Sept. 19, 2015
Compiled by David Dawson, Ryan Schulz and Kyle Parkinson
The Vanderbilt players and coaching staff knew it was just a matter of time until Trent Sherfield had a breakout performance.
Saturday was the day.
The sophomore wide receiver — who is revered by his teammates and coaches as perhaps the hardest-working Commodore on the roster — set a new single-game school record with 240 receiving yards while hauling in 16 catches and helping Vanderbilt roll to a 47-7 win over Austin Peay.
Sherfield broke the record that was held by former VU great Earl Bennett, who compiled 223 yards against Richmond on September 1, 2007. Head coach Derek Mason said Saturday’s effort was exactly the type of performance that he had been envisioning for Sherfield.
“From the day he stepped on the football field, you saw the speed, you saw the agility. And he’s also got size,” Mason said about Sherfield, who hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Johnny McCrary in the third quarter. “For him, it’s been a growth process. I have been talking about Trent Sherfield for a year. Now, he’s coming into his own.”
Sherfield said he was not aware during the game that he was closing in on a record. But now that’s he’s got it, the soft-spoken receiver revealed that “It definitely means a lot” to him.”
Sherfield caught an eight-yard pass on Vanderbilt’s first offensive snap of the game, and finished the first half with 75 yards on five catches, including gains of 21 and 16 yards on Vanderbilt’s final drive of the second quarter that resulted in a touchdown and a 19-7 lead for the Commodores.
It was more of the same — only better — in the second half, as Sherfield added 11 more catches to his total. He caught passes on three consecutive plays on Vanderbilt’s second possession of third quarter, and then repeated that same feat on the Commodores’ next drive.
“In this offense that Andy has put together, hot guys gets the ball,” said Mason. “You want to be a play-maker? Well, get out and do your job: make plays. … It just so happened that in the type of coverage that (Austin Peay) played, based on the match-ups, (Sherfield) just happened to be the guy on the spot. And hey, 16 catches — what a night.”
Mason said he was informed in the third quarter that Sherfield was nearing the record, and Mason elected to keep the wide receiver in the game and give him a chance to set a new mark. Sherfield broke the record with a 17-yard pass from Wade Freebeck early in the fourth quarter.
“I knew (what was happening) — and I wanted him to have the record,” said Mason. “I wanted him to have the catch. He’s worked hard, like I said. And you reward guys for the work they do. That’s just what I believe. When there are records to be broken — why settle for second, when first is available?”
Mason said Sherfield was absolutely deserving of having a moment in the sun. More importantly, Mason said he believes there are plenty more of these moments to come.
“This is just a small taste of what Trent Sherfield can do,” said Mason. “Now he’s just got to show he can do it every day, every week, in the SEC. This was a great first step for him, and I am really proud for him.
“I congratulated Trent the other day after practice, because I feel like he works the hardest,” said Mason. “Out of anybody out there (in practice), other than Ralph Webb, you notice Trent Sherfield. The dude is running, blocking and doing all the things he should do. And you know what? He got his just due today.”
McCrary Cuts Up Austin Peay’s Defense
After tossing five interceptions in his first two games, Johnny McCrary picked a good time to have the best game of his career.
The redshirt sophomore finished 28-of-33 — setting a new single-game school record for completion percentage (84.8) — while throwing for 368 yards and two touchdowns. He set career marks in completions and yards while helping Sherfield to a historic receiving day. McCrary also carried the ball five times for 41 yards and a touchdown.
The 368 yards through the air not only set a personal best, but also were the most by a Vanderbilt quarterback since Chris Nickson threw for 446 yards against Kentucky on November 11, 2006. McCrary’s total was also the seventh most in school history.
“I’m really proud of him,” Mason said of McCrary. “He did a good job of making decisions. He managed the game the way it needed to be managed.”
Through the first two games, McCrary had been efficient in moving the offense up the field, but drives would stall out in the red zone. After Vanderbilt came up empty on its first red zone appearance on Saturday, it looked as if the trend would continue. However, that would not be the case. McCrary would guide the offense to scores on its next five trips to the red zone.
McCrary also continued spread the ball across the field. He completed passes to nine different targets Saturday and has connected on passes to at least eight receivers in all three games. He also hit nine different receivers against Western Kentucky.
Despite the success, McCrary was quick to credit everyone else for the team’s offensive performance.
“It was a team thing,” McCrary said. “It wasn’t a `Johnny can get it done’ thing, it was a `Vandy can get it done’ thing. I think that going out there and winning is always a good thing, and it is a part of the process that coach talks about, the process of getting our identity, keeping our pride in our hearts.”
Webb Finds the End Zone… x3
Running back Ralph Webb did a little bit of everything Saturday. He had 15 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and he caught three passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.
It was the most touchdowns scored by a Commodore since Jerron Seymour also had three scores at Florida in 2013.
Webb’s three touchdowns were the first three of the game for the Commodores, with his last giving Vanderbilt a 26-7 lead with 13:10 remaining in the third quarter.
Webb has proven to be a reliable option for McCrary out of the backfield. After not catching more than two passes in a game last year, Webb has caught at least three passes in every game this season.
“Ralph is a great athlete,” McCrary said. “More so than that, he is a great person and I trust him a lot. Pretty much I don’t have any concern about throwing the ball to Ralph ever.”
Big numbers across the board
Vanderbilt’s offense is vastly improved under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. Through the Commodores first three games this season (Western Kentucky, Georgia and Austin Peay) the Dores are averaging 442 yards per game, 24.3 points per game and 22.3 first downs per game.
Those numbers dwarf the offensive numbers from last season’s first three games when the Commodores played Temple, Ole Miss and UMass. Against those opponents, VU averaged 251.7 yards per game while scoring 14.7 points per game and achieving 13 first downs per game.
Vanderbilt has already racked up 1,326 yards of offense, including 906 through the air. QB Johnny McCrary has already passed for 880 yards (293.3 YPG) after passing for a team-high 985 yards all of last season while playing in seven games. McCrary’s passes have been spread around as well with 10 different Commodores catching passes. In all three games, the Dores have completed passes to at least eight different receivers. Sherfield’s big game vs. the Govs vaulted him to the top of the season list with 21 catches for 347s yards and two TDs through three games.
After putting up yards in the first two games but few points, the Dores answered with points in Saturday’s win over Austin Peay scoring the most-ever (47) in the Mason Era. Vanderbilt set Mason Era highs in total offense (541 yards), passing yards (394 yards), passing first downs (17), third down conversions (9), third down conversion percentage (64%) and touchdowns (6).
