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Football Vanderbilt scrimmage report #2

Joey Dwyer
Offense (Joey):

-Rough day for the Vanderbilt offense. Not much of a downfield attack, lot of close calls on interceptions, some penalties. Not a lot of time for the quarterbacks to throw. Some bad decision making out of them. Some drops.

-Diego Pavia wasn't as good as he was last week. He seemed to use his legs more which was a positive but just wasn't consistent as a passer and didn't really throw it down the field. He looks to have command of the huddle and such, but I wasn't encouraged. Just not enough substantial gains with him out there. I do think he's still the number one QB. He did do a fine job moving the pocket.

-Nate Johnson completed a long pass early but from there had a really difficult time. Made some throws that probably should've been intercepted. Didn't leave encouraged with his arm. Didn't see him use his legs much early either. One stood out when he could've had Kam Johnson for a touchdown but underthrew him which ended the drive. He was the leading passer through about a half with 19 passing yards, though. That all came on one throw.

-Drew Dickey was the best quarterback of them all. He showed some real command of the offense and in Chris' words "everyone else is making the forward pass look like the moon landing and he's just carving them up." He didn't do much early but took a drive late and just blew us away. Found Loic Fouonji over and over again while mixing Cole Spence in there. Threw a touchdown to Eli Stowers which was the first one of the day. He's inching closer to Johsnon.

-Blaze Berlowitz was good with his legs but didn't do much through the air. St Hilare struggled with ball security and Whit Muschamp seemed to miss a lot of throws but also hit some downfield.

-AJ Newberry had the day's first 20-yard play and probably the best day out of the backs. Chase Gillespie was fine, he's been better in scrimmages than in practice where I haven't seen him much. Sedrick Alexander didn't do a whole lot but caught a ball for 17 yards that was the standout play from him. Still think their QBs could be more successful running than their backs.

-Thought their tight ends were ok. Cole Spence was quieter but he made two catches for a little under 30 yards on the Dickey drive. Kameran Johnson had one of his better days. Eli Stowers just keeps quietly getting better and producing more.

-Receivers were super quiet, especially Skinner, Sherrill. Think they combined for around 20 yards and two catches. Loic Fouonji had a better day than most but he caught most of his balls on that Dickey drive. Caught like four in a row or something. Nothing out of the freshmen today. Dariyan Wiley and Jeremiah Dillon didn't go.

-Jake Balis and Dominic Rezac stood out late!

Defense (Billy):
  • The defense won the day
  • Randon Fontenette was everywhere, but the sky is also blue.
  • Jaylin Lackey keeps making plays.
  • The defensive line got a ton of pressure today.
  • Diakite did not see action, but was in pads, so I would guess he’s fine.
  • Glenn Seabrooks saw a lot of snaps. He could play more than anticipated this season and might’ve already passed Devin Lee on the depth chart.
  • Martel Hight should’ve had an interception but dropped it. That same thing also happened a few times in last week’s scrimmage.
  • Dontae Carter was more active than last week.
  • The defense wore out toward the end.
  • Will Faris hit a 47-yard FG. Special teams coordinator Jeff LePak said there’s a battle between Faris and Taylor. I still think it’s Taylor’s to lose, but we’ll see. Taylor hit a 28-yard FG, but also had a 56-yarder blocked by Yilanan
  • Brail Lipford, a walk-on transfer from Rocky Mountain College, had the play of the day on a diving one-handed interception of Jeremy St. Hilaire.
  • I’ll add more after we talk with coaches/players
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Instructions for fans going to games at FirstBank Stadium this year

Chris Lee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As Vandy United continues to alter the landscape in and around FirstBank Stadium, Vanderbilt Athletics has shared several updates for fans planning on attending Commodore football games this fall.

Vanderbilt opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 when Virginia Tech visits FirstBank Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff. The home slate includes Alcorn State (Sept. 7), preseason No. 5 Alabama (Oct. 5), Ball State (Oct. 19), No. 4 Texas (Oct. 26), South Carolina (Nov. 9) and No. 15 Tennessee (Nov. 30).

Kickoff Windows
The first new process for fans involves kickoff times, as the SEC’s enhanced partnership with ABC and ESPN has facilitated the announcement of kickoff windows for all games this season. Every conference game this year has been assigned a window, allowing fans to better plan their game weekends and travel.

Alabama, Texas and South Carolina are all in the afternoon window, meaning kickoff will be between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. CT. The Tennessee game is in the early window, giving the contest a start between 11 a.m. and noon. Exact kickoff times will be announced six days prior to each game.

In the nonconference slate, Virginia Tech gets underway at 11 a.m., Alcorn State starts at 6:30 p.m. and Ball State will begin at 6 p.m.

Vanderbilt’s complete 2024 schedule is available here.

Digital Map
Vanderbilt has partnered with Concept3D to develop a new digital map for fans to use on game days. The map will be available the week of the Virginia Tech game.

Star Walk

Star Walk will return in a similar format to last season, giving fans a chance to cheer on the Commodores as they transition from the locker room to the field. Star Walk is scheduled for approximately 45 minutes prior to kickoff of each home game on the football practice fields directly south of the McGugin Center.

Stadium Entrances
As construction continues in the Frist Athletics Village, fans will have multiple options to enter FirstBank Stadium. With the opening of the north end zone facility, fans will be able to access both sides of FirstBank Stadium.

The Gate 1 and Gate 4 entrances on the north side of FirstBank Stadium will both be open this season. Fans can also continue to enter through the Frist Family Gate at the corner of Natchez Trace and Jess Neely Dr., as well as through Memorial Gymnasium.

Videoboard and Sound System
Atop the new north end zone facility sits a new video board and sound system. CTS AVL was added to the construction team undertaking the generational renovations at FirstBank Stadium. CTS, which has worked closely with Vanderbilt for years, was brought on board to provide and install the new LED and audio solutions for the stadium. CTS partnered with Elite Displays for the LED technology solutions, and L-Acoustics and Fulcrum Acoustic for the audio solutions.

Elite Displays provides the primary scoreboard at 30 feet x 84 feet using 8mm SMD technology with a resolution of 1152 x 3200 pixels of crystal-clear images. Additionally, 230 feet of 10mm Ribbon displays will allow for increased advertising opportunities and light up the crowd with graphics and fan prompts.

The new audio system in FirstBank Stadium is built to bring high energy, excitement and connectedness to the entire stadium. L-Acoustics, one of the premier manufacturers of speaker systems in the world, provides line array technology for the main seating sections. Twenty-four L-Acoustics K2 Line Array speakers, 16 KS28 sub speakers, 13 A15 speakers, with 12 L-Acoustics amplifiers delivering a possible 168,000 watts of power make up the primary audio system. Supplementary fill speakers from L-Acoustics and Fulcrum Acoustic are strategically placed throughout the stadium to ensure that coverage and intelligibility are consistent throughout the entire stadium.

Concessions Updates
Multiple new concessions offerings will be available for fans at FirstBank Stadium starting this fall. The highlights include offerings from 5 Points Pizza, Mission BBQ and a cantina-style concession stand, and the north end zone will include a new market for fans to purchase food and drinks.

Continued Updates
As construction progress throughout the season, fans are encouraged to check back to VUCommodores.com during the week leading up to each home game to have the latest information. Construction will continue to impact road closures and pedestrian access on campus.

Fans should consult maps and keep an eye out for postage signage as they navigate the area surrounding FirstBank Stadium.
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Virginia Tech - ESPN Top 100 -didn't see this coming

sidedore
CFB Rank 2024: Ranking the top 100 players before the season

Virginia Tech with multiple players. No different than any other team we play, I just didn't expect it from VaTech. Ever the optimist, I think we win this game.

UT's James Pearce Jr. comes in at #1. Missouri's Luther Burden III at #5.

i

88. Dorian Strong​

CB, Virginia Tech, Senior
2023 stats: 3 INTs, 8 PBUs, 2.8 yards allowed per target
2023 ranking: 80

Virginia Tech likes to tout its reputation as DBU, but it's been some time since the Hokies produced a genuine star at the position. Strong figures to change that. Last season, Strong was as dominant as any corner in the country, with QBs completing just 25% of their throws targeting him, allowing just 2.8 yards per target (third in FBS) and just 0.29 yards per coverage snap.

i

63. Antwaun Powell-Ryland​

DE, Virginia Tech, Senior
2023 stats: 23 solo, 9.5 sacks, 3 FFs
2023 ranking: NR

Powell-Ryland transferred to Virginia Tech last season from Florida and put up big numbers in his first year with the Hokies, with 40 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss (fifth in the ACC) and 9.5 sacks (second in the ACC). Powell-Ryland had multiple sacks in four games last season and is hoping for more consistency in 2024.
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Off topic A thought on NIL

G
There’s been a lot of talk lately about NIL. An idea entered my head today about how Vanderbilt could establish itself in a unique way in the NIL landscape.

Now that players are getting paid at the college level, financial literacy is more important than ever. So many of these players don’t know about things like high yield savings accounts, trusts, investment accounts, and retirement accounts. Unfortunately, I suspect we will be reading about many players in the next decade who blew their NIL money and went broke.

Something Vanderbilt should do is have players take mandatory seminars on these important topics. Part of the pitch would be “we’ll give you NIL and show you how to grow that money and turn it into generational wealth.” Obviously, the on field product is the most important thing, but Vandy should strongly consider doing something like this if they haven’t already.
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Practice report #13

Billy Derrick
OFFENSE:

- Nothing new on the quarterback front for me. Think Diego Pavia is the guy unless proven otherwise. He and Cole Spence have developed a rapport which I think is gonna be important moving forward. I still worry about their ability to hit deep balls consistently with him at the helm. He does seem to have command and make fine reads, he threw a pick today that was mostly about the throw rather than the read.

- Nate Johnson was inconsistent I thought, didn’t have a standout play that was bad but seemed to miss a read or two. He did make some really, really nice throws downfield.

- Not sure that Drew Dickey or Blaze Berlowitz has been decidedly better. Think the third quarterback distinction will be important and I’m not sure they’ll name one. It’s just a matter of what they want. Berlowitz is the high-variance guy who makes some head-scratchers while Dickey is more of the game manager. Dickey hasn’t been spotless with ball security, though.

- Didn’t see a ton from the tight ends. We know what they’ve got there, though. Cole Spence still made a few plays. Eli Stowers could line up at receiver at times.

- Saw some high-quality reps out of Quincy Skinner and Junior Sherrill. Think Sherrill may be their most productive guy in that room. Looks like he has developed more of a complete game than he previously had. I’m interested to see if any of their freshmen can get on the field. Boski Barrett has returned to practice and caught a deep ball. Like him, wonder if he’s too far behind on the offense. Joseph McVay and Tristen Brown could both play but Brown has been a bit quieter than he was early and McVay isn’t always going against first-teamers.

- Hard to tell with the offensive line today since they weren’t in pads. I think they’ll be better-ish and that they’re using their personnel in a way that could be helpful. Gotta be different and they’ll be different on the offensive line.

DEFENSE:

- Linus Zunk had a deflection at the line of scrimmage that stood out. He continues to stand out while dropping back in coverage as well.

- Randon Fontenette was all over the place. He is going to play a lot this season and is a guy that must stay healthy.

- Jaylin Lackey keeps making plays. At this point, I think he'll play more than Taco Wright and maybe even Tyson Russell.

- Jeffrey Ugo had an interception. He represents great depth behind Fontenette at STAR. Also, behind Ugo, Maurice Hampton has shown signs of improvement.

- Zaylin Wood continues to work at EDGE. I'm interested to see if he settles into the interior or edge position. He's one of their better pass rushers, so it may be a situational-type thing with him, especially if one of the other edge players goes down with an injury.

- Will Faris missed what looked to be a 35-yard field goal. We've hinted at this, but I think Brock Taylor has the job locked up.

Off to the side:
- Richie Hoskins
- Jeremiah Dillon
- Boubacar Diakite
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OT: Top 5 Favorite Bands

Friedas_Boss
Normally reserved for the Coffee Shop but since that was nuked, and it’s slow af, here we go….

And this is nearly impossible because I love a lot of different types of music.

Top 5 in no order:

The Smiths
OutKast
Pink Floyd
The Cure
Florida Georgia Line

Honorable Mention:

Widespread Panic
Steely Dan
NWA
Erykah Badu
Van Morrison
Phish
Blues Traveler
Too Short
DMB

Whacha got, peeps?
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