The Daily Gamecock recently talked with Ben Weinrib, sports editor of the Vanderbilt Hustler, to get his take on this weekend's game.
The Daily Gamecock: Nashville went through historic flooding just five years ago. Do you think that has had any impact on the way people have viewed the flooding here in Columbia?
Ben Weinrib: I don’t think there’s any doubt that the flooding in Nashville contributed to Vanderbilt’s efforts. Athletic Director David Williams said as much: “This is a reminder of what we went through. We saw that it was in Columbia, right at the University of South Carolina, in our conference, and it hit home. We decided, ‘What can we do to help?’ It really does not take a lot of us to do something that is very helpful.” Even though no football players hail from South Carolina, it was clearly the right thing to do.
TDG: Through five games, Vanderbilt is 25th in total defense, after ranking 70th in the same category a year ago. What have the Commodores done differently on that side of the ball this season?
BW: The biggest difference is that Derek Mason has taken over as the defensive playcaller. After firing defensive coordinator David Kotulski, who had worked with Mason for 20 years, Mason decided that he was the best defensive coordinator available for the job. The difference is clear with a much stouter rush defense (21st in the country) and better communication. It also helps that a defense that was largely freshmen and sophomores last year is now made up of sophomores and juniors, even if last year’s leading tackler Nigel Bowden is still out with a concussion.
TDG: Vanderbilt was trending upward before James Franklin left for Penn State. Have you seen enough for Derek Mason through a season and a half to believe that the Commodores could make a run in the coming years?
BW: Franklin definitely left at the right time, just as Jordan Matthews was graduating and he was coming off a record-tying 24 wins in three seasons. Mason was left with a roster mostly full of freshmen and sophomores, which makes winning a difficult task in the SEC. Mason has certainly had his struggles, chiefly playing four quarterbacks last season instead of showing confidence in one, but he’s made massive improvements. The defense looks far better this season now that he has taken over as playcaller, and they’ve held all but three of their five opponents to season-low scoring outputs. It wouldn’t be fair to dismiss Mason after two seasons considering how young of a team he inherited and how tough his schedule is. This team is clearly improved from last season, which is encouraging for when the key players are older.
TDG: Give us a player who we haven't heard much about that could be an X-Factor on Saturday.
BW: I’m not sure if Trent Sherfield still qualifies as a player people haven’t heard of, since he is third in the SEC in receiving yards and receptions without playing last week and was just added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. I think the big name to look out for is Zach Cunningham, who has flourished taking over for the injured Bowden as a middle linebacker. He leads the team with 35 tackles and is tied for the team lead with 4 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. Cunningham was one of five four-star recruits in Vanderbilt's 2013 recruiting class that also includes Bowden and Johnny McCrary, so it has been nice to see him start to reach his potential.
TDG: What's your prediction?
BW: This will be one of Vanderbilt’s best chances to win an SEC game this season, up there with home games against Missouri and Kentucky. I think with an error-free game from McCrary, the Commodores will be able to put up enough points to win a defensive struggle.
Vanderbilt 17 South Carolina 13