Inside MK Young's 80-Yard Touchdown That Propelled Vanderbilt to Win Over Missouri
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NASHVILLE—MK Young sat on the floor at the Greater Ideal Baptist Church a year ago, often stopping to space out and think about what it would feel like, what it would be like once he finally got his shot to do what he loved at the SEC level.
Young was working towards becoming a pastor and raising his infant daughter in his year away from football that would’ve been perceived as dark by others. He felt as if his life lined up for him to do that by the mercy of God, but he missed football.
He missed the adrenaline. He missed competing. He missed the moments that he knew he’d remember forever. Young watched as his “brothers” made their fair share of those with wins over No. 1 Alabama and Auburn and was happy for them, but he wanted some for himself.
Young didn’t know exactly what they’d look like when he envisioned his first season at Vanderbilt, but he knew how they’d make him feel. As he stepped on to the turf at FirstBank Stadium for the first time over the summer, he had to fight back the urge to cry tears of joy because of the moments in which he believed he could orchestrate there.
On Saturday, he finally did.
“I literally used to pray for this and it finally comes true, I’m just grateful,” Young said. “It’s just a long way coming.”
Vanderbilt’s Saturday win over Missouri felt impossible to break open. It was the rock fight that those outside Vanderbilt’s program assume is a natural byproduct of its ball-control offense. The FirstBank Stadium crowd was begging for some semblance of excitement. A year after he was among that crowd, Young provided plenty of it.
Vanderbilt center Jordan White snapped it, Vanderbilt’s right guard and tackle pulled, Eli Stowers and Junior Sherril threw a block each, Diego Pavia handed it off and Young turned the corner. 80 yards later, the New Mexico State transfer had demonstrated his breakaway speed and had changed the outlook of the game for this Vanderbilt team.
“I just knew that if it was in my hands it’s gotta be a play, it’s gotta be explosive,” Young said. “Coach told me ‘I’m gonna get you in there and I want you to score’ and I was like ‘ok, bet.’ I understood the assignment and I made it happen.”
Young had just four carries on Saturday, but had perhaps the most impactful offensive play of the night for this Vanderbilt team. If the moment or the momentum shift that it provided wasn’t enough to prove that point, the run accounted for over 30% of Vanderbilt’s total offense.
The Vanderbilt running back accounted for the Commodores’ longest play of the year with his run.
“I’m so proud of him,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “To see him have these moments and with the year he was out and him having to do the dirty work to get himself back, what a great story. It couldn’t happen to a better person.”
Young knows the stigma that comes with the idea that he had to sit out the 2024 season as he worked to transfer from New Mexico State, but this program believes that his story should be shared. He’s one of a group of “misfits” that Lea has built this thing around, Young has embraced the idea enough to walk into his postgame press conference with a “misfit” shirt on.
The now-Vanderbilt running back was short on coaches that believed in him as a high schooler, but was given a chance by Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck and offensive consultant Jerry Kill at New Mexico State. Lea chose to give him a chance to play at this level.
Now that Young has it, he’s repaid the favor with runs like the one he had on Saturday–which appear to be more and more common as this thing goes–as well as a personal investment in it. When Lea asked Young if he could take some time to work out his son “C3” in running back drills after a grueling day of fall camp this summer, the Vanderbilt running back said to “say less” and did it without an expectation of any return on his investment.
“That’s the kind of person he is,” Lea said. “He didn’t have to do that.”
Young did that without anyone watching that day and didn’t know that the story would be shared, but knew that one day he’d have the opportunity to help Lea publicly in the way that he did on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at FirstBank Stadium.
The Vanderbilt running back answered the call with one of the Commodores' most important plays in their Saturday win.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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