The Vanderbilt Commodores have an opportunity to do Saturday what they haven't done since 1928 - start the season 6-0. Throughout this season, the Commodores (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) have set milestones, but a win this weekend against Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2) would be truly meaningful. By reaching the six-win plateau, Vanderbilt would become bowl eligible for the first time since 1982 and would also start the SEC season 4-0, which they have never done before.
Traveling down to Starkville, the Commodores will face a Bulldogs team that hasn't played very consistently this season, but could certainly come away victorious on Saturday. They started off the season with a disappointing 8-point loss on the road to Louisiana Tech, but went on to play an extremely close game against Auburn, in which the Tigers' managed a strange 3-2 win over the Bulldogs. They also put a scare into Louisiana State on the road, only falling short by 10 points. Mississippi State's lone win came at home against Southeast Louisiana State, who they thumped 34-10.
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson knows his team can't continue to be focused on their important win over Auburn last week and must be ready for the Bulldogs' best shot.
"Well, it was good to get our squad back together, get the Auburn game behind us, and start concentrating on the Mississippi State game," Johnson said. "It's always going to be a tough battle for us whenever we have to go down to a tough place to play."
Mississippi State had a week off and thus more time to prepare for the Commodores, so Vanderbilt has plenty of homework to do before they will be completely equipped to play the Bulldogs.
Johnson also acknowledged that his team must keep their attitudes in check after the big win against Auburn.
"We'll have to work hard to get ready, but our guys will be ready to do that," he said. "They've got great attitudes right now and I think they're handling everything the right way."
The attitude of the team seems to be on the right track as well.
"They seem calm to me," Johnson said of his players at practice. "The only thing we can control is how Vanderbilt plays on Saturday."
There is one major question mark for this Vanderbilt football team - whether redshirt senior Chris Nickson or redshirt junior Mackenzi Adams will start at quarterback. Nickson re-injured his throwing shoulder against Auburn, paving the way for backup quarterback Adams to take over the helm and rally the team to a 14-13 victory.
Johnson knows he has a great choice in either Nickson or Adams and also has two young quarterbacks waiting in the wings.
"We have guys who are ready to play and we have two that have played effectively and we have two others who are ready when we need them," Johnson said.
This depth at quarterback is a necessity in the rough SEC, which is shaping up to be the best and most physical conference in football this season. In order to survive as a team, it is essential the Commodores have skilled backups at every position. Unlike past years,
Vanderbilt is deep at many positions as a result of years of sacrifice by red-shirting talented players. Those backup players are crucially important to the Commodores, especially in the second half when the starters are tired or hurt.
Discussing his tactics for this week's game against Mississippi State, Johnson spoke about his team's game planning in the second half and the importance it will have on Saturday.
"The best thing that we do is we are figuring out what's not working well in the first half and we try to eliminate it," Johnson said. "This gives our guys a chance to go out there in the second half and be confident in the calls we make."
The Commodores hope those calls wil give them a win-and bowl eligibility.
