Derek Mason proudly claims Vanderbilt is no ‘little brother’ to Tennessee
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Derek Mason has an opportunity to accomplish what no Vanderbilt coach has done in nearly 100 years on Saturday — beat the University of Tennessee three years in a row. To achieve that goal, which may have seemed unfathomable to many Vanderbilt fans not so long ago, Mason is calling on the team’s fans to come out and support the program.
With both the Commodores and Volunteers only one win away from reaching the postseason (both feature 5-6 records coming into the game), the latest edition of the annual in-state rivalry features greater stakes than many of the games in recent series history.
“I’m excited, excited for the opportunity. You got two teams that are vying for something on the other side of victory. It’s win or go home,” Mason said on Tuesday. “The reality is, right now, you’ve grinded through 11 weeks of the season, there’s good and bad. Now you have an opportunity to seize the moment.”
One of the biggest question marks heading into the game is the status of Tennessee’s starting quarterback, Jarrett Guarantano. The QB left the Missouri game not long after taking a hit to the back of the head. He did not return.
Based on his Tuesday press conference, it’s clear who Mason believes will be lining up under center for the Vols come Saturday.
“We’ll see who lines up. I definitely expect Guarantano to line up and play,” Mason noted.
Mason has helped Vandy shed the label of being an afterthought on Tennessee’s annual schedule after winning the previous two games in the series. Regardless of his program’s success in recent seasons against the Vols, it’s clear the Commodores still carry a chip on their shoulder when it comes to facing Tennessee.
“Everybody thinks we are the little brother, okay, or little sister — there’s no little brother, little sister here. But we’ve never felt that way,” Mason pointed out. “With that being said, I think it’s going to be a good game based on the fact that these are two football teams that have something to play for. We are going to line up, tee it up and we are going to give Nashville — our city — an opportunity to see what we are made of.”
Finally, Mason was asked if he gets any extra pride out of beating Tennessee.
“Yeah, I think there’s always pride,” he answered. “When I first came to this city, and it’s been prevalent, there’s more orange in your own stadium at times than black and gold. That was my first experience. Since then, I’ve seen this city get behind us. I feel that Nashville is our city, there’s been times when I didn’t feel like that, earlier on, but this is our city.”
With this game meaning so much to both sides, they each will need all the support they can get on Saturday. Based on Mason’s response, it’s clear Vanderbilt is preparing to once again see many Tennessee fans in the stand this weekend. Judging by previous Nashville games in the series, a split close to 50/50 should be expected.
While this game will determine the fate of each program’s postseason plans, if Tennessee finds a way to win on the road, it could very well be a turning point in the series. That’s something Mason may recognize as well as he asked for Nashville fans to show up and support their Commodores on Saturday.
“For these seniors, it’s their last opportunity in this stadium,” Mason continued. “So why not send them out with a bang? Why not make it great? Not good – great. We need great on Saturday and they can be a part of that, so come on out. Let’s get this thing done.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
