Vanderbilt continued its hot streak with a 55-0 win over the Alcorn State Braves, the program’s most dominant victory in the last decade. The Commodores controlled the game from start to finish, indicating that their upset win against Virginia Tech in Week One was not a fluke. Vanderbilt will now hit the road for a matchup against Georgia State as it hopes to enter SEC play undefeated.
The story of the game was Vanderbilt’s rushing attack, which has undoubtedly become the identity of the team. This attack not only includes running backs, but also quarterback Diego Pavia, who has 155 rushing yards through two games. The Commodores have often found success this season in sets with six offensive linemen, which bring in right tackle Charlie Clark — a 6’7” senior from Madison, Wis. When asked about this scheme, head coach Clark Lea had nothing but good things to say.
“It’s the magic of Charlie Clark,” Lea said. “I think running the ball starts up front. It starts with the performance of your offensive line. I think we have the best offensive line coach in the country. They’ve built up confidence through teaching, and their technical progression is really sound. They drill and train at a really high level.”
The Commodores’ special teams unit has slowly become the unsung hero of the team, putting together an excellent performance in Saturday’s matchup with Alcorn State. Brock Taylor made all nine of his kicks — including a 46-yard field goal — but the most impressive performance came from punt returner Martel Hight, a sophomore cornerback from Rome, Ga. Hight stepped into the starting role this season and has already made countless impact plays, highlighted by a 57-yard touchdown return against Alcorn.
“[Hight] is a very good athlete with legit speed,” Lea said. “I heard his answer [postgame] on Saturday and thought it was a fascinating look at his mindset as a punt returner — it’s a game of tag to him. He’s shifty, finds vertical seams and is having fun — he’s back there smiling and having a good time.”
Another player that drew attention was backup quarterback Nate Johnson. Although Johnson’s time on the field was limited, he showed glimpses of explosive upside with a 56-yard rushing touchdown on his first play of the game. Lea mentioned that there will be future emphasis on getting Johnson more in-game reps.
“Yeah, we would have liked [for Johnson] to be able to throw the ball more,” Lea said. “His number is going to be called for us this year, so he’s going to get that game exposure.”
One of the few downsides for Vanderbilt on Saturday was penalties. The Commodores committed nine penalties for 90 yards, many of which came in the second half once the backups took over. Lea noted the importance of cleaning up those miscues, particularly offensive pre-snap penalties.
“That can be chemistry based, or just early season stuff, but I don’t want to make excuses,” Lea said. “Tim [Beck] and the offense are focused on cleaning that up because being on schedule is so critical to our success.”
Even after a dominant win on Saturday, Lea has emphasized the importance of not overlooking Georgia State. He spoke highly of Panthers’ coach Dell McGee and offensive coordinator Jim Cheney.
“Georgia State is a proud program. [It] is a program that beat an SEC team in 2019, has four winning seasons in the last five [years and] six bowl games since their first FBS season in 2013,” Lea said. “They’re going to be prepared for us. We need to level up in terms of our mentality so that we can represent our program in the way we want to represent our program.”
The Commodores will hit the road for the first time this season as they face Georgia State at 6 p.m. CDT on Sept. 14 at Center Parc Stadium.
