Vanderbilt won its opener, but the Commodores probably gave Clark Lea considerably more to discuss in the film room than expected.
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Austin Peay jumped ahead early and led 6-5 after the first quarter. Vanderbilt’s offense struggled to find rhythm, and the Governors made the game uncomfortable before the Commodores finally began taking control.
From the second quarter forward, Vanderbilt outscored Austin Peay 23-3, eventually pulling away for a 28-9 victory at FirstBank Stadium.
That makes the final score look relatively comfortable, but this wasn’t the dominant opening performance Vanderbilt probably envisioned following last season’s breakthrough.
The positive was the response.
Rather than panicking after the slow start, Vanderbilt settled down, began controlling possession and prevented Austin Peay from scoring at all in the second half. The defense deserves considerable credit for making the necessary adjustments.
The game also represented the beginning of the Blaze Berlowitz era at quarterback, with Vanderbilt transitioning away from Diego Pavia. That transition was always going to require patience.
Vanderbilt doesn’t need Berlowitz to duplicate Pavia immediately. It needs him to manage the offense, avoid costly mistakes and steadily become more comfortable as the season progresses.
Saturday provided exactly that kind of developmental game.
The Commodores won without playing particularly well, and there is value in that. Good teams occasionally have afternoons when the offense isn’t sharp; the important thing is finding another way to win.
Vanderbilt’s defense ultimately made certain Austin Peay never turned an early scare into something more serious.
The competition will become much tougher, and Vanderbilt will need considerably more offensive consistency against SEC opponents.
But 1-0 is 1-0.
The Commodores survived the opening-game nerves, Berlowitz gained valuable experience, and Vanderbilt can now concentrate on improving rather than explaining an embarrassing upset.
