He is calling a great defensive game against Penn State today.

Matt Ryan (yes, that Matt Ryan) made the Lakers opening night roster. How did Bryce Drew go 0-19 against SEC teams that year?

Opening
Disappointing loss, that’s hard
When you don’t play the way you want to play, that makes it challenging
One of the challenges is to pick up and move forward to their potential
They’ve shown flashes, there’s no reason they can’t do that this weekend

Was this a “burn the film” week?
no, ther’es always something to pull from
What they saw was failure to make the available play on offense, specifically Sheppard’s drop (10/10 times he makes that play) and a wheel route to McGowan that would have been a score, plus the McGowan fumble
The teams that have beaten them have never failed to capitalize on those opportunities
When their ribs have been exposed the opponent has landed a punch
Defensively, they have to get stops
Three TDs in the red zone on third down
First drive they had a shot for a stop on 3rd and long, that’s design and execution
Defensively, they battled in the third quarter, they saw positive trajectory there but they didn’t finish the way they wanted
It’s about being disciplined and executed, they can’t problem-solve on the field but if they do their job and pay attention to detail they can do better. They did that at times and Georgia also made some plays on contested plays
It’s about finding the details like attention to detail on the first play of the game that should have been second-and-10 and not second-and-2.

How do they keep the locker room from crumbling and how important is player leadership?
Both are important, these moments challenge you
Everything is temporary
What’s permanent are the choices you make when facing adversity
That’s been the message to the staff and the team
Their losses reflect where they are as a program and the product they’re putting on the field
They don’t have to accept it, they have to work to improve it and move past the sting of the result and focus on the things they can do better
Building a program is challenging, they’re in the throes of that
They’ve had flashes of good play
They’ve gone through a tough stretch and they’ve lost four games to top 15 teams
Their best effort is out in front of them and they use that to shift focus

So is the sun a little brighter after what’s behind them?
They don’t see through the lens of who they played—it’s not okay to lose the way they did but it’s about what they can control
They played too many snaps on defense the last three games
That challenges their program
They had good flashes in the Ole Miss game

Cooper Lutz is on the depth chart, is Chase Gillespie available?
Cooper’s expected back, he’s day to day but trending that way
Chase is questionable for Saturday, they’re looking for him to return after the bye week

Missouri D
DL is physical and they play an aggressive style
They have nice players and have done a good job, their D will be equal to a lot of what they’ve seen

Cole Spence is on the depth chart, what’s that mean?
They’re exploring all possibilities, he’s not ready to commit, they want to see where the pieces fit, they have a talented player who can help them win, they’re anxious to see where he can help

Is Nick Howell in the box or the field Saturday?
The box, they did that last Saturday
Being there gave him a better chance to disconnect emotionally, see things better and think ahead
That’s the design moving forward
When you’re working through staff chemistry and where people’s eyes are best; he’s bene through that in the past. Presence on the sideline and also communications are things to consider

On breakdowns defensively, are they outside or middle of field?
Both
Their past defense has been flawed, Georgia’s success was more contested, it wasn’t as much explosion as there was against Ole Miss

They’ve had breakdowns inside and outside, two double-moves vs. Alabama went for touchdowns
Their secondary is growing and they are to shorten the down
Second half and particularly third quarter, they dialed into pressures that made the QB uncomfortable, they have to find that going forward

How to you cover Luther Burden?
They’re good in personnel and design, they have a smart offensive scheme
He’s got a unique skill set and is a twitchy athlete, they get him the ball a lot of different ways
Designing around him and being aware of where he is is important

What is Missouri’s offensive identity?
They challenge you in design
He’s had to defend Drinkwitz a few times, he puts stress on you vertically
If you don’t have awareness, you have critical breakdowns that lead to scores
It’s a capable offense and good design and they have good players that challenge them

How do you approach a team after a bye week knowing they have things to add?
There are plenty of wrinkles within their play menu
You may see one play out of a formation that has a complementary play
So they need to pay attention to where they’ve had success and prepare to defend that
They’ll see a stretch run game and they’ll play to their identity

What does the run game need to do to get going?
Georgia closed space quickly
When they were at their best against Ole Miss, they created space
Missouri’s defensive front is a challenge but they believe in their line of scrimmage

Summer ball
A lot of guys could play and that was big, they haven’t had that lately
Vastine being able to get 200 ABs in the Norwoods League was big
They’e had time to acclimate to class and the weight room

Hliboki/Doolin
Hliboki ahead of Doolin
Hliboki will throw this fall

Who won’t be available in the fall?
They’re holding several pitchers back and he’ll let Scott Brown determine that
This is a lot like 2014-15 when the pitchers’ schedules are different

So is anybody out for the fall?
Nobody in that position

Why was Schrek a fit?
Academics
They had a relationship and not because he went to HS with Hliboki
And he was available after the draft
They may have reached out to a lot of kids in a grad school situation but it had to be perfect because it’s one year and you’re inserting him into the team

Will they use the portal more in the future?
If they recruit someone, they see something in them
If someone doesn’t stick at Vandy, they want something they can’t provide, most notably playing time, or they didn’t fulfill their obligations as student-athletes
He’s not saying they’ll never dip into the portal but that’s counterproductive
It feels better that way, to be able to home-grow your guys

Three infielders returning, what are his top options?
Davis played well at 3B and SS
Vastine has played 4 different positions
He likes them all as players

Is this similar to another season with who they bring back?
Not sure, but bringing seniors back is good, those guys can provide more than the ball and the bat and the glove
That’s more pitching and that’s a positive
Said they have 10 seniors right now including Schreck
The most they had prior to that was 2019 but those were position players

Player leadership, how did he feel last year and about this year?
Don’t know yet
Not always a correlation between the success you had and the leadership
Tate and Dominic were great leaders for them a year ago
He tries not to compare the years but this year it’s been calm waters—intentional, mature, the academic piece coincides with the athletic piece
When Sarah Sanders, their academic advisor, tells him they are handling academics well, that always gives him hope. (Implied that’s the case.)

On NIL and transfer portal, how does he feel about it
Long pause
That’s a lot all they can do is navigate in their structure and do the best they can
He had a lot of conversations with Candice about it, the school is handling NIL methodically an intentionally and that bodes well
It’s good to be intentional, quick Covid decisions led to bad mistakes (I think he means NCAA)
That creates foundational cracks inside the locker room when Player A gets something, Player B gets something else and Player C gets nothing
18-20-year-old kids can’t manage that
He doesn’t enjoy this part of athletics right now
The situations are what they are, Vandy has handled its business well
The game has changed, it will continue to change

Does the NCAA need a “baseball commissioner?”
He doesn’t know
Everyone is looking for strong guidance
Sankey is a good leader, he offers a lot of strength
If it ever got to that point, they’d think of that and move to that but right now he doesn’t think so

Last year he started more true freshman that he had before, what kind of growth can that lead to this year?
Growth is up to them, they can take what they’re done and capitalize on that

How does he feel about his catching situation?
Good, Bulger has experience and Espinal does too, he caught every other day in the summer
Poteet and Law have good skill sets

What rule changes were there in the offseason?
Not much from the coaching staff?
Minor changes in the rule book, they’re usually a year behind MLB and he thinks they need the same rule book

Were there rule changes for equipment, anything like MLB checking pitchers
Not really, they have to do things within the guidelines of how they do it

On the Maldonado family being together
Jokes about how it cut the family’s expenses
Very athletic family
That family does a nice job of raising four kids

Is Nick more of a starter or reliever?
Don’t know, they have to get his help in the right direction
Probably dependent on the rest of the team
He’s less than 100%

Hunter Owen
Fine, healthy

Vanderbilt is ranked 66th in the new Kenpom preseason rankings.

The Commodores are ranked 76th in offensive efficiency and 63rd in defensive efficiency.

Thoughts?

Went 0-8 in the SEC, 4-8 overall. 5 years later and they are going to be in the playoffs, most likely.

We joke about how much they pay the coaches they fired, and they are on their 3rd coach in 5 years…but it’s a hell of a lot better than where we are.

Even with Vandy United I am not convinced the AD cared about football, and I don’t think they ever will.

I know it’s not an apples to apples comparison…but still.

On SEC Network now.

Former receiver for VU special teams coach at Colorado

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Luke Wyatt, who worked inside Vanderbilt athletics for over four decades, gives perspective on a 55-0 blowout at Georgia that was preceded by blowouts at Alabama and a home loss to Ole Miss, and what factors determine whether there's hope for the rest of the season.

Did we just lose players from a bad defense and yet not really improve the talent on the field ? These are players from last season who are not playing this year, with their season total tackles in parenthesis :

1) Gabe Jeudy (50)
2) Deshaun Jerkins (42)
3) Brendon Harris (34)
4) Daevion Davis (25)
5) Allan George (25)
6) Raashaan Wilkins (13)
7) Brayden Devault-Smith (10)

Probably dumb question but why do many on site refer to SC Gamecocks as Carl Jr. Dummy me that doesn’t know but probably should thanks you in advance.

@Mizzou

Carl’s Jr

@Kentucky

Florida

UTjr

If Clark Lea is a good coach, I think he has to get at least one more win. We have seen Clark’s team give up 162 points in the last 3 weeks and his teams just rolled over late in all three games. Either Coach Lea quit coaching or his players quit on him in three straight games. The other teams didn’t quit fighting and they made the scores look worse than we probably played but it happened and I hope he never lets that happen again (and if so, is fired).


With that said, we all knew we’d lose those 3 games so moving forward…

Predict the rest of the games:

I say we lose at Mizzou, beat Carl’s Jr, lose to Kentucky, beat Florida, and lose to UTjr.

If we go 5-7, I’d say this season is a huge success.

If we go 4-8, the program is trending upward.

If we go 3-9, I’m pretty confident in saying that Clark Lea is just another placeholder and that we’ll be hoping he gets fired soon.

Why do we keep doing this so much? They don’t work.

I’d rather see us pass most of the time with an occasional run.

Our defense is abysmal. Oh my gosh.

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

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.

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.

Luke's the right guy to put perspective on this weekend's game--he worked inside Vanderbilt athletics for 40 years. We'll record about 10 Monday morning.

Serious question, what did you expect in this three game stretch?

VU hasn't won an SEC game in two years, and only won one the year before those two seasons. Alabama and Georgia compete annually for NATIONAL TITLES, not singular SEC wins. Talk about your programs on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

And yet, some of you act like you're giving up on Lea midway through his second season after getting destroyed by two NFL teams with a roster that may have 10-15 kids that even remember winning an SEC game.

Seriously? What exactly did you people expect?

Do I question some of Lea's strategies and decsions? Absolutely. Do I know for certain that he's the answer for Vanderbilt football? Nope. But, I'm also not going to act like the world has come to an end and that we are never going to win another game because we got stomped in two games that virtually EVERYONE in the country (with the exception of some of you in here) expected us to get stomped in.

If Mizzou and South Carolina stomp us, which is possible, then we may have a problem. But, I fully expect to compete with these two schools, because they have rosters a lot closer in talent to ours than what we've just played these last three games.

R-E-L-A-X

Today was really difficult for me. Why? I saw some green shoots against Bama. We played hard, we had a few players who belonged on the field, and I saw a team that might never beat Bama, but could be competitive against most of our schedule. I saw some green shoots against Ole Miss. Hell, we were leading for a half. I really didn't see any green shoots today. Maybe it was the compounding effect of three of these in a row, but there was no part of this game that made me excited for the rest of the season--no individual performance that I thought we could build around. Maybe I could attribute that to playing the #1 team in the country on the road (though we just played the #1 team in the country on the road, and there's a non-zero chance we will effectively play a third #1 team in the country on the road in the last game of the season).

UT beating that same Bama team that obliterated us really doesn't help. I think I would feel better today if UT also lost by 50 to Bama (or even lost by 20 or 30). But I see a team in UT that went from terrible to great almost overnight, while we seem in another one of these long term rebuilds where we never actually improve enough to compete. Oh, and Kentucky, who used to compete with us in the cellar, rebuilt into a top 20 team, too. These teams started at the same place as us. I really like Coach Lea, and I know he inherited a truly terrible mess. But both of these schools made it work. Was there a bigger mess at Vandy than UT the last few years? I don't know--both were total dumpster fires. Even if we are gaining a bit on the margins every year, if our competitors are getting much, much better every year, we're losing while we're gaining. Are Vanderbilt's structural disadvantages so great that no coach can overcome them for an extended period of time? Even CJF only did it for a short while, and there was a bit of scheduling luck, etc. involved. College football is moving quickly. If we have to move slowly because of structural considerations, are we doomed to never compete?

Will I feel like everything is better if we can win another game this season? Maybe. I guess it depends on how we play. But right now, I feel as bad about our football team as I have in a year. Like if you are a Senior right now, you've seen a single SEC win in your entire college tenure, and if you're a freshman, you were 8 years old when we last had a winning record. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, and I am questioning our sanity tonight.

We’ve still got the record for most points scored on Bama!!

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