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QB
Jay Cutler |
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2002
Statistics
|
Coach:
Bobby Johnson
2-10,
1 year |
2002
Record: 7-7
|
|
at
Georgia Tech |
LOST
3-45 |
FURMAN |
WON
49-18 |
at
Auburn |
LOST
6-31 |
at
Mississippi |
LOST
38-45 |
SOUTH
CAROLINA |
LOST
14-20 |
MIDDLE
TENNESSEE |
LOST
20-21 |
at
Georgia |
LOST
17-48 |
CONNECTICUT |
WON
28-24 |
ALABAMA |
LOST
8-30 |
FLORIDA |
LOST
17-21 |
at
Kentucky |
LOST
21-41 |
TENNESSEE |
LOST
0-24 |
|
2002 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2003
Outlook
|
There's
reason for renewed optimism in Nashville,
even after a second consecutive season without
a Southeastern Conference win. The reason,
in a word, is sophomores. Second-year coach
Bobby Johnson had a remarkably young team
in spring drills, with 45 of the 71 players
going into this fall as sophomores or redshirt
freshmen. The tough season endured as freshmen
gives the team unusual experience for their
relative youth, an asset that should set
up Vanderbilt's emergence from the SEC cellar
in the next two years. Nearly all of the
2003 Commodores will be back again in 2004,
with only seven seniors on roster for this
season and only one - tight end Nick Getter
- listed as a starter.
The
team is young enough that two of the team's
three captains - quarterback Jay Cutler
and defensive end Jovan Haye - are only
sophomores. Junior tackle Justin Geisinger
is the third. Vanderbilt hasn't had a sophomore
co-captain since running back Jared McGrath
held the honor in 1998.
Johnson,
perhaps seeking to build confidence in his
young team, has a schedule that includes
seven home games, including three straight
to open the season. Vanderbilt nearly upset
Ole Miss last year, losing 45-38 on a touchdown
with three minutes left, and if the Commodores
can upset the Rebels in the 2003 season
opener, they stand an excellent chance of
matching their 2002 win total in the first
two weeks. Their second game is against
Division I-AA Chattanooga, which matched
Vandy's 2-10 record last season. The Commodores'
homecoming is Oct. 11 against another team
that went 2-10 last year, Navy.
The
key for Johnson's second season is turning
close losses into close wins. Vanderbilt
was tied with Ole Miss in the fourth quarter,
led South Carolina in the third quarter,
had Middle Tennessee beaten until the final
minute and gave Florida a considerable scare,
holding the Gators scoreless in the second
half before ultimately losing by four points.
With experienced sophomores on the field
instead of untested freshmen, Vanderbilt
could turn its season - and program -- around
with a few game-turning plays.
The
home-heavy schedule could help Vanderbilt
reverse a trend that has seen the Commodores
lose more games than the year before in
four straight years. By beating non-conference
foes such as Chattanooga and Navy, Vanderbilt
can build the confidence it needs to contend
with the lesser teams of the SEC, where
it has mustered a 5-59 record since 1995.
Johnson
has enough youth and talent to script a
strong turnaround in the next three years
after back-to-back two-win seasons in 2001-02.
The Commodore sophomores who survived a
tough freshman year last fall will gain
experience, if not victories, in 2003, offering
hope that they'll leave the Vanderbilt program
very different from the way they found it.
Hope is not its own ends, so wins are needed
for any change.
Projected
2003 record: 2-10
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|
|
LB
Moses Osemwegie |
|
VANDERBILT
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 2.5 |
DL
- 1 |
RB
- 3 |
LB
- 2 |
WR
- 1.5 |
DB
- 1 |
OL
- 3 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Jay Cutler, 212-103-9, 1433 yds., 10 TD
Rushing: Kwane Dester, 160 att.,
798 yds., 3 TD
Receiving: Brandon Smith, 19 rec.,
173 yds., 0 TD
Scoring: Jay Cutler, 9 TD, 54 pts.
Punting: none
Kicking: none
Tackles: Moses Osemwegie, 53 tot.,
40 solo
Sacks: Moses Osemwegie, 1.5 sacks;
Aaron Carter, 1.5 sacks
Interceptions: Herdley Harrison,
1 for 0 yds.
Kickoff returns: Kwane Doster, 24
ret., 25.7 avg.
Punt returns: Erik Davis, 6 ret.,
12.0 avg.
|
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 6
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 6
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Jamie Byrum-C, Jim May-OG, Tom Simone-TE,
M.J. Garrett-WR, Dan Stricker-WR, Greg Johnson-K/P |
DEFENSE:
Chuck
Losey-DE, Hunter Hillenmeyer-MLB, Justin Giboney-SS,
Rushen Jones-CB, Jonathan Shaub-FS |
|
|
2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Greg Auman
A
big reason for the Commodores' optimism is a pair
of talented sophomores in the backfield who made
impressive 2002 debuts.
At
quarterback, 6-foot-4 Jay Cutler returns after
starting 11 games as a freshman, passing for 10
touchdowns and running for nine more. Cutler hails
from cheerily named Santa Claus, Ind. His strong
freshman campaign was overshadowed by that of
5-foot-11, 175-pound tailback Kwane Doster, who
earned freshman All-America honors and was the
Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Year.
Doster had four 100-yard games in Vanderbilt's
"Power I" offense after opening the
season third on the depth chart. When SEC writers
chose their All-Conference preseason team, Doster
was named to the second team.
The
two players who were ahead of him, juniors Ronald
Hatcher and Norval McKenzie, were both sidelined
by leg fractures, but are expected to return and
provide depth.
Cutler's
top two receivers from 2002 graduated, leaving
6-foot-1 junior Brandon Smith as the top returning
target. A talented group of four sophomores -
all 6-foot or taller - will compete for Cutler's
passes, led by Keith Williams and Grant Brigham.
Erik Davis stood out in the spring game, catching
three passes for 54 yards, including a 39-yard
touchdown. Establishing a pair of go-to receivers
(at least one being a deep threat) early is crucial
to any offensive balance, making this a pivotal
position in Vanderbilt's success.
Junior
tackles Justin Geisinger and Kenan Arkan return
to bookend an otherwise inexperienced offensive
line. The interior is unproven, with junior Jordan
Pettit and sophomore Steven Brent competing to
replace Jamie Byrum, a three-year starter at center.
Brian Kovolisky, the tallest Commodore at 6-foot-7,
will likely switch to left guard (to replace Jim
May, another three-year starter) after playing
right guard and tackle last year. Sophomores Nigel
Seaman and Mac Pyle, the latter an SEC all-freshman
selection, will compete for the opening at right
guard.
|
|
OT
Justin Geisinger
|
VANDERBILT
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Jay
Cutler-So |
Benji
Walker-Sr |
FB |
Matthew
Tant-So |
Zeke
Brandon-Sr |
TB |
Kwane
Doster-So |
Norvan
McKenzie-Jr |
WR |
Erik
Davis-So |
Chris
Young-Jr |
WR |
Brandon
Smith-Jr |
Keith
Williams-So |
TE |
Nick
Getter-Sr |
Curtis
Brancheau-Jr |
OT |
Justin
Geisinger-Jr |
Ryan
King-So |
OG |
Brian
Kovolisky-Jr |
Adam
Dossett-Fr |
C |
Steven
Brent-So |
Jordan
Pettit-Jr |
OG |
Mac
Pyle-So |
Nigel
Seaman-So |
OT |
Kenan
Arkan-Jr |
Blake
Luker-Fr |
K |
Patrick
Johnson-Fr |
.. |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Greg Auman
Defense
is still the area where Vanderbilt needs the most
improvement after finishing last in the SEC in
scoring defense (30.7 points per game) and total
defense (405.8 yards per game).
Pass
defense was an area of concern - Vanderbilt's
opponents averaged 80 more passing yards per game
than the Commodores. Vandy's top three DBs graduated,
leaving an untested group to shore up this key
part of the defense.
Dominique
Morris, a 6-foot sophomore, returns at one cornerback
spot, with junior Lorenzo Parker and sophomore
Cheron Thompson competing on the other side. All
three can hit. At safety, sophomore Andrew Pace
returns with the most experience, though no other
potential safety had more than 10 tackles in 2002.
Once experienced, look for this crew to gel and
perform better than 2002's squad.
Vanderbilt's
front seven, an active part of Bruce Fowler's
4-3 defense, return in force, with seven linemen
and four linebackers back after starting at least
one game last fall. The Commodores gave up 30
rushing touchdowns last year, 12 more than any
other conference team. In terms of returning talent,
the only hole is at MLB, where Hunter Hillenmeyer
was Vanderbilt's lone pick in the NFL Draft (5th
round to Green Bay). Junior Pat Brunner will try
to hold off sophomore Otis Washington for the
starting middle job, and sophomore Herdley Harrison
leads the way on the strongside. On the weak side,
sophomore Moses Osemwegie was an SEC all-freshman
pick after registering 4.5 tackles for loss, trailing
only Hillenmeyer on the Vandy defense.
Anchoring
the defensive line is junior Aaron Carter, who
started every 2002 game at defensive tackle. Junior
Matt Clay, limited by injuries, and sophomore
Ralph McKenzie, who shined while stepping in for
Clay, will compete alongside Carter. At end, Jovan
Haye returns as a starter - the sophomore had
a sack and seven tackles in Vanderbilt's Black
and Gold spring game. Junior Robert Dinwiddie,
slowed after knee surgery in spring 2002, could
make a strong comeback on the other end of the
line.
|
|
DT
Aaron Carter
|
VANDERBILT
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
Jovan
Haye-So |
Robert
Dinwiddie-Jr |
DT |
Trey
Holloway-So |
Matt
Clay-Jr |
DT |
Ralph
McKenzie-So |
Aaron
Carter-Jr |
DE |
Antoine
Morgan-So |
Chris
Booker-So |
LB |
Moses
Osemwegie-So |
Marty
Morgan-So |
LB |
Otis
Washington-So |
Pat
Brunner-Jr |
LB |
Herdley
Harrison-So |
Eric
Byrum-Jr |
CB |
Dominique
Morris-So |
Lorenzo
Parker-Jr |
CB |
Cheron
Thompson-So |
Bill
Alford-Jr |
SS |
Andrew
Pace-So |
Nick
Lyle-Jr |
FS |
Kelechi
Ohanaja-So |
Ronnie
Swoopes-So |
P |
Kyle
Keown-Fr |
.. |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Doster
is the team's deadliest option on returns - he was identified
as the conference's second-biggest threat on returns in
the preseason All-Conference honors. In 2002's wild tilt
against Ole Miss, he set an SEC record for kickoff return
yardage in a game with 243 yards, including 95 on a fourth-quarter
touchdown. He also set the Vanderbilt record for all-purpose
yards in a game with 344, so this fall's season opener
against the Rebels could be a breakout game for the promising
sophomore from Tampa. This area will again need to be
shored up tight - SEC special teams, like other conferences,
can change a game's complexion fast. Special teams could
easily win or lose a game, accordingly.
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