How Vanderbilt football defense, Mason Lewis stepped up vs Mississippi State
· Yahoo Sports
STARKVILLE, MS − Vanderbilt football's run defense had struggled this season, and it was going up against a star running back in Fluff Bothwell.
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But the Commodores (4-5, 1-5 SEC) found something in their 25-23 win over the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-5) at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 7. Mississippi State had just 56 rush yards (not including sacks), and Bothwell had 50 of those but on an inefficient 14 attempts.
Then there was quarterback AJ Swann, who began his college career at Vanderbilt. Swann was 23-for-36 for 254 yards, but 125 of those yards came from just three plays, all of which gained over 30 yards. Minus those big plays, the Commodores also succeeded keeping Swann in check.
"I felt like we were able to keep him out of rhythm," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said of Swann. "I thought we had a good design to change covered shells and to make it hard on him. ... He's going to have the arm to expose you when you're out of place."
Vanderbilt switched up its defense unannounced before the game, moving Martel Hight to wide receiver and starting Cayden Daniels opposite Jordan Matthews at cornerback with Davin Chandler as the nickel and Mason Lewis as a fifth defensive back.
Lea had decided on the arrangement over the open week after Hight had previously experimented with being a two-way player in 2025. After making at least 33 tackles in each of his first three seasons, Hight had lagged behind with 19 in the first eight games of 2026. The new arrangement worked, at least on the defensive end. Lewis led Vanderbilt with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups; Chandler had seven tackles, ½ tackle for loss and two pass breakups and Daniels recorded three tackles.
Most of the biggest defensive plays came from the secondary. On Mississippi State's opening drive, Chandler broke up a 4th-and-1 pass, and Matthews intercepted Swann late in the second quarter that got Vanderbilt a field goal before halftime.
"We emphasized over and over, during the bye week and this week, to just cause more havoc," Lewis said. "I feel like that would show up today."
Then there was the decisive play of the game. Vanderbilt had been leading by eight late in the fourth quarter, but Mississippi State drove down the field with a series of chunk plays and got a touchdown, needing a two-point conversion to tie the game.
But the Commodores snuffed out the play. Swann's pass sailed harmlessly out of the back of the end zone, and Vanderbilt recovered the onside kick.
"That was a great example of just, head body, head body," Lewis said. "They just scored a touchdown, but we were so focused. ... We got the call in and we just executed. We had no doubt that we were going to execute the plan."
In SEC play prior to the Mississippi State game, Vanderbilt hadn't recorded more than three tackles for loss or more than one sack in a single game. Against the Bulldogs, the Commodores notched seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
The new havoc and the younger players stepping in on the secondary gives Vanderbilt something to build off defensively going forward after a previous string of rough performances.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Vanderbilt football defense, Mason Lewis stepped up vs Mississippi State