The big question surrounding Vanderbilt in 2019 is how the Commodores will look without Kyle Shurmur, the school’s all-time leading passer. For the first time in what may seem like forever, the Dores will have a new quarterback.

The signal-caller will be different, but his supporting cast will feature a trio of established weapons – RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, WR Kalija Lipscomb and TE Jared Pinkney – referred to as the “big three” by coach Derek Mason.

Quarterback competitions often headline spring games, but that wasn’t the case Saturday in Nashville for the Black and Gold game. Vanderbilt entered spring with six quarterbacks, but two, graduate transfer Riley Neal and returning redshirt junior Deuce Wallace coming off academic suspension, have separated themselves as contenders for the starting job. Wallace wasn’t able to play Saturday due to what was described as a minor lateral tear, so we didn’t get to establish a frontrunner.

Neal and others, including freshman Allan Walters, showed more mobility than Shurmur, but the game was low on scoring, with the defensive clearly ahead of the offense at this point. Injury concerns also limited the action as plays were blown dead before any big hits, making it look like two-hand touch.

Neal’s first drive led to a field goal attempt, which was missed by Javan Rice wide left. Later, Ryley Guay hit a 46-yard field goal (after being given a do-over following a miss).

Mobile freshman QB Jamil Muhammad topped Neal’s early highlight throw with a big play of his own, moving the White team from midfield to the red zone on a long pass play. He completed the drive by running for the first touchdown of the day on a zone read play from seven yards out.

On defense, Elijah McAllister was a standout performer. Sporting No. 41, McAllister reminded Commodores fans of former VU standout Zach Cunningham. He recorded two “sacks.” Freshman DL Daevion Davis also logged two sacks.

The scoring picked up late when the SEC Network broadcast had shifted focus to an interview with Mason. More scores in the non-televised portion pushed the final score to 30-15 favoring the White team. An alternate method of keeping score was used in the game in which defense stops were rewarded with points for the team.

Feature photo via @VandyFootball