NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Rodney Williams ran for four touchdowns in the first half and Vanderbilt took advantage of its first game against a Division I-AA school since 1985 with a 58-0 rout of The Citadel on Saturday.

Williams ran for scores of 59, 1, 9, and 17 yards in a steady rain for the Commodores (4-2), who have won four games for the first time since 1994. He finished with 127 yards on 10 carries, all in the first half.

The 59-yard touchdown came through a gaping hole over the right side on Vandy's second offensive play of the game. The Commodores scored again 55 seconds later, and the rout was on.

Right after Matt Stewart recovered a fumble by Bulldogs quarterback Chris Eckert, Vandy quarterback Greg Zolman found Dan Stricker over the middle for a 36-yard touchdown.

The fast start was a marked contrast to last week, when the Commodores lost a fumble on the first play of a blowout loss to Mississippi State.

The shutout was Vanderbilt's first since a 7-0 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga, the last I-AA team the Commodores faced, to open the 1985 season.

At halftime, Vandy had 329 yards of total offense to 70 for The Citadel (1-4) and led 38-0. Early in the third quarter, Nate Morrow returned a fumble 65 yards for another Commodores score, and Jared McGrath added a 64-yard touchdown gallop.

Vandy's only previous loss to a I-AA opponent came at the hands of The Citadel in 1979. The Bulldogs' last win against a I-A team was a 10-3 victory over Arkansas in 1992.

The only disappointment for the Commodores was the Homecoming Day crowd of 17,844 at 41,448-seat Vanderbilt Stadium.