Aug. 3, 2008
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Just two days into preseason camp, an opportunistic defense appears to be developing on the Vanderbilt campus.
The unit forced several turnovers by their offensive counterparts in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills at the John Rich Practice Facility Saturday night. The effort wasn’t lost on Vanderbilt’s head coach.
“I thought the defense was aggressive, with a lot of guys really making plays and forcing some things,” Bobby Johnson said. “We’ll know a lot more after taking a close look at the film, but it looked like a productive day by the defense.
“We’re still real early in camp, and we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us. We’ll just go right back to work (Sunday), trying to eliminate any mistakes, get more efficient, and try to improve in every area, Johnson added.
The Commodores will return to the practice field Sunday evening wearing shoulder pads for the first time. The team’s first session in full gear is expected on Tuesday.
“I’m excited as we prepare to move into full pads and really start playing football. Everybody needs to work extremely hard these next couple of days so we can get the most out of each practice when the pads go on,” Johnson said.
On Saturday, the defense was in attack mode for much of the session, sparked by early interceptions in 7-on-7 drills by cornerback Jared Fagan (R-Sr., Waldorf, Md.) and safety Al Owens (Fr., Springtown, Texas).
The defensive momentum continued into 11-on-11 work, with cornerback Darlron Spead (R-Jr., Kingsland, Ga.) quickly setting the tone by intercepting a pass by Larry Smith (R-Fr., Prattville, Ala.) on the second play. Shortly afterward, cornerback Myron Lewis (Jr., Pompano Beach, Fla.) recovered a fumble after dislodging the ball from receiver George Smith (R-Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.).
After Spead produced another fumble following a reception, the offensive coaches stopped practice and forced the entire unit to perform a series of up-downs.
The 11-on-11 session ended with more defensive production: linebacker Brent Trice (Jr., Orange, Va.) stepping in front of receiver to pick off a pass and defensive end Broderick Stewart (R-Jr., Newnan, Ga.) sacking the quarterback for a loss.
The passing game was featured in much of the 11-on-11 session. The rushing attack, led by tailbacks Jared Hawkins (R-Jr., Spring, Texas), Jeff Jennings (R-Sr., Jefferson City, Tenn.) and Gaston Miller (R-So., Murfreesboro, Tenn.), is likely to get plenty of attention as the team moves into full gear.
Other Commodore Notes:
– Freshman Archie Barnes (Tampa, Fla.) was on the move Saturday. The versatile athlete switched from quarterback to linebacker.
– The offense started productively in 7-on-7 work, with receiver Justin Wheeler (R-Jr., North Augusta, S.C.) catching a deep pass over the middle.
– Quarterbacks Chris Nickson (R-Sr., Brundidge, Ala.) and Mackenzi Adams (R-Jr., Tulsa, Okla.) alternated snaps with the first-unit offense.
– Linebacker Brandon Bryant (R-Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) and defensive end Tim Fugger (R-Fr., Oak Brook, Ill.) did not participate in contact drills.
– Dore Jam VII, the Commodores’ annual fan day activity, is scheduled Sunday, August 17, at the Rich Practice Facility. The event features player autographs, kids games and attractions, and representation by student-athletes of several Commodore sports. This year, the team will also unveil its new Nike uniforms, with pant and jersey combinations available in white, gold and black.
