Aug. 28, 2012
Monday Interviews & Quotes | Game Notes & Depth Charts | Gameday Central
The wait is almost over. In just a few short days, the area surrounding Vanderbilt Stadium will be filled with the aroma from charcoal grills as Commodore fans gather in their familiar tailgating locations before heading inside the stadium to watch Vanderbilt play No. 9 South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday (ESPN).
College football season has quietly been approaching for sometime now, and on Monday the reality sunk in: game week is here. From the increased amount of foot traffic around Vanderbilt Stadium to the noticeable buzz on campus, it was evident that football season was back.
Monday also meant the return of Vanderbilt’s weekly press conference with Coach James Franklin and select players. The return of the weekly press conference also leads to another year of Monday Musings.
Monday was Wednesday and Tuesday is Thursday
Say what? Football coaches and players are creatures of habit. Preparation for a game is virtually the same one week as it is to the next, no matter the day the game falls on. So with Vanderbilt playing South Carolina on a Thursday, everything in the normal game week has been cycled back two days from Saturday – the typical day for a Vanderbilt game.
“With it being a Thursday game, basically we’re treating this Thursday like Saturday and we just count our week back,” Franklin said.
While Monday felt like a Monday to you, it was really a Wednesday in terms of game preparation for the Commodores. Because of playing on Thursday, the Commodores held a rare practice late Monday night. Typically during the season, the team practices Sunday after a game and then is off Monday, but with the game on Thursday, the practice schedule was reconfigured.
“This game caused some conflict because we don’t usually practice on Mondays, but this week we have to practice (Monday) because it’s too close to game time,” Franklin commented. “It’s not ideal, but from a timing perspective we have to get out there just to stay fresh.”
August Lid-Lifters
Vanderbilt’s game will not be the earliest in school history, but it will be close. The honors for the earliest game go to Vanderbilt’s 2008 squad, which played at Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 28, 2008.
However, Vanderbilt’s game against South Carolina Thursday is tied for the earliest home opener in school history. Vanderbilt also opened on Aug. 30 against North Texas in 1997, MTSU in 2001 and Ole Miss in 2003.
Ironically, the 2008 season-opening game at Miami (Ohio) was the first of two straight Thursday night games with the second one coming at home against South Carolina. Vanderbilt won that game 24-17 over the Gamecocks. The game marked Vanderbilt’s last victory over South Carolina and came in the team’s last Thursday night game.
Players Excited for Energized Crowd
There is always something about Thursday night games that seem to dial up the energy inside stadiums across the country.
And this week should be no different on West End. Vanderbilt is holding its annual “blackout” game where fans are encouraged to wear black to support the Commodores. Additionally, the annual Freshman Run will take place before the game.
From a broadcast standpoint, ESPN’s cameras will be in the stadium for the first time since 2008 when the Commodores played Auburn. Members of the network arrived Monday afternoon with their SkyCam equipment, which will be installed at Vanderbilt Stadium for the first time. High above the stadium will also be the Goodyear Blimp. Add it all together and you have quite the atmosphere.
“I expect there to be a good crowd because there is more buzz and excitement about Vanderbilt football than there has ever been before,” Franklin said.
Vanderbilt’s game against South Carolina in 2008 remains one of the best atmospheres inside Vanderbilt Stadium in recent memory. The player’s understand how electric a crowd can be on a Thursday night and are excited about the opportunity.
“I don’t think you can have a better environment, a better opening game with it being against an SEC opponent,” quarterback Jordan Rodgers said. “I think the real thing for us to focus on is that it is an SEC East game. If we want to do what we think we can do in this league, we need to win SEC East games and we need to start it out on Thursday night. I couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere with it being on ESPN.”
Slowing Down Marcus Lattimore
Marcus Lattimore’s name can be found on virtually every preseason All-America team. So it goes without saying that slowing him down will be top priority for Vanderbilt’s defense.
“I’m not going to stand up here and be real creative and come up with something else; we have to stop Marcus Lattimore,” Franklin remarked. “I think that’s obvious to everybody.”
Last year, Vanderbilt held the junior tailback to 77 yards on 20 carries, but he did plenty of damage on the scoreboard. At the end of the first half, Lattimore took a screen pass 52 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, he added a 22-yard touchdown run.
Lattimore was on pace for an outstanding season a year ago before it was cut short with an ACL injury in the seventh game of the season against Mississippi State. Thursday will be his first game back since October.
“He’s a great player and he’s proven that he can compete at a very high level in this league, so we’re focused on stopping the entire offense,” defensive tackle Rob Lohr said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to go against him.”
Finding Leadership on Defense
Former linebacker Chris Marve and safety Sean Richardson were not just excellent players, they were also excellent leaders, be it by example or by their words. Replacing leadership is not something that occurs instantly overnight.; instead, it takes time.
How long remains to be seen, but a solid step was recently taken with players selecting eight captains for the season. Three of the eight were selected as defensive captains (Walker May, Javon Marshall and Johnell Thomas), while another (Archibald Barnes) was selected as a special teams captain, but is also a starting linebacker.
“It’s not going to jump out with one specific guy like last year,” Franklin said. “Our leadership is going to come from a number of guys.”
Quotable
James Franklin on how much the confidence level has grown on the team from this time last year to now:
“(The players) feel that if the Green Bay Packers were to walk into that stadium that they’re going to play with them, and they’re going to beat them. That’s their mentality. And that’s good, because that’s not the situation we were in last year.”
