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This is my shocked face.
NEWS | The Vanderbilt at Georgia FB game of Dec. 19 is cancelled due to the Vanderbilt football squad size and position availability falling below roster minimum requirements. The game is declared a no-contest. The action is consistent with SEC COVID-19 protocols.
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 14, 2020
The surprising thing is not that the Georgia game — already rescheduled from December 5 after Vanderbilt didn’t have enough players — was cancelled; really, the surprise is that Vanderbilt managed to suit up a team to play Tennessee on Saturday, a 42-17 Commodore loss. The participation report for that game shows that Vanderbilt played 40 scholarship players and that included two guys (Alex Williams and Kevo Wesley) making their season debuts.
So, Vanderbilt ends the 2020 season winless for the first time in school history, which seemed to be a fait accompli when the SEC announced that this Vanderbilt team would play a conference-only schedule. I’ll have final thoughts on the season at some point this week, but at least now we have (we think) a new coach and something to look forward to in 2021. ETSU comes to town on September 4 to open the Clark Lea era.