Roanoke’s Vandy-MTSU Game Summary

Dare Odeyingbo chases Brent Stockstill

Vandy’s domination of a good MTSU team on opening night was one of the best performances of the Mason era. Was the impressive 35-7 victory a harbinger of things to come – or, like last year, a tease that has no correlation to SEC success? While it is too early to answer this ultimate question, there were many encouraging signs.

By FK Friedman

The biggest mystery coming into the game was whether our defensive line would hold up. It did – against a pretty good offense. DC Jason Tarver had a sparkling debut. He brought pressure on MTSU’s talented senior qb, Brent Stockstill, resulting in six sacks and many more jarring hits. The defense won the turnover battle – and scored a defensive touchdown for the first time since 2016. After an early targeting penalty led to the ejection of LaDarius Wiley, Vandy was left without both starting safeties – which made pressuring the QB all the more critical.

Best of all were the half-time adjustments which took away MTSU’s quick hitters that had led to a sizeable MTSU time of possession and yardage edge over the first two quarters. Vandy simply shut down MTSU’s passing forays outside the hashes in the second half. Tarver’s defense showed movement and deception throughout – jumping in and out of blitzes, stealthily dropping into coverage and generally wreaking chaos.

Dayo Odeyingbo scored the defensive TD, scooping up an errant backwards pass and strolling to paydirt untouched for the game’s most decisive play. Frank Coppet had Vandy’s first INT of the season – in the end zone to end MTSU’s best threat of the second half. A series of underclassmen and newcomers also made their presence known. Linebacker Jordan Griffin led the team in tackles with eight. Donovan Sheffield had six; while Allan George, Tae Daley and Joejuan Williams chipped in five apiece. Griffin, Kenny Hebert and graduate transfer Louis Vecchio each added two tackles for loss. Hebert had two of the team’s six sacks.

Before we get carried away, the defensive outing did leave room for improvement. Our tackling broke down on a number of occasions – and we seemed vulnerable to MTSU’s running game, but MTSU’s deficit required a passing focus in the second half. The inability to stop the power back was our downfall last year and that riddle did not appear to be solved Saturday night. There was also a series of penalties that kept several MTSU drives – including their lone scoring drive – alive. (For that matter, on offense, a formation penalty called back a TD.)

Just the same, to find negatives about the defensive performance you have to look for them. MTSU’s offense is not likely to get marooned in single-digits very often during Brent Stockstill’s senior season. And all of Vandy’s wish-list boxes were checked. Our d-line dominated, we brought pressure and disguise to our scheme, and many newcomers excelled. The defense looked hungry and loose at the same time.

Our offensive performance was slightly less rosy, but also genuinely encouraging. We amassed only four first downs – and Kyle Shurmur threw for a meager 28 yards – in the first half, although we led by 7. To be fair, Shurmur’s stats were hindered by several key drops. But this was not a game about stats – it was a game about execution. And our execution was basically good. So was our play-calling – which was a mix of run and pass that used the entire field. We ran wide much more often than in recent years which opened the field. We threw short and long – keeping the Blue Raiders off-balance. Perhaps the key here was confidence – as the braintrust seemed convinced that the o-line could handle whatever was dialed up: the playbook expanded accordingly. This confidence included two fairly gutsy fourth down calls – one resulting in an early Khari Blasingame TD burst, the other in a slick throw to Kalijah Lipscomb for a first down (when MTSU thought we were simply trying to draw them offside.)

Lipscomb made a highlight reel TD grab and Jared Pinkney made several key receptions (both also had significant drops.) Aaron Pierce added a TD catch and Donaven Tennyson reeled in the long-ball of the night – a 49 yard bomb that was slightly underthrown. Ke’Shawn Vaughn showed nice hands out of the backfield. Still, alarm bells rang that we did not have a lot of separation. This did leave Shurmur staring down Lipscomb and Pinkney too often – and sometimes throwing into tight windows. Protection was generally good and the passing game was fine – Shurmur ended up throwing for 170 yards and two TDs. But the emergence of secondary receivers may be the key to our season’s success. Only Lipscomb and Pinkney had more than one catch. As defenses clamp down on the main threats, other viable targets need to step forward.

Derek Mason
Derek Mason (Photo by Stan Jones)
Similarly, the running game was competent, if not overpowering. Blasingame and Vaughn filled the roles of Thunder and Lightning with Blasingame powering for 52 yards and a score. Vaughn showed flashes in his Commodore debut, averaging over four yards per carry – he nearly exploded for a long score before being tripped up by a last chance Blue Raider defender. Jamauri Wakefield similarly proved he belongs in the mix with some aggressive carries and the exclamation point final touchdown. Wakefield ended up leading the team with 56 yards on the ground – although most came late when MTSU’s defense had been softened up. We averaged 4.6 yards per rush and we ran more than we passed because it was working – much as opposing offenses did to us last year. Doing what is working is good football.

It was the o-line’s night: by the fourth quarter we had complete control. Our three second half drives went 92 yards and then 80 yards (twice) – all resulting in touchdowns. No turnovers: solid and workmanlike.

Another notable step up was special teams. Jamauri Wakefield returned MTSU’s two kickoffs with spirit – passing the 25-yard line both times and helping us open the game with instant momentum. Punter Parker Thome buried MTSU deep several times – which was a contributing factor to the defensive score. Coverage was good. Kick-offs were deep. Special teams were a net positive which was refreshing. MTSU had zero return yards for the game. The debut of special teams coach Shawn Mennenga had to be labeled a win.
Coach Mason’s return to HC duties from DC/HC duties, similarly, was a resounding success: almost all his major decisions worked. (There were several inexcusably bad spots that might have been challenged – but nobody’s perfect.) When we gambled on fourth down, it worked. When we punted on fourth down near midfield, we also banked dividends. And in-game adjustments made a difference.

Turning our attention to the immediate future, Nevada arrives for a breakfast game fresh off scoring 72 points in their opener over FCS foe Portland State. The Wolfpack was 3-9 last year, but have now won three of their last four games. Nevada’s air raid attack should test our young secondary – and the staff needs to keep attention focused on Nevada rather than the looming trip to South Bend. Nevada cannot be thrilled to be playing at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time – but the traditional half-empty stadium, Saturday morning brunch game is often a recipe for upsets. The staff will need to keep the energy level high – because sleeping on Nevada could easily translate to playing from behind. Nevada’s 72 points in their opener may be a bit of a mirage – as Portland State was 0-11 last year. But the over/under of 61½ suggests Vegas thinks the Wolfpack can score on us.

In addition to boasting a high-octane offense – Nevada features former Vandy prospect and decommit McLane Mannix who turned out to be a Freshman All-American receiver in Nevada’s speedboat attack last season. There are other ties between the schools too – Vandy’s o-line coach Cameron Norcross hailed from Nevada (via Fresno State), so the Wolfpack may be wise to some of his tendencies. Also, the Wolfpack made Vandy OC Andy Ludwig a candidate for their head coach job several years ago. Hopefully they will continue to respect his work after next Saturday’s tangle – and perhaps he will have a little extra incentive to show them what they missed?

The early game time, the unusually wide-open Nevada offense, a suspended starting safety and South Bend on the horizon all flash caution signals regarding this match-up. But we looked surprisingly poised, deep and talented Saturday night – which explains why Vegas has posted Vandy as a solid 9½ point favorite.

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