In its upcoming Tennessee Bowl, Vanderbilt will be playing Boston College, Virginia Tech, East Carolina or Tulsa.
If Vanderbilt goes to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, the Commodores will play the winner of the C-USA Championship game between East Carolina and Tulsa. That one's in the fourth quarter and the Pirates (that would be East Carolina) are beating Tulsa 24-17.
If Vanderbilt goes to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the Commodores will play the loser of the ACC Championship game between Boston College and Virginia Tech. That one's still in the first half, with the Hokies (VT) winning 14-7.
Anyway, here's a quick look at these four teams. Which one do you want Vanderbilt to play?
BOSTON COLLEGE
AP ranking: 20
Record: 9-3 (5-3 ACC)
Games won: Kent State, Central Florida, Rhode Island, NC State, Va. Tech, Notre Dame, Fla. State, Wake Forest, Maryland
Games lost: Ga. Tech, North Carolina, Clemson
Record against Top 25: 1-1
Record against bowl eligible: 6-3
VIRGINIA TECH
AP ranking: NR
Record: 8-4 (5-3)
Games won: Furman, Ga. Tech, North Carolina, Nebraska, W Kentucky, Maryland, Duke, Virginia
Games lost: East Carolina, Boston College, Fla. State, Miami (Fla)
Record against Top 25: 1-2
Record against bowl eligible: 4-4
TULSA
AP ranking: 31
Record: 10-2 (7-1 C-USA)
Games won: UAB, N Texas, N Mexico, C Arkansas, Rice, SMU, UTEP, C Fla, Tulane, Marshall
Games lost: Arkansas, Houston
Record against Top 25: 0-0
Record against bowl eligible: 1-1
EAST CAROLINA
AP ranking: NR
Record: 8-4 (6-2 C-USA)
Games won: Va. Tech, W Va, Tulane, Memphis, C Fla, Marshall, UAB, UTEP
Games lost: NC State, Houston, Virginia, S Miss
Record against Top 25: 0-0
Record against bowl eligible: 3-4
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
The expectations are different at Auburn than at Vanderbilt
Duh. You knew that already. But it bears repeating.
After the loss to Duke, a so-called long-time Vanderbilt posted an angry comment to a Tennessean story explaining that he was giving up on the Commodores forever. "Same old Vanderbilt," he wrote.
Goodbye, and good riddance.
But one question before you leave: What did you expect?
In August, everybody expected Vanderbilt to win a maximum of three games this season: Miami-Ohio, Rice and Duke. Sure, Commodore fans dreamed of six victories, and here's how we envisioned it happening:
• Beat Miami-Ohio, Rice and Duke.
• Beat Ole Miss and Kentucky.
• Upset either Miss State or Wake Forest.
Here's what happened:
• We did beat Miami and Rice, but not Duke. That's two victories instead of three.
• We did beat Ole Miss and Kentucky. That's four victories instead of five.
• We didn't upset either Miss State or Wake Forest. That's four victories instead of the six we dreamed about.
But that's not the end of the story, of course. We did what I never thought possible: • We beat Steve Spurrier for the second year in a row. That's five victories.
• We beat Auburn for the first time since 1955. That's six victories.
How is that a failure? Sure, a lot of us went crazy when we were 5-0 and started talking about BCS bowls. But in retrospect, we had to make a great run to end up with six victories. Think about it: We've got better depth and talent than we've had in a long time, but it's still not SEC-caliber. So our guys play out of their minds, we play to our strengths, we get some breaks, our coaches make some adjustments and we're 5-0. Then we lose guys to injuries, teams take us seriously, we don't get some breaks, we run out of tricks.
But we still get six victories. Would fans rather trade the Auburn and South Carolina victories for wins against, say, Duke and Miss State?
I wouldn't. Six wins is six wins. And as somebody who lives in Auburn country, it was beautiful beating the Tigers and precipitating their disastrous slide.
Speaking of Auburn, think about the expectations for that program. If Vanderbilt fans really expect to win more than three times as many games as the experts predicted (2), then think about Auburn fans. Experts predicted Auburn to go at least 10-2 and play in the SEC championship. That's why Tuberville just got fired/retired/was loyal to assistant coaches/refused to stay/whatever Auburn people are calling his recent firing.
That's why I'm glad Vanderbilt won six games this season. Bobby Johnson took the next step, which was six wins and bowl eligibility. His next step after this will be to maintain and then build. I think success would be winning six or seven the next year or two and then seven or eight for a couple of years after that. Maybe we have an off year — five wins — every now and then.
But do we really expect Vanderbilt to start winning nine or 10 games a year and challenging for a BCS bowl? Maybe if we leave the SEC and go to C-USA.
Remember that Tuberville averaged 8 wins over 10 seasons. Oh yeah, and he made four times as much money as Bobby Johnson.
Which brings me to another point: Sure, we could have beaten Miss State, Duke and Tennessee this season to go 9-3 and get a bid in the Outback or Cotton or maybe even the Capital One Bowl? We were that close. But then what would have happened?
Bobby Johnson would be gone to Clemson or Auburn or somewhere willing to throw a bunch of money at him.
Or Vanderbilt fans suddenly would have expected to win nine games every season, and then Johnson would have struggled as anybody who coaches Vanderbilt will do and then he's kicked to the curb — remember George MacIntyre? — and we return to the nightmarish days of Watson Brown, when we wouldn't just lose, we'd fail to cross midfield.
Think about all this the next time you decide to get into a urinating match online with a Tennessee fan. They have different expectations. They're supposed to play in the SEC championship every season and they're supposed to feel superior to us. I read a comment today from a UT fan asking when our commemorative six-win license plates were coming out to replace the commemorative Volunteer national championship plates.
I laughed. Not bad. Am I going to argue that we'll ever have a more storied program than the Vols? No way. I know who I am. I'm a Vanderbilt fan, and I'm proud we've won six games this season and I look forward to winning seven games in a season someday soon. (Hey, it might even be this season.)
After the loss to Duke, a so-called long-time Vanderbilt posted an angry comment to a Tennessean story explaining that he was giving up on the Commodores forever. "Same old Vanderbilt," he wrote.
Goodbye, and good riddance.
But one question before you leave: What did you expect?
In August, everybody expected Vanderbilt to win a maximum of three games this season: Miami-Ohio, Rice and Duke. Sure, Commodore fans dreamed of six victories, and here's how we envisioned it happening:
• Beat Miami-Ohio, Rice and Duke.
• Beat Ole Miss and Kentucky.
• Upset either Miss State or Wake Forest.
Here's what happened:
• We did beat Miami and Rice, but not Duke. That's two victories instead of three.
• We did beat Ole Miss and Kentucky. That's four victories instead of five.
• We didn't upset either Miss State or Wake Forest. That's four victories instead of the six we dreamed about.
But that's not the end of the story, of course. We did what I never thought possible: • We beat Steve Spurrier for the second year in a row. That's five victories.
• We beat Auburn for the first time since 1955. That's six victories.
How is that a failure? Sure, a lot of us went crazy when we were 5-0 and started talking about BCS bowls. But in retrospect, we had to make a great run to end up with six victories. Think about it: We've got better depth and talent than we've had in a long time, but it's still not SEC-caliber. So our guys play out of their minds, we play to our strengths, we get some breaks, our coaches make some adjustments and we're 5-0. Then we lose guys to injuries, teams take us seriously, we don't get some breaks, we run out of tricks.
But we still get six victories. Would fans rather trade the Auburn and South Carolina victories for wins against, say, Duke and Miss State?
I wouldn't. Six wins is six wins. And as somebody who lives in Auburn country, it was beautiful beating the Tigers and precipitating their disastrous slide.
Speaking of Auburn, think about the expectations for that program. If Vanderbilt fans really expect to win more than three times as many games as the experts predicted (2), then think about Auburn fans. Experts predicted Auburn to go at least 10-2 and play in the SEC championship. That's why Tuberville just got fired/retired/was loyal to assistant coaches/refused to stay/whatever Auburn people are calling his recent firing.
That's why I'm glad Vanderbilt won six games this season. Bobby Johnson took the next step, which was six wins and bowl eligibility. His next step after this will be to maintain and then build. I think success would be winning six or seven the next year or two and then seven or eight for a couple of years after that. Maybe we have an off year — five wins — every now and then.
But do we really expect Vanderbilt to start winning nine or 10 games a year and challenging for a BCS bowl? Maybe if we leave the SEC and go to C-USA.
Remember that Tuberville averaged 8 wins over 10 seasons. Oh yeah, and he made four times as much money as Bobby Johnson.
Which brings me to another point: Sure, we could have beaten Miss State, Duke and Tennessee this season to go 9-3 and get a bid in the Outback or Cotton or maybe even the Capital One Bowl? We were that close. But then what would have happened?
Bobby Johnson would be gone to Clemson or Auburn or somewhere willing to throw a bunch of money at him.
Or Vanderbilt fans suddenly would have expected to win nine games every season, and then Johnson would have struggled as anybody who coaches Vanderbilt will do and then he's kicked to the curb — remember George MacIntyre? — and we return to the nightmarish days of Watson Brown, when we wouldn't just lose, we'd fail to cross midfield.
Think about all this the next time you decide to get into a urinating match online with a Tennessee fan. They have different expectations. They're supposed to play in the SEC championship every season and they're supposed to feel superior to us. I read a comment today from a UT fan asking when our commemorative six-win license plates were coming out to replace the commemorative Volunteer national championship plates.
I laughed. Not bad. Am I going to argue that we'll ever have a more storied program than the Vols? No way. I know who I am. I'm a Vanderbilt fan, and I'm proud we've won six games this season and I look forward to winning seven games in a season someday soon. (Hey, it might even be this season.)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Five reasons Larry Smith should start for Vanderbilt in the bowl game
1. Larry was the only Vanderbilt quarterback to convert on third down against Wake Forest. He was 2-8 (4-8 if you count fourth down conversions, in which he was 2-3 including a touchdown), Chris Nickson was 0-4, and Mackenzi Adams was 0-3.
2. Not counting sacks, Larry gained as many yards as Nickson (23) on two fewer carries.
3. On one less attempt, Larry had more than twice as many completions as Nickson and Adams combined (9-17-1 vs. 4-18-1).
4. Nickson and Adams have led the Commodore offense to a ranking of 117th out of 119th teams — and if we go to the Liberty Bowl we'll likely face Tulsa, the nation's best offense.
5. He threw the most beautiful pass anybody at Vanderbilt's seen since Jay Cutler was there, a 60-yard strike out of his end zone to Sean Walker. Walker's never seen a prettier pass either; he was so enamored by it he dropped it.
Oh yeah, and Larry's the future, and the future is now.
I don't know if Bobby Johnson can resist starting Nickson in the final game of his senior season. Yeah, let's start Nickson ... at tailback.
Here's a closer comparison of Smith to Nickson and Adams based on their performances against Wake Forest:
LARRY SMITH
Average field position: VU14
Plays: 36
Handoffs: 12
Sacks: 2 (-8 yards)
Runs: 5 (23 yards)
Passes: 17 (9-17-1, 46 yards, 1 TD)
First downs: 4
Third down conversions: 2-8
Fourth down conversions: 2-3
Touchdowns: 1
CHRIS NICKSON
Average field position: VU28
Plays: 14
Handoffs: 5
Sacks: 0
Runs: 7 (23 yards)
Passes: 8 (2-8-0, 16 yards)
First downs: 0
Third down conversions: 0-4
Fourth down conversions: 0-0
Touchdowns: 0
MACKENZI ADAMS
Average field position: VU34
Plays: 13
Handoffs: 2
Sacks: 1 (-12 yards)
Runs: 0
Passes: 10 (2-10-1, 58 yards)
First downs: 0
Third down conversions: 0-3
Fourth down conversions: 0-0
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Tommy Tuberville fired because he lost to Vanderbilt
You know why Tommy Tuberville just lost his head coaching job at Auburn?
Because he lost to Vanderbilt.
I'm not kidding. Auburn was 4-1, ranked No. 13 in the nation, and coming off a win over Tennessee.
Then the Tigers lost to Vanderbilt, and look what happened:
• Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
• Then Auburn lost at home to Arkansas, at that time considered to be the worst team in the SEC.
• Then Auburn got whipped by West Virginia.
• Then Auburn got whipped by Ole Miss.
• Then Auburn dang near lost to Tennessee-Martin.
• Then Auburn had a Commodore-style moral victory over Georgia — which means they lost.
• Then Auburn got blasted by Alabama.
So you can trace the collapse to the loss in Nashville.
And it's not the first time this sort of thing has happened. Consider that:
• Ed Orgeron of Ole Miss couldn't recover from a 31-17 loss to the Commodores last season and was fired and replaced by Houston Nutt.
• Hal Mumme of Kentucky, whose problems extended beyond losing games, couldn't recover from a 24-20 home loss to the Commodores in 2000 and was fired.
• Brad Scott of South Carolina lost 17-14 to the Commodores in 1998, breaking Vanderbilt's 22-game SEC losing streak and getting canned in the process.
• Ray Goff of Georgia lost 43-30 in Athens — on homecoming — in 1994 and was fired soon thereafter.
• Mike Archer of LSU lost 24-21 to the Commodores in 1990 — Vanderbilt's only victory all season — and then lost his job.
• Galen Hall of Florida lost 24-9 to the Commodores in 1988, with Emmitt Smith in the backfield; he survived the end of the season but was fired in 1989, five days before the Vanderbilt game.
• Steve Sloan lost 19-10 to the Commodores in 1982 and was gone by the end of the season.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bobby Johnson says he was forced to play Larry Smith against Wake Forest
On Saturday night, I was applauding Coach Bobby Johnson for trying something new and going with redshirt freshman Larry Smith.
Turns out he had no choice. After the game, Johnson told Commodore play-by-play broadcaster Joe Fisher that Chris Nickson had a concussion and Mackenzi Adams "either bruised his collarbone or broke it."
Dang. I was hoping Coach finally realized that when you talk about how great your third and fourth string quarterbacks are and you have the 116th ranked offense in the nation, it's time to try one of them.
Remember that Vanderbilt wasn't going to offer a scholarship to a quarterback from the class of 2007, but Smith, Alabama's Mr. Football, was too good to pass up.
Here's more of Johnson talking about Larry's performance in the second half:
"Just like we've always said, we think we got a lot of good guys at that position (quarterback) and Larry was ready to go and got in there and made a few plays — made a few mistakes but that's gonna happen to a freshman against a good defense on the road in the rain playing from behind."
"Larry's good with his feet good with his arm we felt like we could keep maybe some options in there, throw the football."
On his decision to go for it on fourth down at the start of the fourth quarter:
"We were debating and it was a situation where finally I just thought that I don't know how many more times we're gonna get down there so let's try to take advantage of it and Larry made a great throw and Brandon Barden made a very smart play... he just sort of ad-libbed a little bit different and Larry found him in the back of the end zone and just shot it to him."
After Fisher mentioned how beautiful the 60-yard pass was that Smith threw from the end zone and Sean Walker dropped:
"It was. We've got to make those kind of plays. A lot of people worked hard to get that play off and execute it. That's fundamental stuff, catching the ball."
Turns out he had no choice. After the game, Johnson told Commodore play-by-play broadcaster Joe Fisher that Chris Nickson had a concussion and Mackenzi Adams "either bruised his collarbone or broke it."
Dang. I was hoping Coach finally realized that when you talk about how great your third and fourth string quarterbacks are and you have the 116th ranked offense in the nation, it's time to try one of them.
Remember that Vanderbilt wasn't going to offer a scholarship to a quarterback from the class of 2007, but Smith, Alabama's Mr. Football, was too good to pass up.
Here's more of Johnson talking about Larry's performance in the second half:
"Just like we've always said, we think we got a lot of good guys at that position (quarterback) and Larry was ready to go and got in there and made a few plays — made a few mistakes but that's gonna happen to a freshman against a good defense on the road in the rain playing from behind."
"Larry's good with his feet good with his arm we felt like we could keep maybe some options in there, throw the football."
On his decision to go for it on fourth down at the start of the fourth quarter:
"We were debating and it was a situation where finally I just thought that I don't know how many more times we're gonna get down there so let's try to take advantage of it and Larry made a great throw and Brandon Barden made a very smart play... he just sort of ad-libbed a little bit different and Larry found him in the back of the end zone and just shot it to him."
After Fisher mentioned how beautiful the 60-yard pass was that Smith threw from the end zone and Sean Walker dropped:
"It was. We've got to make those kind of plays. A lot of people worked hard to get that play off and execute it. That's fundamental stuff, catching the ball."
Monday, December 1, 2008
Bojo vs. Dabo — Bobby Johnson and Vanderbilt may face Dabo Swinney and Clemson in the Music City Bowl
Clemson is reportedly going to hire Dabo Swinney as its head coach. Dabo made a bunch of changes as soon as he got the interim job and then he went out and beat the hated Gamecocks. (But ask West Virginia fans about hiring a beloved assistant after an emotional win.)
Remember back when Tommy Bowden was fired? Vanderbilt was 5-0 at the time and Clemson chat rooms were abuzz with fans who wanted former Tiger defensive back Bobby Johnson as their head man.
Since then, Vanderbilt's lost 6 of 7 games and Johnson has said he plans to coach the Commodores as long as they'll have him, etc. And Clemson actually has seven wins.
Anyway, both Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman at ESPN.com are projecting Vanderbilt to play Clemson in the Music City Bowl.
Think those Clemson fans will be doing some second-guessing if that matchup happens and then the Commodores win the game?
Will it be the Liberty Bowl or the Music City Bowl for Vanderbilt?
Well, it looks like either the Music City Bowl or the Liberty Bowl for Vanderbilt. Here are some questions you may have about Vanderbilt's bowl:
Which bowl is going to take Vanderbilt?
The question may be, which bowl will Vanderbilt choose. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are both 6-6, but Vanderbilt beat Kentucky head-to-head and won twice as many conference games. Maybe Miami-Ohio looks like a cream puff now, but they've got nothing on Kentucky opponents Norfolk State and Western Kentucky. The Liberty and Music City bowls select their teams at the same time and if they pick the same team then the team decides.
Why would the Music City Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Sure, a bowl and its host city want out-of-town fans to stay in hotels and go to area attractions and stuff like that. But most Vanderbilt alumni live out of town, even out of state. And there'd also be plenty of folks in the Nashville community who'd be interested in picking up some tickets and making the game a sellout if wouldn't have been one already. The bowl has had a good experience hosting Kentucky the last couple of years, but may want a change of pace.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Music City Bowl?
For one thing, it wouldn't have to spend so much of the $1 million payout on transportation to Memphis and lodging for staff, though I'm sure the players would still get treated to all the usual amenities of a bowl game. Also, the opponent would be from a better conference (the ACC instead of C-USA), though considering Vanderbilt's losses to Wake and Duke that may not be something the Commodores want. I've got the Commodores projected to play North Carolina, though I've seen Clemson in other projections.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Music City Bowl?
The Nashville folks could just hit the game and then be back home to watch the Chcik-Fil-A Bowl or attend a New Year's Eve party. Vanderbilt alumni could return to Nashville for the game, see how the campus and city have changed, go to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café, the Loveless Café, et al. And Nashville would be a pretty good place to spend New Year's Eve. Also, for those of us who haven't just sold a company, tickets to the Music City Bowl start at $15, with the next tier starting at $35, while all Liberty Bowl tickets cost $50. That matters to me, because I'm planning to take my four children to the game.
Why would the Liberty Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Liberty Bowl officials have made no bones about wanting Vanderbilt. I think every SEC team but Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Florida have been to the Liberty Bowl, which wants to collect all 12 teams. Good luck with Florida. But when Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, you'd better jump while you can — or wait another 26 years — and that's probably what the Liberty Bowl folks are thinking.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
With Chris Marve and John Stokes, Bobby Johnson's gotten two-thirds of his starting linebackers from Memphis, and don't be surprised if another one, DeAndre Jones, makes a strong bid to crack the lineup next season. So why not try to get more players from West Tennessee? And Memphis is practically in Mississippi, and the Commodores currently have zero players from the Magnolia State (but three from Pennsylvania). Also, leaving town is supposed to be a part of the bowl experience. Plus, the Commodores would probably rather play Tulsa or East Carolina than anybody from the ACC.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
Barbecue. Beale Street. What else do you need? Also, fans would be able to celebrate New Year's Eve in their own city and in their own way and then get to Memphis in time for the Jan. 2 game.
When are the games again?
The Music City Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CST on New Year's Eve (a Wednesday) at Nashville's LP Field. The Liberty Bowl kicks off at 4 p.m. CST on Friday, Jan. 2, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Which bowl is going to take Vanderbilt?
The question may be, which bowl will Vanderbilt choose. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are both 6-6, but Vanderbilt beat Kentucky head-to-head and won twice as many conference games. Maybe Miami-Ohio looks like a cream puff now, but they've got nothing on Kentucky opponents Norfolk State and Western Kentucky. The Liberty and Music City bowls select their teams at the same time and if they pick the same team then the team decides.
Why would the Music City Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Sure, a bowl and its host city want out-of-town fans to stay in hotels and go to area attractions and stuff like that. But most Vanderbilt alumni live out of town, even out of state. And there'd also be plenty of folks in the Nashville community who'd be interested in picking up some tickets and making the game a sellout if wouldn't have been one already. The bowl has had a good experience hosting Kentucky the last couple of years, but may want a change of pace.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Music City Bowl?
For one thing, it wouldn't have to spend so much of the $1 million payout on transportation to Memphis and lodging for staff, though I'm sure the players would still get treated to all the usual amenities of a bowl game. Also, the opponent would be from a better conference (the ACC instead of C-USA), though considering Vanderbilt's losses to Wake and Duke that may not be something the Commodores want. I've got the Commodores projected to play North Carolina, though I've seen Clemson in other projections.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Music City Bowl?
The Nashville folks could just hit the game and then be back home to watch the Chcik-Fil-A Bowl or attend a New Year's Eve party. Vanderbilt alumni could return to Nashville for the game, see how the campus and city have changed, go to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café, the Loveless Café, et al. And Nashville would be a pretty good place to spend New Year's Eve. Also, for those of us who haven't just sold a company, tickets to the Music City Bowl start at $15, with the next tier starting at $35, while all Liberty Bowl tickets cost $50. That matters to me, because I'm planning to take my four children to the game.
Why would the Liberty Bowl want Vanderbilt?
Liberty Bowl officials have made no bones about wanting Vanderbilt. I think every SEC team but Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Florida have been to the Liberty Bowl, which wants to collect all 12 teams. Good luck with Florida. But when Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, you'd better jump while you can — or wait another 26 years — and that's probably what the Liberty Bowl folks are thinking.
Why would Vanderbilt want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
With Chris Marve and John Stokes, Bobby Johnson's gotten two-thirds of his starting linebackers from Memphis, and don't be surprised if another one, DeAndre Jones, makes a strong bid to crack the lineup next season. So why not try to get more players from West Tennessee? And Memphis is practically in Mississippi, and the Commodores currently have zero players from the Magnolia State (but three from Pennsylvania). Also, leaving town is supposed to be a part of the bowl experience. Plus, the Commodores would probably rather play Tulsa or East Carolina than anybody from the ACC.
Why would Vanderbilt fans want to go to the Liberty Bowl?
Barbecue. Beale Street. What else do you need? Also, fans would be able to celebrate New Year's Eve in their own city and in their own way and then get to Memphis in time for the Jan. 2 game.
When are the games again?
The Music City Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CST on New Year's Eve (a Wednesday) at Nashville's LP Field. The Liberty Bowl kicks off at 4 p.m. CST on Friday, Jan. 2, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
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