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NASHVILLE, Tennessee — It was a dream start to the 2022 season for Mike Wright.

Not only has the junior made national headlines with his two-game play, but more importantly, he led the Commodores to a 2-0 start ahead of a showdown with No. 23 Wake Forest at 11 a.m. Saturday at FirstBank Stadium. .

‘Me, I’ve never been a statistician. With respect, when they told me I had broken the (single-game touchdown) record, my (stoic) face immediately looked just like it does now,” Wright said after Tuesday morning’s practice. “That’s really just because that’s our offense. I think it was six (touchdowns)? It takes so much more than a quarterback to score those touchdowns.

“I ran in for two, but the O-line blocked their ass during that game and there was a field block. I also can’t throw the ball and catch it for myself for those (four other) touchdowns. I got it I feel like our offense has broken a record. I really do.”

Wright is entering the third game of the campaign after completing 31 of his 50 throws for 391 yards and six touchdowns. He also has to throw an interception.

On Saturday against Elon, Wright did a little bit of everything in a record performance. He threw for four scores and rushed for two more to become the first Vanderbilt player in program history to account for six touchdowns in a single game.

No Vanderbilt quarterback had thrown four touchdown passes in a single game since Kyle Shurmur did so against Tennessee in the 2017 regular season finale. Shurmur was also the last Vandy quarterback to have at least six touchdown passes in his first. two games in a season, when he threw seven in two games to start the ’17 campaign.

But the speedy Wright also gets it done in the ground game, as the Vanderbilt offense has evolved with more option looks and designed quarterback runs. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Wright has 24 carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns this season and is the first Vanderbilt quarterback to have multiple rushing touchdowns in back-to-back games since Greg Zolman did during the 1999 season.

Wright is approaching 700 career rushing yards and is the eighth FBS player since 1996 to rush for a touchdown of at least 75 yards and throw for a touchdown of at least 75 yards in the same season.

“Just a little off-season study, trying to form an identity of who we want to be,” Vandy’s running game coordinator Norval McKenzie said of Wright’s number being called for running plays. “Mike Wright does a really good job with his feet, next to the running backs and a really good job from the Grease Gang (offensive line) up front. It forms together and we are just trying to build an identity.”

Of course, it will be difficult to maintain that high level of success as competition intensifies in the coming week.

Wright and the Commodores (2-0) face a Wake Forest defense this week that came second nationally in 2021 with 14 fumbles, fifth in allowing just 354 first downs and with 29 takeaways, 14th with 15 interceptions and 17th with seven tackles for loss per game.

In a 44-10 win over the Virginia Military Institute on Thursday, the Demon Deacons (1-0) gave up just 222 yards (and just 83 on the ground), made 14 third-down stops, recorded nine total tackles for losses and three bags.

“I think they’re a really talented defense,” Wright said. “They’re really good up front, good back – they’re a solid defence. We are going to prepare well and on Saturday we will be ready to leave. I’m excited to play them.”

Vanderbilt will be looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since October 19, 2019, when it defeated number 22 Missouri. It also has the chance to start 3-0 for the first time since 2017.

Wright insisted that Saturday’s game will be treated just like any other game, despite the game being preceded by The Paul Finebaum Show which will be broadcast live from campus on SEC Network Friday afternoon and Marty & McGee and SEC Nation will also be broadcasting live on Friday afternoon. SEC Network on Saturday morning leading up to kickoff .

“Every game is a big game for us. We come out and we expect to win every game we play and we expect to play at our highest level no matter who the opponent is,” said Wright. “I think there’s just going to be more eyes on this match, obviously, because they’re a pretty good team and they’re ranked and everything.

“But we’ll treat this game the same way we’ll treat any game in the future and we’ve treated it in the past.”

— Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com.
follow him @MrChadBishop.