Derek Mason: "When we face Alabama, we're going to be ready to play"
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You saw the tweet of Vanderbilt defensive lineman Nifae Lealao commenting after the Commodores’ 14-7 victory over Kansas State, “Alabama you’re next.”
While Vanderbilt hasn’t beaten Alabama since 1984, the Commodores enter Saturday’s matchup hosting the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide with plenty of momentum, experience, an energetic young coach, and a 3-0 record.
This summer during the SEC Media Days, Mason who is in his fourth year at Vanderbilt displayed great respect for Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban when he spoke on the podium.
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“Speaking about Coach Saban and his football team, there's nobody right now that's doing it better, you know, when you look at the longevity of his program, what he's done, how he's built it,” said Mason.
“He's built it around who he is and how he sees football, and that's extremely important. Because that's about being who you are. He is what he is all of the time. I sat in meetings with him and, believe me, I like his demeanor. I like the way he handles himself. I like the way he coaches his football team. So I respect it.”
Mason has the Commodores off to their best start in years following a 6-7 season in 2016, a 4-8 season in 2015, and a 3-9 record in 2014 during his first year. The improvement shown under Mason has been notable this season early on and a lot has to do with the fact that Vanderbilt returns 16 starters (9 on offense, 7 on defense) from last season, so they are a very experienced team.
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During Saban’s Monday press conference, he said there is no question about Vanderbilt players buying into Mason’s program.
“They do a great job of executing on both sides of the ball. I think the results that they've gotten so far this season certainly bear that out,” said Saban.
“The quarterback's a really good player and he's very efficient in what he does with the offense, run, and pass. They make some explosive plays. They run the ball effectively. They're physical. Same way on defense. There's no question about the buy-in to the program and the job that he's (Mason) done there.”
Leading the offense for the Commodores is quarterback Kyle Shurmur who is currently leading the SEC in passing efficiency with a rating of 194.9 and is 49 of 69 passing for 703-yards with eight passing touchdowns. Shurmur is a second-year starter for the Commodores and threw for 2,409-yards as a sophomore in 2016.
The Vanderbilt defense is ranked No. 1 in the Nation allowing just 3.4-yards per play, have only allowed two offensive touchdowns, are allowing 198.3-yards per game, which has led to the Commodores outscoring their first three opponents 84-13.
| Category | No. 1 Alabama 3-0 | (Unranked) Vanderbilt 3-0 |
|---|---|---|
|
Points Per Game |
35.3 |
28.0 |
|
Points Allowed Per Game |
13.3 |
4.3 |
|
Yards Per Game |
417.7 |
346.0 |
|
Yards Allowed Per Game |
304.7 |
198.3 |
|
Third Down % |
14/38 (37%) |
18/42 (42%) |
|
Red-Zone Scoring % |
11/12 (92%) |
7/9 (77%) |
“Their defense leads the nation in scoring defense. (Quarterback) Kyle Shurmur is the leading passing efficiency quarterback in our league,” said Saban.
“They do a great job in terms of their coaching and how they attack people, how they play on offense and defense. Very sound, very well coached in all areas. Very balanced in terms of run/pass.”
Despite being an underdog going into this weekend’s game (19 1/2 point underdog according to VegasInsider.com), Mason said earlier this summer that he does not fear anybody.
Game Details
Alabama vs. Vanderbilt
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Vanderbilt Stadium
2:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS
Full game preview between Alabama vs. Vanderbilt will be published Thursday