeff Brohm's wide-open offense.

"When you have a quarterback who has that type of experience, it's a huge plus," Brohm said. "I think they're going to be big and physical, always try to run the football, open it up when they have to, not beat themselves, let their defense keep them in games as well."

And after blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter at Nevada last week, the Boilermakers want to prove this will not be a repeat of 2018 when they started 0-3.

For Neal, homecoming week creates one other potential distraction - ticket requests.

"I think I have a handful of just my close family and some friends that are going to the game, nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

Mason expects Neal to handle his responsibilities on and off the field like a crafty veteran.

"Yeah, it's homecoming, but I think for him it's just another ballgame," Mason said. "He wants to win. We've got to prepare to win. You can deal with all the pleasantries afterward."

HITTING THE ROAD

Vanderbilt is trying to win its second road game in its last three tries, dating to last October's 45-31 victory at Arkansas. It's also the second straight year the Commodores have played in Indiana - losing 22-17 at Notre Dame in 2018.

FOUR FOR FOUR?

Moore got off to another fast start with 11 catches for 124 yards with one touchdown against Nevada. It was the eighth time in 14 career games he topped the 100-yard mark. The sophomore, who wears No. 4, now needs one more game to become the fourth player in school history to record nine 100-yard games in his career, joining Steve Griffin, Dorian Bryant and DeAngelo Yancey.

VANDY DEFENSE

The Commodores allowed Georgia to pile up 481 yards last week but stopped the Bulldogs on six of seven third-down attempts, plus a fourth-down stop.

HONORING T-SQUARED

The Boilermakers' home opener will also serve as the official dedication of the renamed Tyler Trent Student Gate at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Trent, who inspired the Boilermakers and the nation as he battled a rare form of bone cancer, died Jan. 1. School officials announced the renaming of the gate in March and Saturday would have been Trent's 21st birthday. The stripe on Purdue's helmet will feature the words "Forever Our Captain" as a tribute to Trent and a neon green ribbon on their jerseys for the traditional Hammer Down Cancer game.

"He put things in perspective, like live every day to the fullest no matter what's going on," star receiver Rondale Moore said. "No matter how many things he had going on, he would always check on me or make sure I was doing good. No matter how many years down the road, Tyler will always be in my heart."

Trent's mother and father, Kelly and Tony; brothers, Blake and Ethan; and best friend, Josh Seals, will be the first people to walk through the gate.

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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, also contributed to this report.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

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