Dec. 4, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Derek Mason stepped onto a stage Sunday night sporting a pair of unorthodox shoes. The kicks were black and gold bowling shoes, which featured oversized Nike swooshes and Vanderbilt “Star V” logos. Speaking to a few hundred fans at a bowl celebration party at Vanderbilt’s Student Life Center, the Commodores’ head coach smiled and pointed to his feet.
“I brought my bowling shoes!” Mason exclaimed.
The reason for Mason’s unique footwear? The ‘Dores are headed back to the postseason. On Sunday, Vanderbilt learned it would face North Carolina State of the ACC in the 41st Camping World Independence Bowl on Dec. 26 in Shreveport, La. It is Vanderbilt’s first bowl berth under Mason and first overall since 2013. A few weeks ago, the Commodores seemed a long shot for the postseason. But a strong finish to 2016 now has Vanderbilt showing signs of major progress going forward, and the rest of the country has noticed.
Commodore Nation came out on a rainy Sunday on West End to celebrate Vanderbilt’s most recent bowl appearance. Joe Fisher, the Voice of the Commodores, emceed the event, which was open to fans and featured a pep band, Vanderbilt’s Spirit Squad and refreshments. Director of athletics David Williams noted that Vanderbilt has sold out its ticket allotment in its last four bowls, and Mason invited all Commodore fans to spend the holiday with the ‘Dores in Shreveport.
“I definitely expect to see you down in Shreveport,” Mason said. “We play for you. This is your team.”
Mason said he had never seen this Commodore team play harder than it did in its final two games of the regular season. Following a 26-17 loss at Missouri on Nov. 12, Vanderbilt held a 4-6 record needing wins against Ole Miss and Tennessee to become bowl-eligible. The ‘Dores answered the called, scoring 83 total points in victories over the Rebels and Vols and notching the most wins (six) in a season under Mason.
For Vanderbilt, which started the season 2-4 (and 0-3 in the SEC), a trip to Shreveport is a welcome reward for its turnaround. “It shows all the hard work we’ve been through, and all the adversity we faced,” running back Ralph Webb said. “We pushed through. We knew, at the end of the day, there would be better times. We’d find a way to win and get us back to a bowl game.”
Vanderbilt’s trip to the Independence Bowl will be the program’s eighth bowl appearance in its history, but four of those have occurred over the past six seasons. This is now a Commodore team familiar with the postseason, and for Mason, the 14 extra bowl practices will serve as an important byproduct to the process. In the coach’s first two seasons, his team couldn’t take advantage of extra practice. Now Vanderbilt will use that time to get better and carry momentum into 2017.
Then, of course, the ‘Dores will shoot for a seventh win of the season against NC State. Vanderbilt played its best football in the regular season’s final moments. Now Mason and company hope to finish the job in Shreveport, where the rest of the college football world will continue to witness the ‘Dores’ rise.
“I think everybody wanted to see this team do something different,” Mason said. “Now what they have a chance to do is play a 13th game, go down to Shreveport and show the world that Vanderbilt football is here to stay.”
Kickoff for the Vanderbilt-NC State matchup is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Dec. 26. It will air on ESPN2.
