NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s spirited rally in last week’s near-upset of No. 8 Notre Dame might have surprised some folks outside the confines of West End.
That’s something Commodore tight end Jared Pinkney doesn’t quite understand.
“We felt that confidence heading into the game,” Pinkney said. “We weren’t surprised that we were in the game against Notre Dame. It seemed like the only people who were surprised were people outside. Everyone in our program knew we were going up there to win. We just fell a little short.”
Vanderbilt’s effort against the Fighting Irish nearly earned it a stellar road victory, and Pinkney played a key role in that comeback. The Dores trailed 16-3 at halftime but stormed back to pull to within five, 22-17, on Pinkney’s 18-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Kyle Shurmur with 7:22 to play. Though Vanderbilt turned the ball over on downs on a potential game-winning drive with about a minute left, Pinkney contributed a 26-yard catch to keep the drive alive early.
The redshirt junior tight end has been an early bright spot for Vanderbilt’s offense. Through three games, Pinkney has 12 catches for a team-high 241 yards as well as one touchdown. He hauled in 98 yards through the air in Sept. 8’s 41-10 win over Nevada and topped that with 111 yards on five catches vs. the Irish. In all, Pinkney’s 241 receiving yards rank sixth among SEC players in 2018. On Wednesday, Pinkney was selected as the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week for his performance against Notre Dame.
Vanderbilt’s Kalija Lipscomb, who leads VU’s receivers with 25 catches alongside 234 yards and three scores, said Pinkney has been an invaluable teammate in the passing game.
“I call Jared ‘Batman,’ and I’m Robin,” Lipscomb said.
Pinkney couldn’t help but laugh at the comparison.
“First of all, let’s get the record straight: I’m not Batman,” Pinkney said. “I have 11 catches or something. [Kalija is] definitely Batman.”
Modest or not, Pinkney’s importance to Vanderbilt’s offense cannot be overstated in 2018. The veteran is a key piece of a passing attack that lost three senior wide receivers from a year ago: C.J. Duncan, Caleb Scott and Trent Sherfield. Now, Pinkney has helped to fill that void, said head coach Derek Mason.
“He’s redshirt junior,” Mason said of Pinkney. “With that being said, he should start to fall into the place where he will play his best football. He’s learning how to be a shark. He’s turned into a wolf. Every day, he’s the same dude. He’s going to hunt, he’s going to eat. If there’s an opportunity, he’s going to make it happen.”
The 6-4, 255-pound Pinkney is a familiar target for the senior Shurmur. He finished the last two seasons as Vanderbilt’s top pass-catching tight end with 44 combined catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns. But despite his hot start in 2018, Pinkney still sees plenty of individual improvement on the horizon. “Everything,” he said. “Yards after catch, blocking, pass protection, leadership, every aspect of my game can be improved.”
Now Pinkney and the Commodores plan to put Notre Dame behind them as they get ready for South Carolina. To Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks represent an opportunity to get back on track.
“It’s definitely a clean slate,” Pinkney said. “We’re going to take it week by week. All our goals are still in front of us. We’re just going to take it one game at a time so we can get to a bowl game.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
Pinkney fueling Vanderbilt passing attack
