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
4 comments:
I agree completely. Bobby needs to git over this loyalty thing to seniors and Ted Cain, and start playing to win or we should send him packing. But only if he takes Ted Cain with him.
Sorry. didn't do i spell check before I sent the last post.
Did it again. I must have had too much coffee this morning. I have happy fingers.
I don't think we should send Bobby packing. The SEC has had a down year outside of Florida and Alabama, but I still think it's remarkable that we won six and are going to a bowl. The test will be if he can maintain and gradually increase the success we're having. You've raised the question several times about the talent level of our players and I do believe it's far below that of nearly every major conference team. So you're right, we can't keep thinking we can blow teams off the ball and get four yards and a cloud of dust and win the game. We need some Texas Tech or Boise State style offensive creativity to have a chance. Those teams truly play to win. So yeah, if Bobby doesn't adapt and adjust in the next three or four seasons and we return to 2 wins a year, then we should think about a change.
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