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Vanderbilt rallies to beat No. 15 Georgia

Oct 19, 2013 - 9:33 PM Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerron Seymour scored on a 13-yard run to cap a 17-point fourth quarter, as Vanderbilt rallied to claim a 31-27 upset of 15th-ranked Georgia.

Vanderbilt took advantage of three huge Georgia mistakes in the second half to fuel the comeback, earning its first win over a ranked team since 2008 against Auburn.

The Commodores (4-3, 1-3 SEC) had lost 17 straight games to ranked opposition and also snapped a 10-game home losing streak to Georgia, beating the Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Stadium for the first time since a 27-25 triumph in 1991.

"This conference is brutal," said Vanderbilt coach James Franklin. "That's why it's so respected nationally."

Georgia (4-3, 3-2) was coming off a 41-26 home loss against Missouri last week and has dropped two straight conference games for the first time since the 2010 season.

The Bulldogs held a 27-14 advantage late in the third, but a muffed punt gave Vandy the ball in scoring position. A fourth-down personal foul penalty against Georgia then gave the Commodores a first down at the 15 and backup quarterback Patton Robinette scored from the two with 10:38 remaining to make it a one-score game.

Georgia failed to pick up a first down on its next series and Vanderbilt drove to the 10-yard line. Robinette, though, took a sack and the Commodores had to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Carey Spear to pull within 27-24 with just 4:44 to play.

The Vanderbilt defense made Franklin's decision to kick the field goal a good one by holding the Bulldogs without a first down again, and punter Collin Barber could not handle a high snap. He fell on the ball at his own 13 and the Commodores wasted no time taking the lead when Seymour scored on the next play with 2:53 left.

Georgia had plenty of time with the SEC's all-time yardage leader Aaron Murray leading the offense, but he had struggled all day and another mistake sealed the Bulldogs' fate. Brendan Douglas fumbled after a catch with 1:59 to play and Vanderbilt ran off all but the last few seconds.

Murray, who was intercepted on the game's final play, finished just 16-of-28 for 114 yards without a touchdown. He did run for a pair of Georgia scores.

"They played extremely well today. You got to give them a lot of credit," said Murray. "They did a great job of their scheme and we just didn't make the plays."

Vanderbilt lost quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels in the second quarter when he was sacked by Jordan Jenkins. Carta-Samuels, on crutches on the sideline in the second half, had thrown for 111 yards on 12-of-20 passing before leaving the contest.

Robinette took over and connected on 9-of-15 throws for 107 yards. Seymour finished with 75 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Georgia opened the scoring with a 22-yard Marshall Morgan field goal on its opening possession, but Vanderbilt responded with a 76-yard march for a touchdown, taking a 7-3 edge on Seymour's 4-yard run. The Bulldogs regained the lead on Murray's 1-yard TD run on the final play of the first quarter.

Vanderbilt started the second quarter with a lengthy drive that stalled at the Georgia three. The Commodores set up for a short field goal, but kicker Spear took a handoff from holder Taylor Hudson and had virtually no resistance on his way to the end zone to give his team a 14-10 lead.

"The fake field goal was an important play in the game," said Franklin. "We have to take calculated risks."

After a trade of punts, Shaq Wiggins jumped a bubble screen and raced 39 yards untouched with the interception of Carta-Samuels for a touchdown with 6:24 remaining in the half to put Georgia in front.

The Bulldogs got the ball back after Carta-Samuels left the game on the ensuing Vanderbilt possession and marched inside the Commodores five. Murray, after a first down inside the one was overturned on replay, rolled out to the right and had an open lane to the end zone for the 2-yard score and a 24-14 lead in the final minute of the half.

Georgia extended its advantage on a 23-yard Morgan field goal with 6:24 left in the third, then snuffed out a potential Vanderbilt scoring drive when Corey Moore picked off a deflected Robinette pass at the Bulldogs' 35.

Game Notes

Murray surpassed Tim Tebow as the all-time SEC leader in total offense early in the contest ... Vanderbilt had lost six straight to Georgia overall and had dropped 17 of the past 18 meetings ... The Commodores will visit Texas A&M next Saturday ... Georgia has next week off before the annual Cocktail Party game against Florida in Jacksonville.