It wasn’t quite as dominant as 2022’s debut, but Vanderbilt took care of business and heads into Week 1 1-0 after a 35-28 Week 0 win over Hawaii Saturday night.

The Commodores trailed only once following missed extra point early but retook the lead with a Jayden McGowan kickoff return for a touchdown. The Rainbow Warriors found some offense to end the first half and entered the locker room down just 21-14.

But things righted themselves soon after. Clark Lea’s squad stiffened up on defense and scored on their first drive out of the gate. Hawaii made things semi-interesting in the 4th quarter, but their comeback bid ultimately proved too little too late following an interception by De’Rickey Wright, his 2nd of the day.

For just the 4th time in the past 10 years, Vanderbilt has started the season 1-0. Here are 3 takeaways from the Commodores’ win over the Rainbow Warriors.

AJ Swann made plays in 2023 debut

AJ Swann, until the last few minutes, looked confident at the helm of Vanderbilt’s offense Saturday night.

The sophomore QB finished the day with 258 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and showed a strong ability to leave the pocket and create plays.

This one especially stood out:

He made good decisions and made some really smart plays for the Commodores as well. He forced an offsides penalty and hit London Humphreys with a good ball to the right pylon during the Commodores’ opening 2nd half drive.

Vanderbilt struggled to find a QB to run the offense last season after Swann ran into some injury issues. With Mike Wright now at Mississippi State, it’ll be all Swann heading into Week 1.

Jayden McGowan snapped a 9-year drought

The most exciting play of the game for the Commodores definitely came in the first quarter. Wide receiver Jayden McGowan was unstoppable in the return game but broke through in the first quarter for a 97-yard touchdown jaunt.

This return marks the Commodores’ first kickoff return for a touchdown since Darrius Sims did so against South Carolina in September of 2014.

And McGowan wasn’t just shining in the return game, he was also a major threat in the receiving game. He finished as Vanderbilt’s leading receiver with 6 receptions for 72 yards. Will Sheppard also had a strong night, totaling 6 receptions for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Offensive line left plenty to be desired

Neither team ran the ball well Saturday night, but Vanderbilt’s offensive line made things harder than they had to be for Swann.

The Commodores finished Saturday’s game having rushed for just 42 yards on 26 attempts with 1 touchdown via Patrick Smith. Vanderbilt really struggled to put the game away in the 4th quarter partially because they couldn’t effectively milk the clock with a strong running game.

Swann can move with the football, but it certainly isn’t to the same level as Wright’s ability to extend plays last season. Unless the line starts to stiffen up, Swann could very well be taking some major hits to start this season.