Vanderbilt, led by quarterback AJ Swann, scored 24 unanswered points in the second half, as the Commodores got a 38-28 win over Northern Illinois at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Ill., on Saturday afternoon.

Swann, a true freshman making his first career start, passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns, with wide receiver Will Sheppard adding 10 receptions for 171 yards and four TDs.

Swann threw three of those touchdowns in a span of 5:37 in the third quarter, with the Commodores trailing 28-14 when the spurt began.

Leading 21-14 at half, NIU backup quarterback Ethan Hampton hit Cole Tucker with a short throw to the right, and Tucker cut across the field and won a footrace over the entire Commodore defense to take a 14-point advantage after John Richardson’s point-after.

That’s when Swann went to work. He hit Ray Davis with a 21-yard scoring toss on a fourth-down play with 6:44 left in the third quarter.

After NIU turned it over on downs, Swann connected with Sheppard on a 31-yard touchdown pass. The Huskies punted on their next drive, and Swann again found Sheppard for a 13-yard scoring strike.

Joseph Bulovas’s 35-yard field goal with 12:21 left finished the scoring.

Vanderbilt took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 12 plays, with Swann hitting Gavin Schoenwald with a 3-yard touchdown pass off play-action.

Vandy hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, and NIU’s Rocky Lombardi attacked the Vandy secondary with a 33-yard throw to Fabian McCray to the Vandy 1. A play later, Lombardi hit an open Tucker to his right, with Richardson’s point-after tying the game.

Lombardi left the game after an awkward slide on the next drive, but redshirt freshman Ethan Hampton entered and fired a 4-yard TD to Kacper Rutkiewicz on a third-down play.

After Vandy’s three-and-out, NIU’s Antario Brown ran untouched through a huge gap on the right side for a 51-yard run that gave the Huskies their first lead of the day.

But the Commodores seized control midway through the third quarter and never let up.

1. This is the state of the program: Vanderbilt rightfully trusted a true freshman quarterback more than it did a more veteran defense today that faced an untested redshirt freshman quarterback. Trailing 28-14 and facing a fourth-and-4 from the NIU 21, the Commodores could have elected to have Bulovas kick a 38-yard field goal but instead, Vandy rolled the dice and Swann, who was nearly sacked on the play, threw a remarkable pass to Davis for a 21-yard touchdown.

Had the Commodores been able to trust their defense a bit more, sure, they probably kick the field goal. But NIU had four touchdowns on its previous five possessions and darn-near gave up a first down on a non-designed punter run on a fourth-down snap that went for a first down, but got called back by a penalty.

Swann then proceeded to bail out the team with a senior-level play that (more often than not) a Vanderbilt quarterback doesn’t make. And while the coaching staff certainly bears some responsibility for an awful defensive performance for the first 2 1/2 quarters, the fact the Commodores trusted a guy it just got to campus in January more than it did a unit mostly composed of Derek Mason’s recruits says a lot about how tough a task Clark Lea inherited.

2. Swann was outstanding. Yeah, there was an ill-advised throw or two that Swann may not get away with against a Southeastern Conference defense. That was of no consequence today. The freshman showed poise, a big arm and a knack for a big play and was the reason the Commodores won.

I'm not sure the last time Vandy had a true freshman quarterback who won a road start as an underdog. I'm guessing it hasn't happened in the 20 years I've covered the team.

3. Swann will be Vandy's starting quarterback going forward. Yes, Mike Wright had on a knee brace, and maybe that had something to do with the Commodores' decision to start Swann. My opinion is it didn't; the staff has felt Swann is its quarterback of the future for a couple of months now and Wright, by playing poorly and then reacting poorly when he was pulled, certainly helped make the staff's decision to start Swann easier.

And if there's much doubt about who starts next week at Alabama, I think Swann answered that with Saturday's performance.

4. Sheppard, who, according to CBS Sports, now leads the country with seven TD catches, was also tremendous. Sheppard flashed some run-after-the-catch ability on the 31-yard score, and was just a headache for the Huskies to cover.

5. NIU made some questionable coaching decisions that helped. The Huskies went for it on fourth down twice on their side of the field in the second half and didn’t get it either time. The first, that came on a Michael Owusu run stop—and say this about the Commodore defense, the one thing it’s been great at is short-yardage run stops in critical situations.

There was plenty of time remaining and the NIU offense had certainly moved the ball. About the only chance the Commodores had was for the Huskies to lend a helping hand, and I'm sure Northern Illinois fans will be doing plenty second-guessing of coach Thomas Hammock (who otherwise has done a terrific job in his short NIU tenure).

6. Ray Davis provided the veteran presence Vandy needed. Davis converted a tough third-and-7 run with just over four minutes left, and just as importantly stayed in bounds—which Davis also did on his next run despite going near the sidelines. Davis also got open just enough and make a TD catch in the end zone on the play that changed the game.

In all, Davis ran 23 times for 116 yards and a score and caught three balls for 38 yards and another TD. At a time when the Commodores' running back room consists of Davis and Chase Gillespie, Davis showed endurance and toughness the 'Dores absolutely had to have.

7. And now for the defense. Forgotten in this will be how awful the Commodores looked for 2 1/2 quarters. NIU, despite playing mostly a backup quarterback, didn't throw an incompletion until 36 minutes in the game and ran for 6.8 yards per carry in the fourth quarter. For most of the day, Vandy simply couldn't cover, couldn't get a pass rush and demonstrated that team speed is still a huge issue when Tucker took a short pass, cut across the field and basically out-ran the entire defense.

8. Vandy seemed to get more aggressive late and that helped. Fans questioned the game coordinator Nick Howell called for much of the day, and they seemed justified in doing so. The Commodores finally brought some pressure in the second half and that led to the team's first interception of the year, a De'Rickey Wright pick that essentially sealed the game.

9. Jaylen Mahoney left with injury and didn't return. Mahoney is Vandy's best defensive back; he got hurt in the first half and didn't come back. The Commodore secondary needs all the help it can get and any extended absence from Mahoney would certainly be damaging.