Vanderbilt fan trolls trash-throwing Texas and Tennessee fans with social media hoax
By Austen Bundy
No. 25 Vanderbilt saw the writing on the wall (or rather the trash on the field) and took necessary precautions ahead of its clash Saturday with No. 5 Texas.
Or at least that's what one Vanderbilt fan was trying to propogate on social media.
Vanderbilt fan Jerry Lawless said on X/Twitter than the university had announced protective netting would be put in front of the visitor's section for the Texas and Tennessee games this season to keep opposing fans from throwing things on the field.
BREAKING – Vanderbilt has installed temporary netting at FirstBank Stadium ahead of the matchup with Texas.
— Trés Lawless • Vandy Uni Tracker (@jerrylawless3) October 23, 2024
AD Candice Storey Lee said putting the net in front of the visiting section was precautionary.
Lee also noted the netting may stay for the Tennessee game later this year. pic.twitter.com/479oMW3kEp
That, however, turned out to be a hoax, as pointed out by Andrew Boardwine of Saturday Blitz. But hey, it's still one heck of a troll job.
The trolling comes in the wake of Texas fans throwing objects on to their own field in response to a bad defensive pass interference call (which was later retracted) during its clash with Georgia last week.
Texas fans threw debris onto the field after an interception was called back due to pass interference.
— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024
The refs reversed the call after further discussion. pic.twitter.com/3PAgLcD1hQ
Vanderbilt dunks on Texas with troll job after bottle-throwing incident
Several fans responded to Wednesday's "news" positively, impressed by the school's proactive decision to protect student athletes and the integrity of the game. Others, not so much.
And the field is not a trash can. Texas and Tennessee fans need to keep the trash in the stands!
— Trés Lawless • Vandy Uni Tracker (@jerrylawless3) October 23, 2024
Actions have consequences, Doug!
— Trés Lawless • Vandy Uni Tracker (@jerrylawless3) October 23, 2024
But no matter how embarrassing the situation will be for Texas fans, Vanderbilt still has to step up and play well against a Longhorns team that will be looking to rebound after a tough loss to Georgia.
However, the Commodores have an odd historical advantage. In 13 total games, Vanderbilt has eight wins — albeit the last time the two programs ever played was in 1928.
Nashville is going to be buzzing for this unusual SEC matchup. An upset for Vanderbilt could eliminate Texas in a year where it looked to be national title favorites or the Longhorns could add a ranked win to its resume where it least expected it.
Regardless, hopefully fans will be more civil this week than what we witnessed in Austin in Week 8. It wasn't a good look for the SEC or for college football. Maybe Vanderbilt should've actually gotten ahead of the game in case things go sideways again...
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