Another major record fell at the hands of Vanderbilt wide receiver Jordan Matthews Saturday, as the Commodores senior and 2014 NFL Draft prospect set the SEC record for receptions in a career, passing former Commodore Earl Bennett of the Chicago Bears.
"I'd like to thank Earl Bennett," Matthews said. "I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to act like this isn't a big day for me. Coming to Vanderbilt, I didn't have him here, but I always looked up to him. He was the best as far as I was concerned. A couple years ago, he hit me up and said, 'Hey, you can be great, stay focused. You can catch what I did, and you can go beat it.'"
Matthews caught 13 passes for 133 yards to lead Vandy to a 14-10 win over rival Tennessee. The third of those tied Bennett's SEC mark of 236 career catches. Matthews' 13 catches were a single-game career high, and he now has 246 with two games remaining (Kentucky, bowl game). Matthews broke the league record for career receiving yards a couple of weeks ago, and has delivered more than enough production this season to improve his draft status.
He has seven 100-yard receiving games on the season. Matthews is ranked the No. 46 senior draft prospect in the nation by NFL Media's Gil Brandt.
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