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Vanderbilt Commodores

Winning formula? Derek Mason preaches do-your-job mantra: ‘You can’t go broke taking a profit’

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

Vanderbilt is looking for its first two-game winning streak of the season when it travels to South Carolina this week.

Asked about his team’s mindset coming off of a bye week following the win over Missouri, coach Derek Mason said at his regular weekly press conference that he has a simple message: Do your job.

Mason was asked about Vanderbilt being near the top of the SEC in having a lack of turnovers. The Commodores have lost just two fumbles, and thrown just five interceptions.

“We preach ball security,” Mason said. “When you look at it, the running backs have been pretty good at holding on to the football. I think that’s key. That’s one of Coach (Tim) Horton’s pet peeves about taking the football and if you’re going to handle the football, you start with it, you end with it. That’s how we practice.”

The defense searching for the ball in practice helps too, he said.

“It’s hard to have bad ball security when you’re constantly being graded on how you protect the football,” Mason said. “It’s our football, it’s a team game and we’ve got to make sure we take care of it. For the quarterback position … every once in a while you’re going to have an errant decision. But I think what you got to do is continue to take what the defense gives you. That’s part of it, too. You’re greedy when you need to be greedy, but for the most part, you can’t go broke taking a profit. So if it’s seven or eight yards, take the seven or eight yards. If it’s an opportunity to get it down the field, let’s make sure we do that. In ballgames, you’ve got to be able to do both.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

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