Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea celebrates their 31 to 24 win against Florida with his players after the game. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Vanderbilt shockingly wins second consecutive SEC game

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Nov 19, 2022 6:01 PM ET

"Break up the Commodores!"

Lionel Richie isn't the only person to have uttered that phrase anymore after the Vanderbilt Commodores pulled off an SEC upset in back-to-back weeks, marking the hottest stretch in the football program in years.

Before last Saturday's win against Kentucky (6-4, 3-4 in SEC), Vanderbilt lost 26 consecutive SEC games.

Vanderbilt lost 26 straight SEC games from 2019-2022

They’ve now won two in a row pic.twitter.com/EC1PrtDLga
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 19, 2022

The Commodores defeated Florida (6-5, 3-5 in SEC) for the first time at home since 1988. The win marks the first time Vanderbilt won consecutive SEC games since November 2018, per Action Network's Brett McMurphy.

Vanderbilt beats Florida 31-24. Commodores win consecutive SEC games for 1st time since November 2018
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 19, 2022

The most valuable player for the Commodores may have been their long snapper, which is the most Vanderbilt thing ever. Florida's Jason Marshall Jr. muffed a second-quarter punt and Wesley Schelling — Vanderbilt's long snapper — managed to make it all the way down the field and end up with the football in the end zone for a touchdown.

WESLEY. SCHELLING. LONG SNAPPER. TOUCHDOWN!#AnchorDown | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/bOxpe0YlMY
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 19, 2022

The win led to the fans not so much "storming" the field as lightly misting it.

Vanderbilt fans “storm” the field after “big” win over Florida.
Oh bless their hearts#AnchorDown ⚓️#ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/25K3LSw8nR
— Rob Fischer (@thefishnation) November 19, 2022

The win sets up a huge regular-season finale for Vanderbilt. If the Commodores (5-6, 2-5 in SEC) beat No. 5 Tennessee (9-1, 5-1 in SEC), they will be bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018.

Vanderbilt is used to being the SEC's outhouse. With back-to-back wins, the Commodores are building themselves a brick house.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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