SEC Fastball: Vanderbilt proves its worth

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, October 06, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Vanderbilt Commodores
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

Welcome to another week of "SEC Fastball."

Vanderbilt puts itself on the SEC championship map: Isn’t it blasphemy to call the Commodores a legitimate SEC title contender? Probably, but that doesn’t make it not true.

The bottom line is that Vanderbilt came through against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, 14-13, despite a terrible beginning of the game and some unfortunate breaks. If you can do that to Auburn ... well, you can probably do it to a lot of teams in the SEC. So, congrats to a team that is blazing new ground.

Speaking of unfortunate breaks . . .

Vanderbilt quarterback Mackenzi Adams once again stepped up: Starting quarterback Chris Nickson had to leave the Auburn game when his injured right shoulder started acting up. Backup quarterback Mackenzi Adams had already come in to lead the Commodores to a win over South Carolina earlier this season when Nickson suffered another injury.

Against Auburn, Adams threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Commodores to a come-from-behind victory. Adams is a mobile quarterback (54 yards rushing on the day) with an arm capable of making all the throws. He’s definitely a player to watch.

Prior to this season, Vanderbilt hadn’t started a season 5-0 since 1943.

Alabama does what national championship contenders do: On Saturday, the Crimson Tide turned the ball over on three occasions and accrued a season-high 10 penalties against a good Kentucky Wildcats football team. In the past, that would’ve translated to a loss. But the team was able to ride a first-half lead and 218 Glen Coffee rushing yards to a 17-14 victory.

Thanks the mistakes and more, Kentucky had chances to win the game. But national title contenders sometimes find ways to win ugly, and Alabama did.

Tennessee does nothing to save its coach’s job: Philip Fulmer is once again on the hot seat. Defeating Northern Illinois (2-3) by a score of 13-9 does not constitute an effort designed to help him keep his job.

South Carolina finds a quarterback?: Chris Smelley was given the starting quarterback job over Stephen Garcia on Thursday. On Saturday, he efficiently completed 22-of-31 passes for 327 yards to help the team defeat Ole Miss, 31-24. Smelley and the Gamecocks' offense made one feel as if they really were watching a Steve Spurrier-coached offense on Saturday.

Let’s see if the good times continue.

Got something to say?

Log In and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report