Oct. 1, 2012
Monday’s Interviews and Quotes
Last fall, as the landscape of college athletics shifted with every passing week, and sometimes every day, with schools coming and going to and from different conferences, the SEC did not sit on the sidelines and merely watch. Instead, it increased membership from 12 to 14. First it was Texas A&M that joined the league and then two months later it was Missouri.
Eventually, it was determined that Texas A&M would compete in the SEC West and Missouri would compete in the SEC East with the Commodores. Vanderbilt’s first head-to-head meeting with one of the two new members came on the pitch where Missouri topped Vanderbilt on Sept. 23. The second meeting will come Saturday when Vanderbilt’s football team travels to Missouri for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff (Fox Sports Net) in Columbia.
The meeting will be the first between the two schools since 1958 and just the fifth all time.
So far in 2012, the Commodores and Tigers have similar SEC resumes. Both are 0-2 in the league with losses to Georgia and South Carolina. Saturday represents a measuring stick for both programs currently at the bottom of the SEC East standings.
Even though Missouri is new to the SEC, the system run by Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel is not new to the Commodores. Head Coach James Franklin previously spent two seasons as an offensive coordinator at Kansas State and faced Missouri both years. Missouri’s offensive and defensive coordinators have changed in recent years, but were both promoted from within and have spent more than a decade with Pinkel in Columbia.
The Tigers enter Saturday’s game 3-2 overall with home wins against SE Louisiana and Arizona State and a road win at Central Florida on Saturday.
Although Saturday will be a new experience, the Commodores are looking forward to it.
“It’s new, it’s different,” defensive end Walker May said. “Of course it feels like a conference game because everybody tells us it’s the SEC and all that. I’ve heard the experience (of playing) at Missouri is fun. That will feel just like any other away game (in the SEC) for us.
Missouri’s teams under Pinkel have traditionally been known for their offense behind outstanding quarterbacks such as Brad Smith, Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert, but in 2012 the team has been led by its defense.
“Just from an offensive standpoint, their biggest strength is probably their defensive line,” running back Zac Stacy said. “They have a very good active group of guys on the defensive line.”
No one has been more impressive along the defensive line than junior defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Richardson’s success in 2012 is almost unprecedented at defensive tackle, where he ranks second on the team in tackles. In the last three games alone he has 25 stops, two sacks, four talks for a loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
“I’ve known (Sheldon) for a long time because when I was at a previous institution we recruited him, and he was a very good get for them.” Franklin said. “He’s proved to be as well in what he has done there. He makes their defense go.”
For offensive tackle Wesley Johnson, seeing film of Missouri reminds him of what he faces each day in practice.
“Their defensive line reminds me of our defensive line,” Johnson said. “They are all a bunch of athletic guys and they all have really high motors and are going full speed all the time, and you see them make a lot of second effort plays.”
Franklin vs. Franklin
No, don’t adjust your television set Saturday or blame the copy editor this week. Yes, the quarterback at Missouri shares the same name with Vanderbilt’s head coach. The name James Franklin will be used a lot this week, and confusion is bound to ensue.
“Cousin James,” as the elder Franklin jokingly refers to Missouri’s quarterback as, is a junior quarterback from Corinth, Texas, and is in his second year as a starter. In 2011, Missouri’s Franklin threw for 2,865 yards and ran for 981 more.
The two are unrelated, but distinguishing who is being referred to in every mention is no easy task. Just ask James Franklin … I mean Vanderbilt’s James Franklin.
“I was sitting with the family on Saturday watching the game and my daughters kept coming up to me and saying, ‘Daddy, is this Vanderbilt? Why do they keep saying James Franklin?’ “
Distinguishing the two will be a challenge for all involved, and it is a foregone conclusion that everyone will have ample opportunities to confuse others on Saturday.
Maximizing the Bye Week
For players and coaches, a bye week provides an opportunity for both parties to do things they typically are unable to do as much or at all during the season. The players practiced Tuesday and Wednesday last week, but were off Thursday, Friday and Saturday before returning to the practice field Sunday.
Many players headed home to see families while others stuck around campus and enjoyed a few days of relaxation. The coaching staff hit the recruiting trail for an extended period of time, visiting cities and towns across the country.
The bye week also gave players and coaches a break from one another, which Franklin believes can be a good thing during a long season.
“There comes a time when the players need some time away from us, go home, see their families, and relax,” Franklin said. “As you guys know, playing in the SEC is a grind. We’re getting right around the time of midterms, papers and projects, so they needed some extra time. I think it allowed us as coaches to look at some of the comparisons to last year and areas for growth.”
The bye week also allowed Vanderbilt’s coaching staff to have extra days of preparation for Missouri.
“There’s no doubt it gives you an advantage,” Franklin said of having a bye. “It’s probably similar to a first game where you might take a few extra days.”
Franklin noted another advantage was that the coaching staff didn’t have to break down Vanderbilt’s previous game on Sunday.
Where are the Momentum Shifting Plays?
From 3-1 to 1-3. The record over the course of the first four games in 2011 to that of this season is clearly not the same, but what is the difference? Coach Franklin addressed the topic on Monday and noted the difficult schedule as a factor, but also referenced the lack of momentum shifting plays on offense, defense and special teams.
“Offensively, the biggest difference is points,” Franklin said. “But if you look at how we are running the ball, how we are throwing the ball, it is very similar to last year. The offense had so many more opportunities because we were able to get turnovers in bunches last year.
“Defensively, obviously the interceptions and tackles for a loss; I think there were times last year when we played physical offenses but we were able to get huge momentum plays at critical times and we just haven’t had that so far. Same thing on special teams: We had some kickoff returns or big punt returns that were momentum swinging plays, but we haven’t had those.”
Vanderbilt also found much success last year on trick plays or “money plays” as the team refers to them as. This year, the same has not held true.
“We called six (money plays) last year, we’ve called four this year. Thirty-three percent of them last year ended up being successful. This year, zero percent of them have been successful. People feel like maybe we haven’t called as many this year, well, we’ve called two less than last year.”
Starting Quarterback on Saturday
Franklin did not name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game, and again pointed out the importance of every player having a good week of practice. But if there was a game last Saturday, Franklin said Jordan Rogers would have gotten the nod.
“I thought (Rodgers) practiced well last week and if we would have played last Saturday, he would have been the starter,” Franklin said. “This week stands alone and we will see how this week goes.”
Freshmen Impressing Franklin
Having an off week allowed more Vanderbilt freshmen to get significant reps throughout the practice week, and Coach Franklin was very impressed by what he has seen in the team’s class.
“It is the best freshman class I’ve ever been associated with,” Franklin said.
The team scrimmaged on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week.
“Watching those guys practice last week during the bye week, I think was a really good lift for our program from a morale standpoint and for those kids, but it was also good for our coaches.”