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BlogsSoutheastern Conference Standings
(updated 11.16.2008 at 1:52 AM EST)
| East | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
Florida Gators
|
7 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
|
Georgia Bulldogs
|
6 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
|
Vanderbilt Commodores
|
4 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
|
South Carolina Gamecocks
|
4 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
|
Kentucky Wildcats
|
2 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
|
Tennessee Volunteers
|
1 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| West | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Alabama Crimson Tide
|
7 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
|
LSU Tigers
|
3 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Mississippi Rebels | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
|
Auburn Tigers
|
2 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Arkansas Razorbacks | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Mississippi St. Bulldogs | 1 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
Vandy Illinois Preview
by Aram H
on Nov 20, 2008 6:24 PM EST
I had a whole big preview here, but my computer froze and now i'm in a rush so i'll just give a quick word about Illinois then go with an open thread. Illinois returns 3 starters from last years dissapionting 16-19 team. They are all in the backcourt as the Illini will look to play a three guard offense. Demetri McCamey is very talented and very erratic, although there is some hope inside the program that he has fixed that. Trent Meacham is also a very good player and the returning leading scorer despite having originally been a walk-on. To have any success this year Illinois needed one of their big men to step up and so far Mike Davis has. Against what can only be described as weak competition the sophomore has averaged 13 ppg to go along with 9.5 rpg.
Vandy will have a huge size advantage, especially on the perimeter. None of the Illinois guards are bigger than 6-3 and they are all on the smallish side. Expect to see the Dores post Beal, Taylor, and occasionally Goulbourne who is used to playing in the post from his hs days. On D I think a good amount of zone will be used to neutralize the Illini's speed and quickness advantage.
It's a little early in the season to be doing this with such a young team, but here goes. Prediction: Vandy 78 Illinois 69
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Steve Tchiengang suspended
by Aram H
on Nov 18, 2008 1:45 PM EST
In case you took a look at the Vandy Morehead St. box score and wondered where Tchiengang was, he got suspended. Apparenently the talented freshman was deemed to have recieved some extra benefits from his host family while he was living in Houston a few years ago. The NCAA, always humanitarians, gave him a 6 game suspension, which he appealed and lost.
Our non-conference schedule is pretty much a joke so it shouldn't be that big a deal. However, he does miss two of what should be our toughest games. Illinois should be our biggest out of conference game this Thursday and his absence will be felt. After that we got a few easy W's then a tournament in Cancun where we got Drake in the first round then either VCU or New Mexico. Hopefully his absence won't hurt us in Mexico, becuase even though none of those teams are world beaters winning an early season tournament is a good resume builder, the kind that could push us over the top come Selection Sunday.
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AT LAST!
by David Rutz
on Nov 15, 2008 11:37 PM EST
Live it up, Vanderbilt. Finally, after 26 years of frustration and heartbreak, the Commodores have done it.
With a 31-24 victory over Kentucky Saturday, Vanderbilt (6-4, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) snapped a four-game losing streak and reached bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982. The Commodores won for the first time in 20 tries since 1983 in trying to reach a sixth victory in large thanks to terrific performances from quarterback Chris Nickson and do-it-all cornerback D.J. Moore.
Making the big plays with his feet and arm that made him a star two years ago, Nickson passed for 155 yards and a season-high three scores and also ran for 118. Making his first start since playing Mississippi State on Oct. 11, the redshirt senior was razor-sharp from the get-go.
Vanderbilt surged ahead 14-0, striking first on the scoreboard for the first time all season. Nickson hooked up with Moore on two touchdown passes, where Moore burned his man and Nickson delivered a perfect strike both times. The two touchdowns were Moore's first two career receptions.
Moore starred on the defensive side too. His first interception set up a Vanderbilt touchdown to put the Commodores up 21-7, and his second interception halted a Kentucky comeback effort with two minutes to play in the game.
The jubilant players doused coach Bobby Johnson on the sideline, who said the mood in the locker room afterward was one of pride.
"There is elation within our locker room right now and within our coaching staff," Johnson said. "It's pride and joy, no doubt about it."
Moore said it all after the game.
"It feels so good to get out and get our sixth win," he said. "It feels like a ton of bricks have been taken off our back after this game."
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Jenkins signs LOI
by Greg Viverito
on Nov 13, 2008 9:33 AM EST
With a rainy day in Nashville and no hope of a Commodore football victory this weekend (kidding...no, but seriously), here are some highlights from Vandy basketball's latest signee, 6'4 Station Camp guard John Jenkins. It has been widely known that Jenkins was headed here for a while, but the class AA Mr. Basketball last year (as a junior!) signed his Letter of Intent yesterday to join the team next year.
Ranked by both ESPN and Rivals as a top 10 guard prospect nationally, this is great news for the program. Score one for the Commodores over Kentucky and UT.
It really is impressive what Stallings has been able to do from a recruiting standpoint the last 2-3 years with guys like Ogilvy, Taylor, Tinsley and the rest of this year's crew. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the current young guys after the season tips off Sunday against Morehead State.
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Open Thread: Vanderbilt vs. Florida
by Jarred Amato
on Nov 8, 2008 5:00 PM EST
In just a few hours, the Vanderbilt Commodores (5-3, 3-2 SEC) will look to upset the No. 4 Florida Gators (7-1, 5-1 SEC) in front of a sold-out crowd at Dudley Field and a national audience (7 p.m. CT on ESPN2).
VU Commodores' Gameday Central has all the latest news and notes, while Aram's got the game keys in the post below. And as always, feel free to leave your thoughts and predictions.
A few of mine (so you can guys can make fun of me later):
Final score - Florida 30, Vanderbilt 17
Vanderbilt offensive player of the game - Sean Walker
Vanderbilt defensive player of the game - Myron Lewis
Number of times Tim Tebow is compared to God - 37
Also, if you're heading over to the stadium, make sure to bundle up. It's going to be below 50 degrees at kickoff, which certainly can't hurt the Commodores' chances.
And with that, I'm off to Vandyville to enjoy the festivities. Enjoy the the game, everyone.
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Vandy Florida Game Keys
by Aram H
on Nov 8, 2008 2:22 PM EST
The Commodores try to get bowl eligible for the fourth week in a row while the Gators look to keep their national title hopes alive. Nashville has been flush with blue and orange all week and there may not be much home-field advantage this week for the Dores. Here are some keys to the game:
Don't be awestruck:
Tebow is enormous, Harvin is fast, Major Wright destroys people, but Vandy has to take the field with a swagger that wasn't there in the Duke game. We've proven we can play with the big boys, but something has clearly been missing the last few weeks. Florida can be beat and we have to believe that.
Rebound:
No, it's not quite basketball season yet, but rebounding is still important. This is mostly on the defense. There will be big plays, the key is how we respond to them. When the Gators make a 40 yard play can the defense hold them to 3 and not give up the touchdown. If the offense turns it over can we get off the field quickly and not let things get out of hand. Not getting down on ourselves after some mishaps will be important to keeping this close.
Hope the Gators don't play well:
Lets be realistic, if Tebow and the boys come to play we're gonna lose. However, if they don't we have a chance. Theres a lot of ifs here, but if we can keep it close, who knows what could happen at the end.
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Pre-Florida thoughts
by Jarred Amato
on Nov 8, 2008 2:20 PM EST
in Football
I'm a bit sentimental this afternoon as I prepare for my last real tailgate as an undergrad. Of course, I'll be here when the Commodores host Tennessee in two weeks, but this will be the last time I'll be able to enjoy a fall Saturday with all of my close friends.
It's amazing how fast these four years have gone by. So many great memories, but what I'll remember is the little things -- the feeling of hope and excitement walking over to the stadium just before kickoff, the high fives after big plays, the second-guessing after bad ones, and the singing of the alma mater at the end.
That's why I'm so pumped for today. By now, we all know that Florida is ridiculously fast and loaded on both sides of the ball. Yet, at the end of the day, it's never really about the opponent.
We all know that it's going to take a near-perfect performance to upset the Gators tonight, but if I've learned anything over the past four years, it's that it's never a good idea to count out the Commodores. They always seem to play their best when there backs are against the wall, when outsiders least expect it.
As I've said before, Vanderbilt is not as good as it 5-0 start indicated, nor is it as bad as its recent 0-3 skid would suggest. For the Commodores to be successful, however, they simply cannot afford to beat themselves. That means no turnovers, no stupid penalties, no missed field goals, no missed tackles.
And against the Gators, even that might not be enough. Still, Vanderbilt just has to worry about itself. Play smart, play hard and have fun.
Win or lose, just give us seniors a game to remember.
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Weekend Picks
by Aram H
on Nov 8, 2008 11:48 AM EST
No real explanations this week for a few reasons. Firstly with the way things are going nobody should be listening to me anyway and secondly my dad is in town for the weekend so I haven't had much time.
Vanderbilt (+23.5) vs. Florida
South Carolina (-12) vs. Arkansas
Georgia (-13.5) @ Kentucky
Wyoming (+26) @ Tennessee
LSU (+3.5) vs. Alabama
Last Week 2-5, Season 26-33-1
Other picks I feel kinda good about
Oklahoma (-27.5) @ Texas A&M
Rutgers (-13) vs. Syracuse
Last Week 0-2, Season10-10
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Baseball Recap
by Aram H
on Nov 4, 2008 1:16 PM EST
With the MLB season coming to and end last week and a certain ex-Vandy star making an impact in the World Series I thought it would be interesting to take a look back to see how the ex-Commodores are doing throughout baseball.
David Price
I think we all know how his season finished, but what's interesting is where it started, on the DL. Combined that with the fact that after getting better he began the year all they way down in A ball and it's amazing the impact he had on the world series. Overall his minor league numbers were quite good, 12-1 2.30 ERA, 109 k's and ony 32 bb's in 109.2 innings. As for next year expect to see Price in Tampa's rotation, be an above-average starter and the favorite for rookie of the year.
Casey Weathers
As the 8th pick in the 2007 draft there were high expectations for Weathers coming into the year. He did not dissapoint, the former Vandy closer threw 44.1 innings at AA Tulsa in the Rockies organization, striking out 54 and only allowing 1 hr, however his high walk total of 28 needs to come down. If that innings total seems small it's becuase he was selected to pitch for Team USA in the Olympics. That is where the good news came to an end for Weathers. Less than a week ago, on Halloween, he underwent Tommy John surgery, likely ending his 2009 season.
Cody Crowell
Drafted in the 14th round in 2007 by the Blue Jays, Crowell began the year at low-A, after a few months of domination he was promoted to high-A where he struggled. His overall stats were still quite good, he had a 2.86 ERA in 66 innings with 85 k's and 36 bb's while only giving up 2 hr's. At 23 years old, if Crowell is able duplicate this year's success he could end up at either AA or AAA with a big league callup possible when rosters expand.
Pedro Alvarez
Pedro was also in the news a lot this summer, however not for the best reasons. The situation regarding his signing has been covered here before so I won't say much about it other than the important note that he wound up signing a major league contract. Because of this he will attend spring training with the big league club before being reassigned back to the minors, likely high-A in Lynchburg (Virginia, not Tennessee)
Ryan Flaherty
Flash was drafted in the supplemental first round (pick #41) of this years draft by the Chicago Cubs. Like many other college draftees he was sent to the short-season norhtwest league. Flaherty hit quite well, .297/.369/.511 to go with 8 hr's and 19 doubles. However he struggled with a switch to 3b where he made 16 errors in only 52 games. Look for Flash to continue to hit about the same next year while improving his defense a little as he gets used to the new position, he should start next year in either low-A Peoria or if the Cubs want to get aggressive he could be pushed to high-A Daytona.
Brett Jacobson
The third Commodore taken in last years draft was Jacobson in the 4th round by the Tigers. A starter and reliever at Vandy, the Tigers stuck him in the bullpen and let his dominant fastball go to work. In 21 appearences in low-A Jacobson pitched 29.2 innings, had a 1.92 ERA, struck out 31, only walked 5, and didn't allow a hr. Those are outstanding rates for a guy who had some control problems at Vandy. However overpowering fastballs can often be enough to get by in the low minors. Next year should be a test for Jacobson as more advanced hitters will be able to hit his heat, he should start in high-A Lakeland with the possiblity of moving quickly to AA Erie.
Dom de la Osa
De la Osa was drafted in the 11th round by Minnesota Twins and assigned to the rookie Appalachian league. At 22 Dom was a little old for the league. He hit .263/.384/.394 with 6 hr's and 13 doubles and 8 sb's. If he cuts down on his strikeouts, 65 in 59 games, his avg will improve substantially. Dom was moved to 1b so he will really have to hit to make it. He should start next year in low-A Beloit in the Midwest League which is known for being extremely tough on hitters.
David Macias
After being picked in the 19th round by the Cubs Macias joined Flaherty in Boise, unlike Flaherty, Macias really struggled with pro ball. He's a year older than Flash, but hit only .228/.316/.288 with only 10 extra base hits. Somebody with no power needs to be able to steal bases, but Macias managed only 4 sb's in 6 attempts. Macias will probably either return to Boise to move on to Peoria, however another season like 2008 could end his career with in the Cubs organization.
Alex Feinberg
Feinberg was taken in the 43rd round by the Colorado Rockies. It's safe to say that the history of 43rd round picks making it are not great, however Feinberg got off to a pretty decent start. He will never hit for much power, but he drew more walks than strikeouts leading to a .304/.421/.342 line. As he moves up he'll have to hit for a little more power, just 6 doubles in 49 games, but if he sustains this walk rate he should be in good shape.
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Johnson reacts to Fulmer's dismissal
by Jarred Amato
on Nov 3, 2008 3:24 PM EST
in Football
Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson said he was surprised to learn that Phil Fulmer will not return as Tennessee's coach next season. But, then again, he wasn't.
"If it is true, I'm kind of shocked and surprised, but like you said, that's the way it's going nowadays," Johnson said. "Contracts don't matter. It's just if somebody reacts and decides to do something, they do it."
Fulmer has won 150 games in just under 17 seasons in Knoxville, but after meeting with Tennessee officials this morning, the two sides agreed that he will not be back in 2009. He signed a new seven-year deal last summer, which included a $6 million buyout.
"Whether it's true or not, Coach Fulmer's always had an outstanding team over there at Tennessee," Johnson said. "It's hard to maintain every year the expectations that maybe that program has, but he's been very consistent at that, too. He's had wonderful years since I've been playing against him except for one. I think it's just been an outstanding career."
To be fair, 2008 makes the second really bad season for Fulmer. The Vols (3-6, 1-5 SEC) look poised to post their second losing season in the past four years. They finished 5-6 in 2005, including a home loss to Vanderbilt.
With that said, Johnson had nothing but for praise Fulmer.
"I want to congratulate Coach Fulmer on a fantastic career," Johnson said, "and I think it’d be hard-pressed to find a guy who has done more for his alma mater than that."
Perhaps, but given what Fulmer has done (or hasn't done) for the Vols lately, it became increasingly clear that his time in Knoxville was up.
Johnson said he appreciates the fact that he has the support of David Williams and the rest of the university, while also understanding that anything can happen.
"Those contracts don't mean very much right now, but I think, I hope David (Williams) knows we're trying our very best every day," Johnson said. "We come here and give our very best, and I'm sure Coach Fulmer does too, but I know what kind of business we're in, and nothing ever surprises me anymore."
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Football Schedule
| @ Miami (Ohio) | Thu 08/28 | W 34 - 13 |
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South Carolina
|
Thu 09/04 | W 24 - 17 |
| Rice | Sat 09/13 | W 38 - 21 |
| @ Mississippi | Sat 09/20 | W 23 - 17 |
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Auburn
|
Sat 10/04 | W 14 - 13 |
| @ Mississippi St. | Sat 10/11 | L 14 - 17 |
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@
Georgia
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| Duke | Sat 10/25 | L 7 - 10 |
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Florida
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Kentucky
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Sat 11/15 | W 31 - 24 |
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Tennessee
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Sat 11/22 | 12:30 PM EST |
| @ Wake Forest | Sat 11/29 | 7:00 PM EST |
