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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Zac Stacy set career highs with 198 yards rushing and three touchdowns, quarterback Jordan Rodgers made the most of his first career start, and Vanderbilt beat Army 44-21 on Saturday night.
The Commodores (4-3) snapped a three-game slide, but more importantly appeared to right an offense that was faltering after a fast start. Stacy's rushing total was the third most in a single game for Vanderbilt and the first three-touchdown game for the team since 2007.
Rodgers, younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, rushed for 96 yards and a score and passed for 186 yards and another TD. He had two passes of more than 40 yards and kept the Black Knights (2-5) off balance.
Army lost starting quarterback Trent Steelman to a left leg injury late in the first half of its fourth consecutive road loss. He did not return.
Rodgers gave Vanderbilt much of what it's been looking for this season from former starter Larry Smith. He was consistent, a threat to run and once in a while went deep while leading the Commodores to a season-high 530 yards.
Vanderbilt's coaching staff utilized some deception to make the most of Rodgers' abilities. On some plays, he took the snap, set to pass, executed a pump fake, then pulled the ball down. That worked to perfection on Vanderbilt's first and third scores, runs of 1 yard by Stacy and 12 by Rodgers.
Rodgers also had nice timing. After Steelman fumbled a handoff on Army's first drive, Rodgers found Chris Boyd on a fly pattern for a 43-yard touchdown that made it 14-0
Vanderbilt built a 23-6 halftime lead by holding Army, the nation's top rushing team, to 104 yards on the ground in the first half. It also knocked out Steelman, the Black Knights' most dangerous threat, with 2:20 left in the second quarter.
Army does not reveal the nature of injuries, but Steelman did not return and could not put weight on his left leg when two members of the team's training staff helped him off the field. His streak of 32 straight starts, a record for an Army quarterback, could be in danger when the Black Knights host Fordham next Saturday.
Army, which was averaging 361.3 yards rushing per game, struggled even with Steelman in the game and finished with 270 on the ground. Steelman's replacements, Max Jenkins and Angel Santiago, couldn't get much going either.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt coach James Franklin's decision to refocus on the run appeared to be the right call. The Commodores opened 3-0 under the first-year coach but stumbled with three consecutive losses. Rodgers, a redshirt junior who missed last year and was limited in spring drills by a torn labrum, relieved Smith last week against Georgia and guided the Commodores to three scores while rushing for 80 yards.
His only real mistake against Army came in the fourth quarter when under pressure he threw an interception to Geoffrey Bacon, who returned it 70 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 37-21. But Stacy sealed the win with a 55-yard scoring run.
The win keeps the Commodores in the postseason picture. They need two more wins to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008. Four of their final five opponents have winning records.