Although we all learned junior and senior year that following Vanderbilt football builds our character by forcing us to endure constant disappointment ("http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=63097"), it's nice for a change of pace. The win against Ole Miss puts Vanderbilt at 4-0, and 2-0 in the SEC, and Ole Miss's upset of number 4 Florida at Gainesville Saturday shows Vanderbilt beat a talented Reb squad on their home field in Oxford.
This weekend, the Dores will entertain the Auburn Tigers, with both teams ranked in the Top 20. Vanderbilt has not beaten Auburn since before most of us were born, on New Year's Eve 1955 in Jacksonville, at the Gator Bowl.
The ESPN cable network finds the game so important, they are dispatching their ESPN Game Day crew to Nashville, to host the game starting at 9 AM Saturday morning on their network. In the background of the studio set on campus that morning, we can expect long suffering VU fans to appear to explain that this is the year Vanderbilt has their first winning season since 1982, after seven times coming within one win of a break even or winning season in recent years.
Although ESPN is sending Brent Musburger and the Gameday crew of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, they are disappointing us by not sending Erin Andrews, the glamorous six feet tall sideline reporter, whom my sources say "looks even better in person than on the tube".
That notable Florida alumna, who was on campus three weeks ago for the South Carolina game, will be dispatched somewhere else, to the disappointment of the guys. Last year, I saw some Little League World Series players interviewed by her, and the way they spoke to "Ms. Andrews" with awe in their eyes, convinced viewers the 12 and 13 year olds practice and effort were worth just getting a chance to chat with her.
Still, the Dores have a chance to make our Reunion weekend that much more entertaining, because a win against either Auburn or Miss. State or Georgia on the next three weekends means Vandy could become bowl-eligible by beating the much improved Duke team with us in attendance. If the football Dores win even more than one of those games, I hesitate to think what kind of an atmosphere will occur on Sat. Oct. 25 for our game day. I don't even want to go into uncharted territory; might be too much to handle.
We are now less than one month to the Reunion, and let's start making plans to return to Nashville to see each other on campus once again.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Football update
Please excuse your blogger's recent vacation from what the New York Times' financial columnist Floyd Norris refers to as "Bailout Nation". Some work duties, traveling to Ohio and NYC, and just plain old general lassitude prevented recent blog efforts. Chris Perry and Tony Almeida have reason to fire me, but should they think about such action, I will hide behind federal regulators, as AIG and Bear Stearns have done.
I did see the Commodores beat Miami of Ohio 34-13 at the home team's beautiful campus in Oxford, OH last month. The overall speed of the Commodores, and their quality execution on both sides of the ball, makes this the best looking Vanderbilt football team in 25 years.
Cornerback D.J. Moore of Spartanburg, S.C. (whose overcoming of his parents' problems has been the subject of many regional profiles) is such an electrifying player (as ballhawking cornerback, breakaway punt and kickoff returner, and occasional wide receiver running patterns and reverses), that it's worth coming to the Reunion to see someone who makes the crowd gasp two to three times a game. Keep your eye on number 17 throughout this fall. Last year Moore became All-SEC; this season he is moving into the All World category.
Against Miami in just the first quarter, Moore intercepted a screen pass which the Miami receiver had juggled momentarily, and began running for the goal line 25 yards away, and only the falling receiver tripping him prevented a TD. A few minutes later, Moore fielded a punt inside the Vandy 10, dodged a tackler or two, accelerated to the far sideline and ran the punt back 91 yards to the Miami one, getting tripped from behind only when slowing down to allow his cornerback partner Myron Lewis to block the one Miami defender blocking his path to the end zone. Then Moore completed the first quarter by sacking the Miami quarterback on a corner blitz, forcing a fumble.
Against South Carolina, Moore deflected a pass which All America candidate strong safety Reshard Langford intercepted and returned deep into Gamecock territory, but South Carolina avoided Moore as much as possible by throwing and kicking away from him. As you may have noticed, Vanderbilt has a superb defensive secondary, joined by free safety Ryan Hamilton, who in honor of Joe Aneskeivich, joins center Brad Vierling in giving Vanderbilt a Philadelphia football presence.
Against Rice, Moore ran an interception 71 yards down to the Owl one yard line (many think he reached the ball into the end zone before falling out of bounds), and ran another interception back 31 yards to seal the victory. Moore has also run well on flanker reverses and is bound to make some big catches when he plays more on offense. Nashville favorite (both on and off the field due this special character) Jamie Graham, a basketball walk-on we saw help the hoop Dores last season, is playing wide receiver on offense and is showing his speed, elusiveness and enthusiasm wearing number 25.
The Commodores have sustained injuries to starters such as wide receiver George Smith, linebacker Brandon Bryant, nickel back Darlron Spead, tailback Jeff Jennnings and wideout/punt returner Alex Washington, yet have won all three games heading into Ole Miss this weekend, because Coach Bobby Johnson and his staff have built depth through painstaking effort during the past seven seasons.
Despite recruiting players under the radar, the Dores have talent at various positions never seen before. To increase team speed, the coaches have converted safeties to linebackers, tight ends into defensive linemen, and in the case of junior Thomas Welch, have turned a h.s. quarterback into a first rate offensive tackle. The team has more players on the honor roll than ever before along with the talent upgrade, and deserves our support at road and home venues. Wideout Sean Walker, who is the team's major deep threat, led the fans in cheering the team at the Miami game, and number 7 is logging his share of touchdowns on passes and reverses.
Your correspondent is thinking seriously about road trips to Starkville on October 11, and Athens on October 18 (to memorialize a trip I took with Chris Perry many moons ago). When the Dores take on Wake Forest in late November, expect residents of the Carolinas such as Almeida, Aneskievich, Perry to be out in force. Chris, I promise to find that steakhouse in time for the game this time, after blowing it for the Wake hoops game in the rain two years ago.
Quarterback Chris Nickson, valedictorian of Pike County High School in the wiregrass region of southeast Alabama, is healthy again, and is making plenty of key plays with his head, arm and feet, and the newly revamped offensive and defensive lines are executing well heading into the brutal mainstream SEC schedule. "Ole Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier said after the Carolina game two weeks ago, that "Vanderbilt just plain beat us"; this was the same guy who as Washington Redskins coach complained, "there aren't any Vanderbilts in the NFL".
Kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt, who struggled after recovering from a knee injury he suffered preventing a TD in the 2005 Tennessee game, is kicking as well as he did in freshman season. Optimism abounds, but, we know the Dores are playing literal and figurative pros in the SEC during upcoming weeks, so let's get back to Reunion and see these guys play a much improved Duke team for Homecoming.
Check with the alumni office about road tickets to games at Miss. State, Georgia, and Kentucky, as well as Wake. If you can still make it to Oxford, MS for Ole Miss this weekend, I understand that you can buy face value tickets if you head to the fabled "Grove" area before the game. The SEC home games are all sold out, but you can try "Stub/hub.com", and check with the Vandymaia.com website for season ticket holders who have extra tickets for SEC home games.
For Internet listening of Dore football games, you can listen online to 990 AM in Memphis, and also the only AM station in Ashland City, Tennessee (think it's 790 AM), or Internet access at "VU Commodores.com". Sometimes you can get the games online on Nashville's 104.5, "The Zone", but sometimes they block out Internet listeners. Word is that the Auburn game may be on CBS w/ Verne Lundquist and Todd Blackledge, and ESPN will probably pick up a game or two down the road.
I did see the Commodores beat Miami of Ohio 34-13 at the home team's beautiful campus in Oxford, OH last month. The overall speed of the Commodores, and their quality execution on both sides of the ball, makes this the best looking Vanderbilt football team in 25 years.
Cornerback D.J. Moore of Spartanburg, S.C. (whose overcoming of his parents' problems has been the subject of many regional profiles) is such an electrifying player (as ballhawking cornerback, breakaway punt and kickoff returner, and occasional wide receiver running patterns and reverses), that it's worth coming to the Reunion to see someone who makes the crowd gasp two to three times a game. Keep your eye on number 17 throughout this fall. Last year Moore became All-SEC; this season he is moving into the All World category.
Against Miami in just the first quarter, Moore intercepted a screen pass which the Miami receiver had juggled momentarily, and began running for the goal line 25 yards away, and only the falling receiver tripping him prevented a TD. A few minutes later, Moore fielded a punt inside the Vandy 10, dodged a tackler or two, accelerated to the far sideline and ran the punt back 91 yards to the Miami one, getting tripped from behind only when slowing down to allow his cornerback partner Myron Lewis to block the one Miami defender blocking his path to the end zone. Then Moore completed the first quarter by sacking the Miami quarterback on a corner blitz, forcing a fumble.
Against South Carolina, Moore deflected a pass which All America candidate strong safety Reshard Langford intercepted and returned deep into Gamecock territory, but South Carolina avoided Moore as much as possible by throwing and kicking away from him. As you may have noticed, Vanderbilt has a superb defensive secondary, joined by free safety Ryan Hamilton, who in honor of Joe Aneskeivich, joins center Brad Vierling in giving Vanderbilt a Philadelphia football presence.
Against Rice, Moore ran an interception 71 yards down to the Owl one yard line (many think he reached the ball into the end zone before falling out of bounds), and ran another interception back 31 yards to seal the victory. Moore has also run well on flanker reverses and is bound to make some big catches when he plays more on offense. Nashville favorite (both on and off the field due this special character) Jamie Graham, a basketball walk-on we saw help the hoop Dores last season, is playing wide receiver on offense and is showing his speed, elusiveness and enthusiasm wearing number 25.
The Commodores have sustained injuries to starters such as wide receiver George Smith, linebacker Brandon Bryant, nickel back Darlron Spead, tailback Jeff Jennnings and wideout/punt returner Alex Washington, yet have won all three games heading into Ole Miss this weekend, because Coach Bobby Johnson and his staff have built depth through painstaking effort during the past seven seasons.
Despite recruiting players under the radar, the Dores have talent at various positions never seen before. To increase team speed, the coaches have converted safeties to linebackers, tight ends into defensive linemen, and in the case of junior Thomas Welch, have turned a h.s. quarterback into a first rate offensive tackle. The team has more players on the honor roll than ever before along with the talent upgrade, and deserves our support at road and home venues. Wideout Sean Walker, who is the team's major deep threat, led the fans in cheering the team at the Miami game, and number 7 is logging his share of touchdowns on passes and reverses.
Your correspondent is thinking seriously about road trips to Starkville on October 11, and Athens on October 18 (to memorialize a trip I took with Chris Perry many moons ago). When the Dores take on Wake Forest in late November, expect residents of the Carolinas such as Almeida, Aneskievich, Perry to be out in force. Chris, I promise to find that steakhouse in time for the game this time, after blowing it for the Wake hoops game in the rain two years ago.
Quarterback Chris Nickson, valedictorian of Pike County High School in the wiregrass region of southeast Alabama, is healthy again, and is making plenty of key plays with his head, arm and feet, and the newly revamped offensive and defensive lines are executing well heading into the brutal mainstream SEC schedule. "Ole Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier said after the Carolina game two weeks ago, that "Vanderbilt just plain beat us"; this was the same guy who as Washington Redskins coach complained, "there aren't any Vanderbilts in the NFL".
Kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt, who struggled after recovering from a knee injury he suffered preventing a TD in the 2005 Tennessee game, is kicking as well as he did in freshman season. Optimism abounds, but, we know the Dores are playing literal and figurative pros in the SEC during upcoming weeks, so let's get back to Reunion and see these guys play a much improved Duke team for Homecoming.
Check with the alumni office about road tickets to games at Miss. State, Georgia, and Kentucky, as well as Wake. If you can still make it to Oxford, MS for Ole Miss this weekend, I understand that you can buy face value tickets if you head to the fabled "Grove" area before the game. The SEC home games are all sold out, but you can try "Stub/hub.com", and check with the Vandymaia.com website for season ticket holders who have extra tickets for SEC home games.
For Internet listening of Dore football games, you can listen online to 990 AM in Memphis, and also the only AM station in Ashland City, Tennessee (think it's 790 AM), or Internet access at "VU Commodores.com". Sometimes you can get the games online on Nashville's 104.5, "The Zone", but sometimes they block out Internet listeners. Word is that the Auburn game may be on CBS w/ Verne Lundquist and Todd Blackledge, and ESPN will probably pick up a game or two down the road.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)