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Commodore Notebook 10/24/2005 Notes and Commentary Winners and Losers We’d seen this before if you have been following our football season. We get the ball deep in our territory with two minutes or less remaining in the game needing a touchdown to win or tie. We move the football down the field, usually relying upon the strong arm of Jay Cutler and, last Saturday, the gifted freshman receiver Earl Bennett. At Wake Forest and Arkansas, these drives culminated in game winning touchdowns. A similar drive against Ole Miss salted away another nice win and an 81-yard, 12-play drive ended with the heart-break of a blocked field goal against MTSU. So here we were again, this time in Columbia, S.C., watching as a courageous Commodore team refused to quit. This time we were down 35-28 with over 76,000 nervous Gamecock fans screaming their lungs out as we moved steadily downfield. Bennett was having one of the greatest fourth quarters any Vanderbilt receiver has ever experienced with eight catches and 150 yards (he had 16 receptions for 204 yards on the day — an SEC freshman record). He couldn’t be stopped. Our other mainline targets were injured. Marlon White was out with an ankle sprain that had caused him trouble several weeks ago while Erik Davis was “a decoy” as Bobby Johnson would later admit since his Achilles tendon was acting up. Our effort was against all the odds — a seeming hallmark of Vanderbilt football through the decades. It was a thrilling but disheartening finish with Cutler’s final pass falling incomplete near the USC goal line with just four seconds to go. The scoreboard said we had lost and so will the history books but it was difficult to look at the Black and Gold as a “loser” after such heroic efforts in those waning moments. We didn’t really lose; time just ran out. I recalled a visit I’d had just eight days earlier with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ainsley Battles, who is rehabilitating a leg injury and was back for Homecoming. Ainsley shared a comment his father (an inventor, lawyer and doctor, no less) had made to him. “My father told me that we were winning while we were losing,” he said. “And I realized exactly what he meant when I got into the NFL. I would see a guy from Florida State or Ohio State that would fly high when things were going well but they would absolutely fall apart when trouble hit because they didn’t know how to handle adversity. I think this lesson is one that has helped me and probably other Vanderbilt players because we have been toughened by adversity and know how to cope.” Nobody on this campus is playing for moral victories or to graduate from the School of Hard Knocks. This football team is playing to win every Saturday. My own mother always said I was the worst sport she knew because I take losing so hard, even if its ping-pong in the basement. So don’t label me as some egg-head that isn’t competitive. However, I think Ainsley Battles’ dad has a valid point. This football program is a winner. These next three games are going to be interesting so don’t you go quit. I know a big-hearted football team that won’t give up and they deserve our support and respect. Winning Has its Advantages Chris Wyrick, Executive Director of the National Commodore Club, reported that giving to the NCC was up $90,000 during September’s undefeated football streak. Remember Hoop Jam Hoop Jam makes it debut Thursday in Memorial Gymnasium and if you are nearby and enjoy our basketball you will want to stop by. Both men’s and women’s basketball teams are hosting the two-hour event previewing the coming season. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. Similar to Vanderbilt football’s Dore Jam, the family friendly basketball event will give Commodore followers a chance to meet players and coaches from both teams and gather autographs. Following a one-hour autograph session, both teams will be introduced and participate in on-court competitions. Team posters and schedule cards also will be available at the event. Admission is free. Soccer Success It’s been an excellent fall for both soccer teams. The men’s team clinched a winning season for the first time since 1999 with a 2-0 shutout of Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake Saturday, pushing its mark to 8-5-1 with two games to go. The No. 20 rated women’s team has made a big splash, setting an SEC record Sunday with its 13th shutout of the season to run its record to 14-3-1. Peloquin’s Debut Did you happen to catch our web story about freshman bowler Michelle Peloquin’s first outing as a Commodore last Wednesday? The Enfield, Conn., product had games of 246, 255 and 249 for a 750 series. Not too shabby. |
