Derek Mason addresses sense of panic in program, urges players to be 'greedy'
Vanderbilt is in a state of flux following the Commodores 31-6 loss at Ole Miss as they fell to 1-4 on the season.
There have been issues at quarterback, the offensive line and whether key players on offense are getting enough chances to make plays. After Saturday’s game WR Kalija Lipscomb, who had 7 catches for 69 yards, including one for 43 yards, was asked if there was a sense of panic, and he agreed.
At his regular weekly press conference, coach Derek Mason addressed Lipscomb’s comments.
“If he sensed panic, that may be his feeling,” Mason said. “The idea at the end of the day when I talk to the leadership council, there’s got to be a sense of urgency. Panic is about not being prepared to respond. Right now these guys are prepared to respond. So we just got to be urgent about the work in front of us. I thought Tom Brady said it best, the best teammates that he’s always loved are the ones he didn’t have to waste any energy worrying about because they always did their job. That’s where we’re at right now. I don’t need Kalija, or any of our guys, worried about wasting energy on somebody else doing their job. When you can focus and get greedy about doing your job, and gaining what there is to be gained, you become a pretty good player, and when you become a pretty good player, your team becomes a pretty good team. That’s how teams get better, so that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Vanderbilt plays host to UNLV this week, which is a team in a similar position, as they each have 1-4 records. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. local time on the SEC Network. Vanderbilt is about a two-touchdown favorite in the game.