NASHVILLE, Tennessee — After a whirlwind of a non-conference schedule, one that offered the Commodores some joy, some adversity, and some confidence, Vanderbilt is now staring straight ahead into the Southeastern Conference portion of his slate.
And the first test will be about as tough as it gets.
“My message to our team is to stay focused on us. It’s about our highest level,” said Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea. “It’s not about who we play against. When you’re in this league week after week, you know you’re going to compete against the best.
“Our sole focus is on how we improve our performance, continue our growth and continue our evolution as a program so that we can work towards results on Saturday. We have a lot of respect for Alabama, we have a lot of respect for everyone in this conference and everyone who was on our schedule. We’re excited for this week and excited to go down and compete with them. But again, our interest is in what we do and how we deliver that best performance and what we are capable of.”
Vandy (3-1) heads to #2 Alabama (3-0) in the hopes that the first four games will have prepared it enough for a next step in the league.
The Dores won three of their first four games three different ways: a blowout in Hawaii after a week-long tour of the island nation, a life-long home opener win over Elon and a comeback win Saturday in Northern Illinois. Vandy was also soundly beaten by visiting Wake Forest No. 23 earlier this month.
Lea’s team has already won one more game than his first team in 2021. But the program is also still looking for a 21-game loss streak against league competition.
It will also face a reigning conference champion for the third week in a row.
“This is building and expanding the program. We signed up for this. For me, I think there’s kind of buzz around the program right now and excitement,” said the sophomore year-old head coach. “That doesn’t mean these games aren’t challenging. We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves on Saturday, but I think that we have a competitive team that believes in what we build and we know that ultimately this program wants to measure itself against the best in the country, the best in our conference and so we look forward to it more than anything else.
“This is an opportunity to grow. This is the opportunity to grow for us. So we’re attacking the front and we’re looking forward to it.”
Recent history has not been kind to the Commodores when they saw Alabama. Vandy last defeated the Crimson Tide in 1984, a string of 22 consecutive defeats on the field (the 1993 game was technically decided in Vanderbilt’s favor after Alabama was forced to forfeit all of its regular season games for that season).
Vandy has also not scored a point against Alabama since 2007, having lost 34-0 in 2011 and 59-0 in 2017.
The team of head coach Nick Saban enters the matchup this season with victories over Utah State, Texas and Louisiana Monroe respectively, beating opponents 118-7 in two home games. Quarterback Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, has rushed 144 yards and two touchdowns and threw 644 yards and nine scores.
“Of course he is very well regarded and respected for a reason,” Lea said of Young. “He has the ability to throw the ball in time, he has the ability to run and make explosive runs and then his ability to create and expand as well, opening up some of the explosives, especially in the passing game.
“He has the ability in the pocket to subtly come off his target to dodge the rush and he could have a square stance and he will throw the ball in the air and put it on the money. It’s impressive. We have to do a great job in our rush hour lanes, we have to do a great job in collapsing the bag and then we have to be disciplined in coverage in the field as well. ”
Saturday’s game also represents Vanderbilt’s first of eight regular season opportunities for the Commodores to break that SEC losing slip dating back to October 19, 2019. After traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Vandy is off until October 8 when it returns to FirstBank Stadium to welcome Mississippi.
Kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live by the SEC Network.
“It’s a great opportunity. Great competition this week, you can show your preparation, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for defense,” said Vandy linebacker Anfernee Orji. “They have good players. They don’t do anything flashy, but they have good players who can play and they don’t really make mistakes. Success is on the margins, so we have to be big in the small areas.”
— Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com.
follow him @MrChadBishop.
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