Vanderbilt is stepping into the part of the schedule where the questions start getting answered.
Saturday’s matchup with NC State opens a run of 10 games against power conference opponents for the Commodores, and it comes at a moment when both teams are still trying to settle into who they are. NC State opened with a rough 34-8 loss to Virginia in Week 0, then flipped the script in a huge way with a 73-0 rout of Richmond. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, has spent its first two games against Austin Peay and Delaware searching for more consistency than clarity.
Now the Commodores will try to find some of that against a much tougher opponent, and they’ll do it with a new face at quarterback.
On Tuesday, Clark Lea announced that five-star freshman Jared Curtis will make his first start and will be Vanderbilt’s quarterback going forward. Curtis’ 210-yard, three-touchdown performance against Delaware gave Lea enough to make the move, and Saturday will be the first real test of that decision. It also means Vanderbilt is handing the offense to a freshman in a game against a Dave Doeren-coached team, which should make for a revealing afternoon.
The stakes for Vanderbilt are hard to miss. This is the kind of game that can help the Commodores lock in an identity on both sides of the ball.
A win would keep the season moving in the direction Vanderbilt wants. A loss would start to bend the whole thing in a less promising direction.
Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.
Vanderbilt also enters the game dealing with some personnel issues. Lea said Tuesday that defensive lineman Aaron Bryant is out for the season with an ACL injury. Cole Spence is also out Saturday with a lower body injury, though Lea said he likes the progress Spence has made and is hopeful he could return next week against Auburn.
The Commodores will also be without linebacker Jamison Curtis and cornerback Jaylin Lackey because of soft tissue injuries.
There was at least some good news on the injury front Thursday, when Lea said EDGE Brian Allen Jr. practiced and is probably for the game. Unless something changes, he should be available Saturday.
Vanderbilt’s history with NC State has tilted slightly in its favor. The Commodores lead the all-time series 2-1.
The two teams arrive in Nashville from very different places after their last outings. Vanderbilt had to hold off upset-minded Delaware in a 35-26 win to move to 2-0. NC State, after the early stumble against Virginia, responded with a 73-0 blowout of Richmond for its first win of the season.
Weather could be part of the story too. Nashville is expected to be hot again, with kickoff in the lower 90s and temperatures climbing to just under 100 degrees by the end of the game. The heat index is forecast to make it feel like 101 degrees at kickoff.
Curtis’ first start is the headliner, but Vanderbilt is also dealing with a familiar challenge on the other side of the ball: NC State quarterback CJ Bailey. Lea has seen plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks before, including one from the ACC last season, but he said Bailey brings a different kind of challenge than the others.
Blaze Berlowitz is no longer the starter, but Lea still said he remains comfortable with him if he has to enter the game for any reason.
For Vanderbilt, the formula Saturday is simple enough to say and much harder to execute: find some consistency, play cleaner football, and get to 3-0.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Is Pushing For A Recruiting Win That Would Turn Heads
Vanderbilt has put itself in the mix for one of the more intriguing recruiting battles on its board, with five-star basketball prospect Bentley Lusakueno already making the rounds to several high-profile programs. He has visited Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia and Georgia Tech, and still has trips planned to Illinois and Iowa as he weighs his options.
What stood out from the Commodores pitch was the overall impression they made during his visit, from the coaching staff to the facilities to the style of play. Lusakueno remains undecided, with a wide-open process still unfolding, but Vanderbilt has done enough to stay firmly in the conversation as the race continues. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Faces A Defining Test As Offensive Pressure Builds
Vanderbilt heads into its matchup with NC State carrying more than just the usual nonconference stakes. The Commodores have spent the early part of the season trying to find consistency on offense, and the running game remains the clearest place where production has lagged. For a team still trying to establish its identity, this is the kind of game that can say a lot about where things are headed.
Ken Seals Curtis will be central to that effort, because Vanderbilt needs its quarterback to manage the game cleanly while the ground attack searches for traction. The challenge is sharpened by NC State quarterback Bailey, a dual-threat threat who can stress a defense in multiple ways and force Vanderbilt to stay disciplined snap after snap. For a program looking for evidence of progress, this matchup feels like an early measuring stick with plenty riding on the details. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Offense Faces One Huge Test Before Schedule Turns Brutal
Vanderbilt finally settled its quarterback situation by naming five-star freshman Jared Curtis the starter, bringing an end to the rotation that had included Blaze Berlowitz. It gives the offense a clearer direction at a point in the season when the Commodores are still sorting out their footing, and the attention now shifts to whether the unit can grow up quickly enough to handle what is coming next.
Lyndon Cooper, the Pittsburgh transfer on the offensive line, pointed to communication and consistency as the next steps for a group that still knows it has room to improve. That assessment matters now more than ever, because Vanderbilt is about to enter a brutal stretch of the schedule and the offense will have to show it can protect its young quarterback and stay on schedule against far tougher competition. [Read more 🡒]