NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s been four years since Vanderbilt could call itself a 2-0 football team. The Commodores could change that Saturday night if they take care of business against visiting Elon.
Fresh off a 63-10 win at Hawai’i to begin the campaign, Vandy’s season-opener against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent presents the program with a golden opportunity to go 2-for-2.
But the Phoenix don’t appear to be an easy ‘W’ on paper. Head coach Tony Trisciani’s program is coming off a 6-5 season that included a 5-3 mark in the always-tough Colonial Athletic Association. Elon returns a handful of talented wide receivers and will look to either Joey Baughman or North Carolina State and Montana State transfer Matthew McCay at quarterback.
“Impressive, confident, knows where to go with the ball. Athletic,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said of McKay. “They’re going to have a good player running the offense and they’re going to have experience receivers. They’re going to test us. They’re going to test our structure, they’re going to test our discipline.
“We’re going to handle early adversity just like we did against Hawai’i. We’re going to have to battle through four quarters, but it’s going to be a good test for us. I’m excited for it and yet I know this is a good offense we’re going to be facing.”
Should Vandy be able to get by the Phoenix on Saturday it will be looking for its first 3-0 start since 2017 when it hosts Wake Forest at 11 a.m. Sept. 10. The Commodores have not been 4-0 since 2007.
Keeping it 100
Vanderbilt Athletics and Vanderbilt Football will recognize the top 100 players in the history of Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday. Nearly 50 of those selected for the honor will be present or represented for the Commodores’ matchup with Elon at halftime at FirstBank Stadium.
Honorees were selected via fan voting and announced in August. A complete list of those recognized can be found here.
Meeting With Medenhall
The Vanderbilt football program was visited this week by Bronco Medenhall.
Medenhall was most recently the head coach at Virginia from 2016-21 and prior to that led BYU from 2005-15. He also held defensive coordinator positions at BYU, New Mexico, Oregon State and Northern Arizona.
Lea said he had always admired Mendenhall’s team from afar and was “randomly” contacted by the coach during the offseason. The two struck up a friendship and Lea even visited Medenhall at Mendenhall’s home in Virginia.
“He’s got kind of an introverted, quiet intensity about him and every time I saw his teams play, which was often, it seemed like they played really hard,” Lea said. “Just like with (Vanderbilt baseball head coach Tim Corbin), you get connected with guys that you feel like have similar personality traits that draw as much as they can out of a team.
“Kirk Garner, one of our quality control coaches, played for Bronco. Obviously (defensive coordinator) Nick Howell is a product of that friendship. He’s just been a great resource for me as I’ve gotten my feet underneath me in this role. He offered feedback in support and it was good to have him.”
Hello, Hal
Former Vanderbilt star Andre Hal will be on campus this weekend and his appearance will be highlighted by a book signing.
The former NFL safety will be at the Vanderbilt Bookstore from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday to promote his new publication Transition Mindset. Hal’s book details his career as a Commodore, his life as a professional athlete, his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and his recent retirement from the game.
A native of Louisiana, Hal played for Vandy from 2010-13 and was an All-SEC selection in 2013.
A Minute With Mintze
The Commodores also got post-practice words of encouragement Tuesday from former Vandy standout Andre Mintze.
Mintze, released by Minnesota in August, is a linebacker who signed with Denver in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. The Philadelphia native created the Dancing Dores fundraiser, an annual event raising funds and support for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.
Elon Revisited
Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix will be the second ever for the Commodores.
The first matchup occurred 11 years ago to the day at Vanderbilt Stadium. Larry Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score and Vanderbilt beat Elon 45-14 Saturday night in head coach James Franklin’s debut with the Commodores.
Jordan Matthews led Vandy with 58 receiving yards and Chris Boyd hauled in two touchdown grabs. The Dores also forced three turnovers that led to three Vanderbilt touchdowns.
— Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com.
Follow him @MrChadBishop.
