Ole Miss Game to Be Played at LP Field
Vanderbilt football’s SEC home opener against the Ole Miss Rebels will be Sept. 6 at Nashville’s LP Field. Director of Athletics David Williams II pushed to move the game to the NFL Tennessee Titans’ downtown stadium because the Commodores’ upcoming schedule is loaded with eight home dates.
“This is a special opportunity for Commodore Nation to enjoy a great football game and have a great time downtown,” said Williams during the April 3 announcement. “Typically, we have had outstanding games with Ole Miss, and with eight home games we thought moving this one off campus would further create an electric, bowl-like atmosphere. We are expecting a very good football game in a very good environment.”
The game at LP Field will be the first between the Commodores and Rebels played off campus since 1966 when the teams met in Jackson, Miss. Seven early games in the series, which dates back to 1894, were played in Memphis, Tenn.
The Ole Miss game will mark Vanderbilt’s fifth appearance at LP Field. The Commodores are 2–2 at the venue, earning victories in the 2008 and 2012 Music City Bowls, and dropping regular-season decisions against Tennessee in 2000 and 2002.
Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have developed one of the SEC’s most competitive rivalries. Although Ole Miss leads the series 48–38–2, the Commodores have taken five of the last seven games against the Rebels. The last two have been decided in the final seconds: Vanderbilt earned a 27–26 victory at Ole Miss in 2012, and the Rebels returned the favor 39–35 last year in Nashville.