After enduring a 2020 season of watching the lowest-scoring offense in the league, Vanderbilt fans got to see points on the board Saturday.

In an offense-vs-defense spring game, it was all offense for Clark Lea’s squad. At halftime, it was 51-18 in favor of the offense. The offense finished with a 68-30 win (running clock in the fourth quarter).

The lopsided final score was by design:

It’s hard to get much of a feel from this type of scrimmage, especially when the team isn’t even wearing jersey numbers. The players with the ball in their hands were highlighted most on the SEC Network+ streaming broadcast.

Here are the biggest takeaways:

QB competition this fall?

Ken Seals was responsible for 288 of Vanderbilt’s 301 passes in 2020. He played in all 9 games, going 186-of-288 (64.6 completion percentage) for 1,928 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Judging by Saturday’s spring game, Mike Wright may push for the starting job in fall camp.

Wright is a true dual-threat quarterback while Seals is a passing quarterback. Wright’s playmaking abilities both rushing and passing were on display Saturday as he had highlight touchdowns of both varieties.

Seals had the quieter start, including two false starts in the red zone on his first drive that ended in a field goal, but had his share of scores and moved the offense well, particularly in the second half.

Introducing Will Sheppard

As a freshman in 2020, wide receiver Will Sheppard play in seven games, recording 2 catches for 30 yards. On Saturday, he caught three touchdowns in the first half. It sure looks like he’s in for a breakout season this fall.

So, the defense…

It’s always hard to tell from a spring game if the offense is great or if the defense is just that bad. There weren’t many defensive highlights for Vanderbilt on Saturday. There is no doubting Lea’s resume as a defensive coordinator. The scheme change to a 4-2-5 could be the reason that the defense appeared to struggle, atypical of spring games where defenses are usually “ahead” of their offensive counterparts.

Here are a few of the offensive highlights: