STACK OPEN
Didn’t play with urgency to start
Freshmen were jacked up, “shot the ball over the basket” at first and settled down
First unit didn’t set the tone
Gave up too many points in the paint, didn’t crash the boards
It’s the first game, they’ll improve


To Jordan Wright, what were the first-half issues?
Didn’t come with intensity, didn’t make shots
Didn’t get feet in the paint and that was part of the plan

What led to more success in second half (Wright)
They played tight in the first half and came out with nerves
They moved the ball and made shots

23% turnover rate (Wright)
Have to be strong and decisive with the ball

You only took five shots, were there more there? (Wright)
I just take what they present
I do what I’m asked
We ran the offense and sets we were supposed to run, I’m fine with it

How much of first-half struggles related to what Memphis did? (Wright)
They switched everything, they’re long
We’ve got a lot of new guys, have to get used to playing with each other

What did you see in the freshmen?
Dort, Lewis gave them great minutes
They’re versatile
They’ll be big for them

Who’s Memphis remind you of?
LSU, they switch a lot
They play hard and long and crash the boards
We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and get more physical

STACKHOUSE
When he went to the freshmen late, what was the thinking?
Older guys weren’t playing well
They didn’t have great starts, nerves got them, they were juiced up early
Once Colin Smith got in the second half, he was more comfortable
Malik Dia did some good things on offense, he stepped up and took a charge

That group got the lead to 10, Memphis got a transition bucket and then Dia missed a layup and that was a 4-point swing
The freshmen did some good things, when you play teams that switch like that (it’s difficult)
They’ve have liked to play Robbins more but the switching posed an issue
Dort is more of a threat around the basket than the others and that’s why they went with him late, he showed ability to protect the rim
They’ll go back and watch the film and get a lot of out it, they wanted to get tested by a team they feel is a Quad 1 team rather than a team they’d beat by 40

Lack of intensity in the first half, what needs to change that?
He wouldn’t say lack of intensity, they were juiced up a bit
A lot of their mistakes were self-inflicted
They’d play good defense and then let a team get an offensive rebound
Guys hung their heads when they missed an assignment
They threw up a lot of wild shots, even when they got in the paint
They did better at that in the second half but they had to start better

Last few years they’ve played their best at the end of the season, was this a move to get the level of early-season play higher?
It just worked out, they’d rather have played in a week but they both had an open date
They’ll keep playing Memphis
They didn’t really know what Memphis was, but they’re an old team
“They had a kid that damn-near played with me.”
They’ve got 24- and 25-year-olds and Vandy’s youth showed up
“We’re young but we’re talented with our youth.”
They need to play their young guys and get them experience; if it was an SEC or NCAA-tournament game they might have played their older guys 30 minutes.
Emmanuel Ansong got banged up, had a shoulder issue, had a bad fall

How challenging to get a rotation set, what will it look like?
Guys will play themselves into minutes
Noah Shelby has been as good as their backup guards but he’s behind Lawrence and Shelby, he’ll get a chance to compete and earn minutes
During the season, they’ll all get a chance, mentioned walk-on Miles Keefe

Said Lewis had been “as good as anybody” and was coming out of concussion protocol
Said the freshmen didn’t always represent what he’s seen but you’ll see that in the non-conference games

Dort
Good defensively, knows their sets, will play
He’ll be in the picture somewhere

Pregame with Penny, the game in general, want to share anything there?
They scouted each other
Memphis reminds them of LSU, they didn’t have a great success the first time around but they had their number later
Penny’s a great coach, doing a good job,

Liam’s third foul, did that change anything?
No, it’s center by committee, they’ve won a lot of games with QMB
It’s a tight-knit group
QMB will be Liam’s biggest cheerleader and the other way around
What they’re building is around sacrifice; Wright wanted to play more than he did tonight but they have to make decisions on where they need to go and grow
It would have been great to win the game but if they played everybody 37-38 minutes then the freshmen don’t get that experience and he’s looking more at the big picture
They need to win and make sure they have a good résumé at year’s end

What should we expect?

Manjon - PG
Lawrence - SG
Wright - SF/2
Stute - 3/4
QMB - C

Robbins - First off the bench
Thomas - Flamethrower
Ansong - Glue/ Energy

Dia - 2/3/4
Smith 2/3

Shelby - PG
Dort - 4/5

Lewis - Combo Guard

I’m really excited to see this team play. Knowing we’ll get better this year as we go, I’m still putting a lot of stock in this game because it’s winnable yet a very tough opening night matchup. I think I’m most excited to see all of the newcomers, specifically Manjon. I also find myself strangely intrigued by Ansong, who I think could be a major key to us being a little better than expected.

If we win tonight, I expect a pretty exciting season. If we lose, we can get better, but makes everything uphill.

Big game, fellas.

Team looks great so far. Offense is firing on all pistons - open looks everywhere.

We are considering going to the Wooden Legacy Tournament in Anaheim. We just got a BOGO offer from ticketmaster for the tournament. We live about 3 hours from Anaheim. Does anyone know what hotel the team will be staying at?

As I see it, there are only 2 paths for us to win significantly (8-9+ wins) in football. (And one of those paths will be going away very soon).

1. We wait around for Florida, Georgia and UTjr to all be average-to-awful at the same time again. (Once Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC and SEC divisions are eliminated, this option becomes null and void).

2. We hire an OUTSIDE THE BOX head coach. I think ADCSL was headed down this path before it seems she was highly persuaded to hire CCL. We simply cannot consistently line up and play the same game as the other schools in our league week after week. One of our historically best recruiting classes was still ranked either 13th or 14th in the league by the services. CCL will keep telling us we can outwork, develop, and execute better than everyone else and turn it all around. It’s disingenuous at best. Fraudulent at worst. CCL already tells us himself weekly that the “margins are thin.” Well, the margins aren’t changing for us in the SEC…like ever. So you have to change the game to give yourself an advantage elsewhere. You do this by hiring outside the box. Whether that means hiring a guy that runs the triple option or the next Mike Leach/Hal Mumme type guy, I don’t know. What I do know is that this should be the primary charge for the administration during the inevitable next coaching search. WE need to be the team that NOBODY wants to prepare for because it’s so entirely different than prepping for “normal” teams. It’s the only way we can truly create a competitive advantage and compete on a more consistent basis.

It isn't pleasant to call for someone's job. But as both a Jewish American and a Vanderbilt grad, there is absolutely no place at our university for a man hired to shape young minds who publicly (or, for that matter, privately) expresses support for the legitimization of the current outgrowth of anti-semitism. Vanderbilt should not be associated with such people. And this has nothing at all to do with football. If firing Dan Jackson means we don't win another game, that is well worth the cost of taking such a stand. I care a ton about football. I care more that my alma mater isn't supporting the persecution of my people.

I don't want to play "me tooism", but who would not call for a coach's head if they said, "David Duke is two steps ahead of everyone. He is not crazy... People need to wake up and speak their mind". Would CDD and ADCSL and CCL accept such a coach? If the Athletic Department is closing ranks around an anti-semite, then CDD or the University faculty or the Board of Trust needs to stop it. And you better bet that I will personally involve those Board of Trust members I know if action is not taken. This is actually worse than anything Kanye or Kyrie has said. This man is actually paid by an academic institution for the express purpose of leading young people and shaping their minds.

Clark Lea, are these the values of the program you want to lead? Is this the program's identity? Does this reflect your five covenants or the small habits and winning choices that you claim to inculcate? Is this the example of the disciplined focus that you talk about? Candice Storey Lee, you've fired coaches for alcohol offenses. Do you think hating Jews is less bad than that? Chancellor Diermeier. How does your Jewish wife feel about one of your employees using the perch that you pay him to occupy who is also supporting the persecution of your wife? As an American of German roots, you know too well the dangers of what happens when anti-semitism creeps into the mainstream and is legitimized. Do you want such anti-semitism to weave its claws into the institution you lead?

I understand the need to do immediate damage control with coordinated press statements. That simply is not enough. This isn't something that a media relations-crafted apology solves.

If Vanderbilt wants to hire anti-semites to lead its youth, I don't want to associated with Vanderbilt. It's that simple. I'll pull my support completely, and encourage my friends and colleagues to do the same. As a community, do we want to condone our educators' anti-semitism or stand against it? The answer should be clear.

He has missed 3 field goals in 2 weeks. Then after we try to make a game of it with South Carolina, he sends the kickoff out of bounds. Is there anyone else we can try at this point?

I've recently started watching this guy, he's pretty funny, and this is a good one.

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Named colts interim HC. Why is that worthy of a post? The dude isn’t even on the staff and works for ESPN. This has to be a first time in nfl and college football history a non coach named HC halfway through the season. Jim Irsay is on one crazy bender

Logged into my ticket account today to download the tickets for the season I paid my $800.00 for and nothing there.

Glad I got receipts

Lea wins 4 next year and 5 in year 4?

I realize this is in a. vacuum but there are too many permutations. Assume none of the wins are against top 20 programs?

This is the almost exact scenario I have been expecting since we hired him. 2/3/4/5. I guess I'd likely keep but let go if we didn't make a bowl in year 5.

What am I missing? Is that as dumb as I feel like it is?

Fired by usf today, he'd been the DC there. A staff change on the defensive side is the bare minimum of what we need right now, and this is where he enjoyed his greatest success. Make it happen!
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I am looking for two for tomorrow night, if anyone has any extras.

Injuries may have derailed this season before it even starts, but the future is promising under Shea Ralph.

Got to meet him last night at the Cheatham County Sports Hall Of Fame Induction. @Chris Lee such a great joy to meet him in person after the great pod casts . He was inducted last night . Told him to keep up the great work …..very informative .

First off, this guy sucks as an OC.

Second, he is going all in on getting Sarah Fuller an extra point chance and that appears to be secondary to actually winning the football game.

I didn't think we should retain this clown at all before, but now I think I can safely say that no matter who we hire, the first person officially let go should be Todd Fitch.

We need to rid ourselves of losers.

Early lines are always the most off, but interesting nonetheless.

he podcast is presented by Dr. Jody Jones, DDS.

The guest line is presented by Michael Kendrick of The Kendrick Group. Michael is a local carpenter and a lifelong Vandy fan. He builds bookshelves, cabinets, picture frames, furniture and made-to-order items, including a display case for my prized Dale Murphy jersey. I have seen Michael’s work and he’s a true craftsman. If you’re in the market for custom woodwork, give Michael a call at 615.830.9458.

Today’s mailbag is sponsored by Sutherland & Belk, a family owned injury law firm. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident, give Taylor or Russell a call at 615-846-6200 to see what your rights are and if they can help.

I'm doing this at 10 Monday morning

The U is falling on hard times. After an embarrassing home loss to FSU last night before a sellout crowd, this was noted on Twitter.

”Mario Cristobal should be the next FEMA director,’’ an FSU fan tweeted. “Man single-handedly evacuated 65,000 ppl in less than 3 hours.’’

I don’t like picking on people, Cristobal included, but this is priceless.

31-14 South Carolina. Most of it on Vanderbilt being Vanderbilt against South Carolina.

Im going to watch a real football game, Bama and LSU.

Clark has a lot of work to do, and recruiting after back to back 0-8 SEC seasons is going to be very difficult.

Cmon Stack, make us forget about football, please.

Driving home with my dad and we discussed this. Long post but just getting all my comments out there

What is the answer? How do you fix Vandy football? Is there an answer? Is it really as simple as hiring the right coach? Heck, see Kansas and UT and Oregon and TCU.. they hit HR in the coaching hires.

But we have Lea right now and I doubt he gets fired any time soon. So, How do you recruit kids here. What is the sell? Heading in to next year we will have a 29 game conference losing streak. TWENTY NINE STRAIGHT CONFERENCE LOSSES

and don't give me the 4 years for 40 pitch. This is SEC football. HS Kids that come to the SEC want to win and make the NFL. They can get the education that they want (and a decent one, this isn't an education knock on any school) at any SEC school.
How do you get coaches to want to come here? How do you get fans to the games? Students? (answer there is just win).

The only sell I can think of for a kid is playing time. Can you imagine taking a visit to Vandy and then being at Bama/LSU/UGA/UT the next week? How would ANYONE ever pick Vandy? and I know we will never recruit vs those teams but heck, make it UK/USC/Mizzou/etc.

"Hey man, yeah we've lost 26 straight P5 games but you can help turn it around" - yeah, hard pass.

I don't know the answer. If I am being truthful and honest, there is no answer. We are what we are. Take away 3 seasons in my lifetime (35 years), and Vandy football is what Vandy football is. I don't see any path that gets us to making bowl games on a consistent basis. May be harsh but, I don't see it

Last comment - we will not win an SEC game this year. Clark Lea will be 0-16 in SEC games going in to year 3. What do you do as an AD when you fired a previous coach for Literally doing the same thing and not winning a conference game? What team can we beat next year? Maybe Mizzou at home?

It's amazing anyone is still a fan of this program. Apathy is a program death penalty and the apathy around this football team is at an all time high.

Here are some notable expected visitors coming in for the South Carolina game tomorrow...

Commits:

Ethan Crisp
London Humphreys
Maureice Sherrill

2023 Targets:

Randon Fontennette, S, Brazosport (Tex.) - Just de-committed from Utah. Took a summer official to Vanderbilt and will be back in Nashville. He recently visited TCU and that is the perceived leader at the moment. Will Vandy change the momentum this weekend? We'll see.

2024 Targets:

Edwin Spillman, LB, Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) - Will probably end up committing to Tennessee since his brother is committed there. Regardless, he'll be back on campus

Kaleb Beasley, CB, Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) - Recent Tennessee commit.

Brandon Heyward, WR, Oak Ridge (Tenn.) - Recently put Vanderbilt among his Top 8

Brandon Nicholson, CB, MUS (Tenn.) - Visited Vanderbilt back in July. Also picked up recent offers from Tennessee and Florida State. Believe Vanderbilt has a really good shot here

Markeis Barrett, ATH, Webb School of Knox (Tenn.) - Has visited Vanderbilt once already for a game in September and returned for a visit during his fall break in October. Commodores making a big push.