Vanderbilt doesn’t have enough available players to face No. 8 Georgia as scheduled on Saturday, the school announced.
Instead, the game was rescheduled for Dec. 19 in Athens, Ga. — provided the Bulldogs aren’t competing in the Southeastern Conference championship game that day.
Vanderbilt said the lack of available players is due to COVID-19, injuries and player opt-outs.
Saturday’s game was to be the first under interim coach Todd Fitch, who took over after the firing of Derek Mason on Sunday.
The Commodores (0-8) never have finished a season without a win in the history of the program, which dates to 1902. An earlier game against Tennessee was postponed and could be made up, but that has not been scheduled.
Should Georgia go on to qualify for the SEC title game, the Vanderbilt game will be declared a no-contest by the conference.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said that would be a shame.
“Hopefully Vandy will be prepared to play (Dec. 19),” McGarity said, per DawgNation.
“It’s just so frustrating when you have coaches and players and support staff that make significant sacrifices to stay safe, and they do so, and then they have no competitive benefit other than their health.
“We have shown the ability to stay healthy by being disciplined and following the advice from Coach (Kirby) Smart and (head trainer) Ron Courson. We are an example of what can be done with discipline and a desire to play college football.”
If Vanderbilt doesn’t play again this season, Sarah Fuller would miss out on a possible opportunity to attempt extra points or field goals. Fuller got to kick off once in last Saturday’s 41-0 loss to Missouri to become the first woman to play in an SEC game.