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Nashville, Tenn. — In what should be considered an upset by anyone who watched the two units play in 2015, the Vanderbilt offense defeated the Commodores defense 42-31 in a modified Vanderbilt spring game on Friday night.
It’d be hard to argue against it being an upset, considering the Commodores offense ranked among the worst in the FBS last season while the defense drew praise as being among the SEC’s stingiest.
Did Friday night’s outcome get under the skin of Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, who also doubles as the team’s defensive coordinator, or was he pleased to see that there may be some strides from his offense?
“Here’s what I’ll say– Vanderbilt won tonight,” Mason said, smiling. “I liked what I saw from our offense. I thought our quarterbacks managed the game, they threw the ball well and hit their targets. And we were able to sustain a running game. It was just good football. I liked what I saw.”
Mason admitted that he had just four calls on the defensive play sheet in an effort to keep things simple and better evaluate players.
“I just wanted to see guys play, and we saw guys play,” Mason said. “You just want to come out of this thing seeing guys line up, communicate and play fast.”
After announcing that his quarterback job was open for competition to begin the spring, Mason said that rising sophomore Kyle Shurmur, who completed 7 of 9 passes for 96 yards, has the upper hand over Wade Freebeck and Shawn Stankavage going into the summer.
“Shurmur is leading this deal,” Mason said. “But I believe we’ve got guys that can line up and play for us in the fall.”
Shurmur, who critiqued his own accuracy on short throws on the evening, would not concede that his lead for the starting role meant much at this point.
“There’s always competition,” Shurmur warned. “This is not the end. We’ve got a long time before the first game of the season, and I’m competing with the other guys and most importantly myself. We’re going to be competing for the long haul before the season.”
The Vanderbilt quarterbacks did not throw an interception in 25 pass attempts, which has to be considered a positive no matter what alignment the defense showed them.
A look at Vanderbilt’s unconventional approach to its spring game, pitting the offense against the defense in a modified scoring system:
Offense | Defense | ||
Points | Play | Points | Play |
6 | Touchdown | 12 | Defensive TD (TD + Turnover) |
3 | Field Goal | 6 | Defensive Turnover (Fumble Recovery or INT) |
2 | 2-Point Conversion | 3 | Missed Field Goal |
1 | Extra Point | 2 | Unsuccessful 2-Point Conversion |
1 | Play of 15 Yards or More | 2 | Sack |
1 | Three-and-Out |
10 takeaways from the Black and Gold Game
- Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb, who rushed for 1,152 yards last season, was in shorts and a hoodie on the sidelines for this one. He’s an extremely important cog to the 2016 offense, and the Commodores likely took the opportunity to further evaluate their options beyond Webb on the depth chart.
- Other players on the sidelines but not dressed included WR Caleb Scott, S Arnold Tarpley, WR Trey Ellis, OLB Landon Stokes, FB Kyle Anderton and DT Jay Woods.
- For those that weren’t paying attention, former LB Khari Blasingame changed positions this spring. He’s now a running back, and he factors into the Webb-less backfield frequently on Friday, offering a powerful rushing style with to go with a 230-pound frame.
- QB Wade Freebeck has drawn a good amount of praise during spring practice, but Kyle Shurmur leaves the practice period with a decided edge in the competition.
- Oren Burks, who started at safety for the Commodores last season, has moved into the hybrid STAR position that Stephen Weatherly occupied last season. He’s expected to put on some weight through the summer to accommodate playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
- True freshman Joejuan Williams enrolled in January as the Commodores’ lone four-star commitment. He showed his potential to be an immediate impact player in the defensive backfield, recording a team-best six tackles.
- The Commodores have to feel good about their depth at ILB, because while Zach Cunningham recorded a sack and Nigel Bowden exhibited his health for all to see, Ja’Karri Thomas showed out with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
- Eddie George’s son, Jaire, led the Commodores with 27 rushing yards on five carries. However, it is worth noting the redshirt freshman was not running against the top tier defensive options.
- QB Shawn Stankavage, who has battled injuries ever since arriving on campus, was able to play in this contest. He led the offense onto the field for the second and third drive of the game, and finished the game 4-of-7 for 58 yards.
- Vanderbilt stayed healthy. There were not any significant injuries during the contest. And for a spring game, that’s often the top priority.
5 standout performers
- WR C.J. Duncan: Led the Commodores with 50 yards receiving in his return to the field after missing the 2015 season with a leg injury. He recorded the longest play from scrimmage on a 32-yard reception.
- QB Kyle Shurmur: An efficient 7 of 9 passing for 96 yards put Shurmur atop the quarterback stat sheet, and drew postgame comment from Mason confirming that he has a leg up in the quarterback competition.
- OLB Charles Wright: Vying for time at outside linebacker as a sophomore, Wright made a convincing case by making his way into the backfield multiple times on the night, recording two sacks.
- ILB Ja’Karri Thomas: Five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble made Thomas one of the defensive stars of the night.
- CB Joejuan Williams: Fans didn’t know what to expect from the four-star early enrollee, but he delivered with a team-high six solo tackles.
Best play of the game
The best play of the game was one that didn’t actually count.
Vanderbilt LB Ja’Karri Thomas forced a fumble by Darrius Sims on the 11-yard-line. It was picked up by S Emmanuel Smith and returned 89 yards for a touchdown, drawing the loudest cheer of the night on the most exciting play. It was the final play of the first half of the scrimmage, so many folks may not have noticed that the officials actually deducted that from the scoreboard, ruling that Smith’s knee was down when he made the recovery and rendering the return as just a neat highlight:
The Dores' defense is in midseason form!@VandyFootball's Emmanuel Smith scoops & scores » https://t.co/SUlR90NpMA pic.twitter.com/xVkdM3C2eq
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 26, 2016
Sights and Sounds
A pair of large, well-known Vandy football fans posing for pregame pics on the field (Damian Jones & Luke Kornet) pic.twitter.com/rYrXuzUdsD
— Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) March 25, 2016
Vandy TE Sam Dobbs performing the National Anthem on guitar via on video on the big screen. Awesome. pic.twitter.com/g77mti1f0a
— Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) March 25, 2016
Former Vandy coach Bobby Johnson speaking at Jay Cutler's Commodores HOF induction celebration. pic.twitter.com/Z5X5wXCWwu
— Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) March 25, 2016
Jay Cutler being honored at half. pic.twitter.com/mZUdojYWol
— Nick Cole (@NickColeSports) March 26, 2016
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.