Sept. 23, 2011
Vanderbilt will take to the road for the first time this season on Saturday as the Commodores play at South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Although there is no place like home for the Commodores, a change of pace provided by playing on the road brings a new level of anticipation for Saturday.
“I just enjoy the change in environment,” defensive tackle Rob Lohr said. “With home games, you are used to the same schedule and routine. When you go out on the road, just the plane ride itself changes it up.”
Players such as Lohr enjoy the plane ride, but there are others who dread it. Count linebacker Tristan Strong and wide receiver Jonathan Krause among those that would much rather use ground transportation.
“I hate flying,” Krause said. “It is like a roller coaster. You never know when the plane is going to drop. When it does drop, your stomach feels weird. I would bus everywhere if I could.”
Flying was not new to either of the players before arriving on campus, but the multiple trips they take each year has not eased the anxiety. The two know they will fly multiple times in their careers so they face their fear head on.
“You just block it out and suck it up and have positive thoughts because you know you are going to have do it,” Strong said.
After all, there is no Madden Cruiser to ride in from game to game.
When the Commodores depart campus Friday afternoon, it will be all business. Upon arrival in Columbia, the players will spend many hours in team and position meetings. Any down time is typically spent in team meals, sleeping, going over the game plan, watching television and sleeping some more.
“I’ll get 10 hours of sleep the night before and then I’ll nap an hour during the day just because I want to be completely rested when I am on the field,” Lohr said.
Now a junior, Lohr knows the drill of traveling on the road. However he still remembers the first time he traveled on the road as a freshman and knows many teammates will learn the same lesson this weekend as they travel for the first time.
“I remember my freshman year I’d over pack,” Lohr said. “I’d bring three changes of clothes and we end up wearing the same thing the whole time. But I was always like, what if?”
What the team is lacking in extra clothing, they make up for in gadgets. Between iPods, iPads and laptops, the players travel with enough electronics to fill the shelves of a local Radio Shack.
“I have to have my iPod on my to listen to on the plane, at night and in the locker room before the game,” said Strong, who also brings a laptop to watch DVDs.
When the Commodores travel on the road, they may be out numbered in 70,000-plus seat stadium, but they are not alone. The majority of players have friends or family that attend road games from great distances.
Lohr’s parents, Bob and Kim, fly to every game from Philadelphia. Krause expects to have eight friends and family members there and Strong expects seven. Although sizable numbers, they will likely be smaller than Larry Smith’s contingent. Unanimously, the team agrees that no matter where the team travels, no player has more friends or family in attendance than Smith.
“It isn’t even close,” laughed Krause. “No matter where we go, he’s always got at least 20 people he knows coming to the game. He’s got friends and family everywhere it seems.”
Having family in attendance at road games brings a sense of serenity to an otherwise hostile environment, which the Commodores are sure to see Saturday. Road night games in the SEC often present challenging environments to play in and Williams-Brice Stadium will be no exception.
Throughout the preseason, Head Coach James Franklin has had the Commodores practicing with crowd noise pumped in. This week, Franklin surrounded the field with speakers and blared South Carolina’s fight song on a loop throughout practice.
Even though the environment will be challenging, the Commodores have found success on the road before. In fact, the last time, Vanderbilt beat a ranked opponent on the road was in 2007 at South Carolina when the Commodores handed the sixth-ranked Gamecocks a 17-6 loss.
Can history repeat itself? We’ll see, but the the challenge of playing in front of a packed stadium under the lights against another South Carolina team ranked in the top 10 certainly intrigues the team.
“You’ve got 80,000-plus booing at you as you come out of the tunnel,” said Lohr who rates South Carolina as his favorite road venue. “The crowd is really into it and just the atmosphere is cool. It’s exciting and if you aren’t comfortable going out there, you shouldn’t be playing this sport.”
Notable Road Wins Since 2005
Sept. 10, 2005
Vanderbilt 28, Arkansas 24
Jay Cutler hits Marlon White from six yards out with 26 seconds to play and lifts Vanderbilt to 2-0 on the season.
Nov. 19, 2005
Vanderbilt 28, Tennessee 24
In his final pass game as a Commodore, Jay Cutler connects with Earl Bennett in end zone with 1:11 to play as Vanderbilt earns its first win at Neyland Stadium since 1975.
Oct. 14, 2006
Vanderbilt 24, #16 Georgia 22
With 10 seconds to play, kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt kicked a 33-yard field goal to win the game.
Oct. 20, 2007
Vanderbilt 17, #6 South Carolina 6
Vanderbilt’s defense sacked South Carolina seven times, intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble as the Commodores defeated their highest ranked opponent since 1937.
Sept. 20, 2008
Vanderbilt 23, Ole Miss 17
Ryan Hamilton picks off three passes as the Commodores improve to 4-0 on the season.
Nov. 15, 2008
Vanderbilt 31, Kentucky 24
D.J. Moore becomes the first player of the modern era to catch two TD passes and notch two interceptions in same game as Vanderbilt clinches bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982.
Sept. 18, 2010
Vanderbilt 28, Ole Miss 14
Warren Norman tops 100 yards rushing as the Commodores lead wire-to-wire in Oxford.
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