Grind City Football: Facing fourth ranked foe in as many weeks, Mason’s Commodores seek sustainable growth amid gauntlet
Michael WallaceBy Maurice Patton
Grind City Media CorrespondentNASHVILLE — Moral victories are no longer a consideration for Vanderbilt.
Playing teams close is not the objective – at least, not anymore.
Those may have been your uncle’s Commodores.
Still, though, there’s something to be said for coach Derek Mason’s team entering ‘The Swamp’ and going toe-to-toe with the home team for a half, as it did this past weekend against 21st-ranked Florida before fading in the final 30 minutes and taking an eventual 38-24 loss.
Coming off a thorough thrashing against No. 1 Alabama two weeks ago in their Southeastern Conference opener, the Commodores (3-2) are now three-quarters of the way through a gauntlet of ranked opponents that began with a 14-7 win over then-No. 18 Kansas State on Sept. 16 and concludes with No. 5 Georgia (5-0) coming to town for Saturday’s contest.
Mason is now in his fourth season at Vanderbilt, and his teams have continued to trend upward. The program has gone from 3-9 in 2014 to 6-6 last season and the first bowl appearance since Mason took over, and to a 3-0 start that put this team on the brink of the Top 25 prior to the past two weekends.
“Coach Mason has preached to us, since he’s been here, to trust the process,” said senior strong safety Ryan White. “That’s what a lot of guys have been doing. We’ve actually bought into what he believes in. As a team, we believe in where he’s taking us and just following our head coach.”
Junior quarterback Kyle Shurmur (No. 14) enters Saturday’s game against No. 5 Georgia tied for the SEC lead in passing touchdowns and is fifth in passing yards this season. Photo Credit: Charles Mitchell/Icon Sportswire/etty Images
While much of Vanderbilt’s improvement has hinged on tangibles – upgrading the level of talent and athleticism throughout the roster, identifying and implementing schemes that will allow them to be consistently competitive with that talent – the Commodores have also benefitted from being in the SEC East, which has been down across the board in recent years.
The belief White discussed underscores the philosophy Mason brought to Nashville as a 20-year coaching vet, which included a stint at Stanford as defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator.
“This is not an overnight organization,” Mason said. “It’s a day-by-day process. This program specifically has things it has to do day-in and day-out to put ourselves in a position to grow. We’ve got to be in a growth mindset. Whether it’s players, facilities, whatever we have, whatever we do, we’ve got to make sure we’re about (getting) what we need and where we need to go, and we have to stay the course.”
That course is running through a bumpy stretch right now, one rarely seen by the Commodores.
“Four straight ranked opponents – I haven’t had that since I’ve been here,” senior receiver Trent Sherfield said. “It’s definitely been a challenge. But we embrace and accept those challenges. It makes us a better football team. You can learn from every game, no matter who you’re playing.”
Measuring improvement against the best is tough, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be a payoff.
“I like the stretch of teams we’re playing,” Mason insisted. “It tests every bit of who you are – as a coach, as a player, as a game-caller. It tests every part of your program. That’s what we need in this stretch of the season, because it’s going to help us get to where we want to go.”
Still, growing pains are inevitable – especially in the unforgiving SEC.
“(This team is) still fighting, still trying to find its way through a tough stretch of games, but that breeds character, builds something this group is going to need down the stretch in order to play well,” Mason continued. “Is it hard to figure out what the improvement is? Absolutely. But that’s what the schedule (dictates). We knew that. We have to balance expectation with the idea of the work that’s got to get done, and be realistic with the process.”
Offensively, Vanderbilt hasn’t been nearly as productive in the running game. The Commodores’ 79.2 rushing yards per contest – 13th in the SEC and 126th nationally – is less than half the 164.5-yard average from last year, despite the return of senior Ralph Webb, the program’s all-time rushing leader.
However, the continued emergence of junior quarterback Kyle Shurmur has somewhat offset the lack of ground-game production, and has taken the unit in a different direction. It may come as a surprise to some, but Shurmur leads the SEC in touchdown passes and ranks fifth in both passing yards per game and passing efficiency. He’s thrown just one interception – on a tipped ball – through five games.
“It’s all about the leadership, the competitive nature of that young man and that willingness to do right now what this team needs,” Mason said of Shurmur. “People think ‘game managing’ is bad, but nowadays, that’s what you’ve got to do to get your team to the other side. He’s got to take care of the football. He handles the ball on every snap. It’s his job to make sure at the end of every series, we’re doing one of two things – putting it in the end zone, or punting.”
If Vanderbilt has any chance to pull off the home upset against No. 5 Georgia, it will need quarterback Kyle Shurmur (No. 14) and Commodores’ all-time leading rusher Ralph Webb to spark an offense that’s produced just 24 total points the past two weeks. Photo Creedit: Scott Donaldson/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
That straightforward approach has been pivotal in Vanderbilt’s quest to be a factor in the SEC East. And while the last couple of outings haven’t been particularly pretty, that’s the way Mason and his team will continue to operate.
“The upper crust (is) the upper crust,” Mason said. “We know who those teams are because they’re setting at the top right now. That’s where the other teams in this conference are trying to get. It’s a dogfight. Good teams don’t flinch. The teams like us that are trying to get to that point, we’ve just got work to do. You’ve just got to continue to be who you are and understand where you’re trying to go.”
This season has been a process on many levels. Amid the 3-0 start early on, confidence was built. Then came the adversity of a two-game skid against Alabama and Florida that tested the team’s resolve. Now, yet another ranked SEC opponent arrives. But it’s also another opportunity to regroup and show resolve.
Mason is working to steer this Vanderbilt roller-coaster toward stability and consistency.
“The first three weeks went the way you wanted it to go for us,” Mason surmised. “Then you start getting hit. We know it’s a tough stretch, but when you start excusing it because it’s a tough stretch of football, that defeats who you’re working to be. We don’t excuse it. We get back to work.”
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace and/or Maurice Patton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
Published on Oct 04, 2016
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