Hearing Byington is offering bags. Commitment tomorrow

A few things. I actually got them a week early, but here’s the top 25 that I posted a day early


And here’s something Chancellor Diermeier is doing re: rankings that I think is terrific in philosophy and I (and others) think is horrible is execution

Is anyone following this story? Guy transferred in on a verbal promise for $100k, has received $3k. Before he plays his 4th game to give up his eligibility, walks away from the team taking a redshirt year. Has great passing and running numbers- was transfer to unlv from holy cross. Seems like an ideal replacement for Pavia.

Please discuss…..

I looked this up today, tweeted about it, and it bears repeating. Diego Pavia is special and I wish we had him for more than 1 season. Plenty of subpar qbs at Power 4 programs. Diego is not one of them. Would love to see him will this team to a run

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Just returned from lunch and errands. Wearing a VandyBoys shirt, I had 3 different folks comment on how much they liked my shirt. I always reply---"well there aren't many of us left but those of us that are left are pretty darn loyal". It always makes me feel a little better to meet a Vandy fan like that, just out of the blue. Anchor Down.

On its face, Derek for all his flaws achieved these records over 4 years:
Year 1: 3-9
Year 2: 4-8
Year 3: 6-7 (independence bowl)
Year 4: 5-7
18-31

Clark with all of his smart, demure mannerisms has achieved these records over 4 years:
Team 1: 2-10
Team 2: 5-7
Team 3: 2-10
Team 4: 2-2 (in progress. personally I'm projecting 4-8)
15-37

It's not great Bob! We've literally replaced one coach who's never been a head coach with another one and the records bear out. The coordinator/staff parallels are crazy too. Derek started terribly with Kotulski but succeeded somewhat with Ludwig (in retrospect, a coup on the order of Jerry Kill), Clark had Raih and now hoping for success with Beck/Kill.

What we don't have is either a personality like James who could grab the program by the horns and tell it how it was gonna run, or an experienced successful head coach like the Leipolds and Cignettis and Chesneys of the world with demonstrated approaches. Can't take chances on guys to learn on the fly at a place like VU with the Athletic Department and SOV/Date to Grow culture we have.

The eye test tells me we are improved on offense but it is unclear whether that is sustainable after Pavia leaves. We supposedly had difference makers at CB but lack of depth is killing us. After 4 years, we could string this along like with Derek, but I'm for a change. Guess it'll be fun to see Arch Manning slinging it at the Dud.

Vanderbilt was in a couple of their college football columns today...

Vanderbilt: No program in the country is as reliably awful in crunch time as the Commodores. Year after year, coach after coach, recruiting class after recruiting class, Vanderbilt’s ability to lose winnable games is as consistent as the sunrise. The Commodores had their chances to register a huge win at Missouri on Saturday, but kicker Brock Taylor missed a 50-yarder with 3:06 remaining for the lead in regulation and a 31-yarder to extend the game to a third overtime as Vanderbilt lost a Missouri, 30-27. And it’s not like Taylor is a bad kicker: He made a 57-yarder earlier in the game but just couldn’t connect when the pressure was on. This is just what happens at Vanderbilt, where head coach Clark Lea is now 2-23 in the SEC.

Fourth Down: The rise of ... Vanderbilt?

Diego Pavia deserves better. Better than a hooked chip shot field goal in an overtime loss to Missouri. Better than the Vanderbilt defense folding with a minute to play in last week’s loss to Georgia State, and giving up a 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive in 55 seconds.

Vanderbilt – yes, Vanderbilt – should be 4-0, and we should all be celebrating the most impactful transfer quarterback of 2024 instead of lamenting same ol’ Vandy.

More impactful than Dillon Gabriel or Will Howard or Riley Leonard ― all of whom landed on ready-made championship teams. Pavia has elevated one of the worst Power Four conference teams into the land of respectability.

But for a missed 31-yard field goal against Missouri, Vanderbilt could have eventually earned another significant upset (Virginia Tech) in the first month of the season behind the quarterback who last went viral for urinating on a rival’s practice field.

Expect the unexpected.

Love BT's leg and that kick to end the half was awesome, but with the pressure kicks going wide v. VT and in regulation v. Mizzou, would Faris have been an option in OT? Doesn't have a lot of time to think about it, tough angle. I know the idea is to regain BT's confidence in a pressure situation with a good kick to force third OT, but wonder if an older kicker with perhaps clearer headspace might step up when called on in the moment??

There’s been some chatter about the possibility. That would change the entire complexion of the 2025 season.

I recently responded to a post by wayne4vu "reality". wayne4vu stated that Vandy fans need to realize that Vandy has been lousy for 40 years and this season would not be any different. Well, I have been with Vandy those 40 years and I answered that that I didn't care about the last 40 years. This season was going to be better and we were going to improve and win some games. For that opinion, I got a response (not from wayne) that I was part of the SOV problem; that I didn't care that Vandy was cannon fodder for the SEC, etc. I have seen others with opinions similar to mine be called losers and told that should not buy tickets, etc. I guess what I am curious about is that if I choose to take a Pollyanna lookout toward football, if I choose to look forward to each season with hope and optimism, if I choose to spend my money, my time and my emotional support for football, why does it seem to upset some others so much? Do I get down and disappointed and frustrated when we lose and play really poorly as well? Of course I do. Was I disgusted with what went happened last season. Absolutely. But I am excited to see what happens the rest of this season as I think we are going to win some games. But if this season goes downhill, well I'll just have to look forward to next season. I hope I don't offend too many other people.

Vanderbilt has had 4 winning seasons in the last 48 years! Either Vanderbilt can’t hire good coaches because they are what they are. They can hire good coaches but don’t know how to. Or maybe just winning at Vanderbilt is close to impossible.

To all those screaming all that matters are wins are you even aware of Vanderbilts history? So you honestly think a coaching change is going to suddenly fix the problem. Or would you be happy if we won 4 or 5 games a year and make a bowl game every 5 to 8 years? What are your expectations? Anxious to hear an answer to that.

Let me disclaim that I think we’d be 2-2 almost regardless of the changes we made, unless Derek Mason were coach then we’d be 1-3. But an SEC team, even Vandy as bad as we often are, with this schedule should be 2-2.

But we’re also more competitive. A lot of our previous coaches might not beat Va Tech and I’m not sure if any other than Franklin that would play the #7 team at their home field until a virtual standstill 99% of the game. Some Lea bashers, and I’ve been one since his first boring press conference, want to pretend Missouri isn’t a good team. They are — we just made them look bad with a bit of help from their fg kicker.

My argument is that it isn’t this magical unicorn on Beck/Kill. Any coaching change even if it’s the S&C coach or that this program even if it’s the chef creates a great deal of optimism. It’s easy because when you have someone new you can’t point to losing. We don’t hire head coaches or sign recruits who have done poorly so you can put them in a vacuum and say “all will now be great!”

I think we are more competitive and I think it’s Pavia. The kid is a gamer who moves the ball. Which, I mean, is one of the two most important things you can ever do in football (stopping the other team from moving the ball being the other of course).

Do we give him better plays than say a Ted Cain would? Sure. But talent makes coaches look good. For a long run we have not had QBs that can move the ball and Pavia does just that.

How does it shake out? After watching the last game I’d bet we get 4 wins. That’s actually worst case for me because Candice will get all excited and possibly give Lea an infinite contract extension and this board will go berserk with glee when we beat UK and claim next year with Kill/Beck we are marching toward 9 wins, and then throw an unholy meltdown when we are losing by 3 points in the first quarter of our first game.

But if we do somehow get Pavia back and bring in more talent (not sure Lea is capable of that but maybe the portal again), I’ll actually be excited for next year. And after ‘Bama thumps us 50-10 and the sky is falling, I still think we win 4.

I’ve watched that replay several times and it sure looks like the runner gave up his forward progress on his own, which means that should have been a safety. He was running diagonally backwards then went back further trying to avoid a tackle. The tackle itself didn’t cause him to go back, the runner did that on his own which means he gave up the forward progress this a safety. I mean I believe 99% it should have been a safety.

At worse no way that ball should be on the 2. No way a replay wouldn’t have at least changed it to the 1 yard line.

Another coaching blundet. VU should be 4-0 if not for pretty simple coaching

I mean Injewrd Lea post game say on the tying OT touchdown the corner got beat on a good double move. Umm when the only way you don’t win the game is giving up a TD, why your CB is on an island with the most dangerous player on the field is just bad bad coaching.

Why on 2 down when you can get a 1st on the two do you throw a jump ball when the last several drives you’d been moving the ball in other ways. That isn’t Parvias strength and the players even there.

Just frustrating.

Of course MO coaching was no better. What a gift they gave VU calling timeout just to point. How dumb was that. Take the delay of game if you are going to punt.

Anyone else see Festus during his week (I think) on ESPN? He was REALLY GOOD!!! Login to view embedded media
He first appears at 0:51.

I heard on several occasions that VU was turning students away, yet complaints that our side of the stadium was empty. If the student section was full, why not just let them in and allow them to sit anywhere???

As great as Kill and Beck have been, I just can’t believe how bad the play calls were to end up with a 31 yard field goal.

Great stuff. They talk pretty glowingly about the dores.

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This is a Vandy board so I always enjoy when our former Vandy football fans pick new teams and they lose.

If @Friedas_Boss isn’t having fun, nobody’s having fun.

#HateHateHate

Tow things that have hurt VU on defense the last two games are the following:

1) LB’s not being disciplined in playing their gaps and fitting runs and not hitting the proper gap on run blitzes

2) The safeties not fitting the right gap when blitzing.

These errors caused three long runs in critical situations yesterday.

The DL is much better this year in gap discipline. The LB’s however the last two games have not done this well.

Patterson has missed several key run fits and Longwell has been late to fill gaps when it was pretty obvious seeing the run gap.

I trust Lea will fix this.

I still do not get how the safeties still seem to miss their keys on alignment and assignment. Lea also seems to not be able to call the right run gap blitz calls in critical times.

So not only the secondary but the LB’s need to be playing at a higher level to make key stops.

The defense is much improved this year on the edge including run gap responsibility. But they are still missing foundational gap control techniques and secondary recognition and assignment that create big plays.

Seems like always something with Lea. Maybe Kill can help tighten this up.

Got to win some games and eliminate these mistakes now.

According to this FB post I saw (who knows the validity), Glenn has been one of the highest grade true freshman in the country so far.

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