BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Patton Robinette threw two 50-yard touchdown passes to Jordan Matthews, and Vanderbilt recovered after blowing a 24-point lead to beat Houston 41-24 on Saturday in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
Robinette, starting after senior Austyn Carta-Samuels had season-ending surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, also had an 8-yard scoring run as Vanderbilt built a 24-0 lead in the first half.
After Houston (8-4) pulled even by scoring 24 points in the third quarter, Vanderbilt reclaimed the lead on Brian Kimbrow’s 21-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Vanderbilt (9-4) closed the season with five consecutive wins, adding to third-year head coach James Franklin’s status as a possible candidate for coaching vacancies, including at Penn State and with the NFL’s Browns and Redskins. The Commodores played in three consecutive bowl games under Franklin – a first for the program – and completed their first back-to-back nine-win seasons.
“The thing that’s probably the most exciting to me is there is a culture of winning at Vanderbilt,” Franklin said. “These guys know how to win.”
