Commodore Bowl Keys: Ryan Hamilton

Ryan Hamilton will be a key player for Vanderbilt when they face the Boston College Eagles in the Music City Bowl on New Years Eve. Hamilton, a junior safety from Wycombe, Pa., is known for his hard hitting ability and for a memorable performance against Oxford, Miss. on a hot September night.

Vanderbilt's defense has performed well this season and is ranked 25th nationally in points allowed per game (20). A big part of that great effort has come from Ryan Hamilton. During the regular season the Economics major had 98 tackles and 4.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. Those may not seem like huge numbers but Hamilton's main claim to fame was the incredible three interceptions he picked up in one game, at Ole Miss.

Down 10-0 in the first quarter against the Rebels, Hamilton gave Vanderbilt the boost it needed when he intercepted a Jevan Snead pass and returned it 79-yards for a Commodore touchdown. Hamilton finished that memorable night with a total of 103 yards in return yards and the Commodores went on to win, 23-17.

Hamilton also had a great performance against Tennessee, picking up 16 tackles and had 2 tackles for losses in each of the big wins over Auburn and Kentucky.

The No. 1 goal of Hamilton and his teammates will be to make life miserable for Eagles redshirt freshman quarterback Dominique Davis. Davis is playing for starter Chris Crane who went down with an injury in a win over Wake Forest. If Hamilton and his teammates succeed we could see the first Vanderbilt bowl victory since 1955.

VandyMania salutes Ryan Hamilton.


Hamilton makes his memorable gallop. (VM/Stan Jones)

Hamilton's tackles
per season

2008 98
2007 68
2006 43