Trey Wilson intercepted two passes, including his second pick-six of the season, as Vanderbilt defeated Ole Miss 30-7 on Saturday to post its first 3-0 start since 2008. The Commodores (1-0 SEC) have returned an interception for a touchdown in each of their games this season. They’ve also guaranteed an improvement on their 2-10 record in 2010. Meanwhile, the Rebels (1-2, 0-1) lost their eighth consecutive SEC opener.

The Commodores took control with a 21-point outburst in the second quarter, with all three scores coming in the final 5:40 before halftime. Wilson’s 52-yard interception return was the backbreaker, sandwiched around touchdown runs by Larry Smith and Jerron Seymour. Vanderbilt picked off Ole Miss quarterback Zach Stoudt five times, and now has 10 total interceptions after tallying nine pickoffs all of last season.

Stoudt did complete a 47-yard scoring strike to Donte Moncrief in the final minutes, denying Vanderbilt’s bid for its first shutout of an SEC team since 1968. The Rebels struggled to execute, accounting for almost as many penalty yards (51) as rushing yards (58) through three quarters of play.

Zac Stacy finished with 169 rushing yards on 11 carries, including a 77-yard TD sprint late in the third quarter that gave Vanderbilt a commanding 30-0 lead.