Vanderbilt wins Music City Bowl, 38-24

NASHVILLE, TN -- Five North Carolina State turnovers and 107 yards by all time school rushing leader Zac Stacy pushed Vanderbilt to a 38-24 victory in the Music City Bowl. It was Vanderbilt's third bowl victory in school history.

Vanderbilt finishes their season with a 9-4 overall record, its first nine-win season since 1915.

North Carolina State closes their 2012 campaign with a 7-6 record.

VU piled up yardage by running the Wildcat formation for much of the game. Wesley Tate added 14 yards on nine carries, including Vanderbilt's third touchdown.

Senior quarterback Jordan Rogers was not flashy, but did not have a single turnover for the game. Rodgers was 16-for-25 passing, and scrambled for Vanderbilt's final back-breaking touchdown with five minutes left in the game.

NC State quarterback Mike Glennon, on the other hand, put the Wolfpack in catch-up mode when he threw a first quarter interception directly into the numbers of Vanderbilt cornerback Trey Wilson.

Vanderbilt got relatively little pressure on Glennon, but when they did Glennon threw off his back foot and directly into double coverage.

Vanderbilt took an early lead when Chris Boyd one-handed a corner route pass from quarterback Jordan Rodgers from the five yard line, and never looked back.

The win gives Vanderbilt a school record nine victories. An announced crowd of 55,801 was heavily dominated by Vanderbilt fans, who were playing just three miles from their Nashville campus.

One of the few State highlights came when State's Tony Palmer returned a second quarter kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, bringing the Wolfpack within 21-14 three minutes before halftime. But Vanderbilt immediately answered with a touchdown off an 18-yard screen pass to Jordan Matthews, who waltzed into the end zone untouched.

VU's Kenny Ladler and Eric Samuels joined Wilson with interceptions.

Glennon threw 53 passes, completing 35, but NC State was out-gained on the ground 117 to 41. NC State was also decimated by penalties, committing nine for 90 yards. Three of those were personal fouls, and one was a flagrant facemask that led to VU's first touchdown.

Stay tuned as VandySports.com brings subscribers the most exhaustive coverage of the Music City Bowl.