Vanderbilt’s win over NC State came with a jolt at the very end, but the story of the night was bigger than the fumble in the south end zone at First Bank Stadium. For most of the game, the Commodores looked like they were headed for a 2-1 nonconference finish. Then Miles Capers ripped the ball loose from NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, Cayden Daniels pounced on it, and Vanderbilt walked away with the kind of finish that can flip a season’s mood in an instant.
Capers is the obvious headliner in any stock report after that kind of moment, and his stock is soaring. The performance was not the best of his Vanderbilt career - he finished with three tackles, one tackle for loss and the forced fumble - but the timing made it massive. If he doesn’t get to Bailey and jar the ball free, Vanderbilt is heading to Auburn 2-1, and the outlook around bowl eligibility looks a lot different.
That one play has already changed the feel of Vanderbilt’s season, at least for now. More importantly, it was the kind of decisive snap the program leans on its top players to make. Capers will have to keep carrying that level of impact as the Commodores move into SEC play over the next nine games, and there’s a real chance this becomes the launch point for an even bigger stretch.
On offense, junior wide receiver Richie Sherrill answered a question that had been hanging around after the Delaware game. The drops were a problem there, but he came back strong against NC State and looked like the player Vanderbilt expects him to be. Sherrill led the team with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets, and he was clearly one of the biggest reasons Vanderbilt’s passing game had life.
The chemistry with Jared Curtis is starting to show, too. Clark Lea said during Thursday’s media availability that Curtis and Sherrill had been staying after practice to work on timing and connection, especially on deep balls. Sherrill said the extra work paid off.
“We’ve been working on this since summer and really since we heard he was going to start this week, we’ve turned it up just to get some chemistry down. We stayed after practice a couple times to throw and get some of those deep balls to connect with. Obviously, you can see how it turned out,” Sherrill said.
If that connection keeps growing, Vanderbilt may have something real there between Curtis and Sherrill.
Freshman Mason Lewis also earned a big bump. The true freshman was listed as the starter at STAR against NC State, and he backed that up with a strong showing.
Lewis tied Ricardo Jones and CJ Heard for the team lead with eight tackles, and six of those were solo stops. He had been listed with Jailen Ruth as a backup at STAR in the first two games, so this was a clear step up in responsibility.
For a player who has only been on campus a few months, Lewis has already carved out a meaningful role. He may not have the biggest frame on the field, but he has shown he can tackle and bring force, and that matters in a defense that needs reliable hitters.
Not every stock line moved up. Jordan Matthews and the Vanderbilt secondary had their roughest game of the season.
Matthews, who has been the No. 2 cornerback, did not record a tackle or any other defensive stat against NC State. That’s not the kind of impact Vanderbilt needs from one of its top corners, especially with tougher games ahead.
The defense as a whole also has work to do. In camp, it looked like this could be Clark Lea’s best defense at Vanderbilt, but NC State found too much room too often.
The Wolfpack rolled up 446 total yards, including 280 through the air and 146 on the ground. Vanderbilt did manage to bend without breaking at the very end, but for most of the game CJ Bailey and the NC State offense moved the ball too comfortably.
The numbers on third and fourth down tell the story, too. NC State went 7-for-16 on third down and 3-for-5 on fourth down.
Vanderbilt got enough stops late to set up the dramatic finish, but that kind of slow start on defense won’t hold up once SEC play starts in earnest. Saturday’s game at Auburn should reveal more about where that unit really stands.
There’s also a quiet concern on the offensive side with Ja’Cory Thomas. The transfer from Old Dominion has now gone two straight games without a catch, and against NC State he wasn’t targeted at all. He was active, but invisible, which is not what Vanderbilt had in mind when it added him in the offseason.
Lea said last Tuesday that Thomas dealt with a soft tissue injury in camp, though he also made clear he isn’t dealing with it now. The missed reps from camp could still be affecting where he is in the offense, but it’s something Vanderbilt has to keep watching.
“I think Ja’Cory gives us a chance, another guy on the perimeter that can get behind the defense. And we need to grow comfort in him,” Lea said. “We’re going to need Ja’Cory.”
In Other News...
Jared Curtis Just Raised Vanderbilt's Biggest Quarterback Question
Jared Curtis did more than survive his first start at Vanderbilt. The five-star freshman quarterback helped engineer a 17-point comeback against NC State, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the process and giving the Commodores a glimpse of what their future might look like under center. He finished 20 of 34 for 277 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions, a line that reflected both the promise and the occasional rough edges that come with a young quarterback making his first real statement.
Clark Lea said Curtis showed growth throughout the game, and that may be the part Vanderbilt will watch most closely moving forward. The performance gave the staff evidence that Curtis can handle big moments, but it also sharpened the bigger question now hanging over the position: how quickly can Vanderbilt turn one impressive debut into something more stable as the season goes on? [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Gets An Early Reality Check Before SEC Pressure Hits
The Commodores are about to get an early test on the road, with Vanderbilt set to face Miami in a preseason exhibition Friday, Oct. 23, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. It is the kind of matchup that can tell a team plenty before the games count, especially with both programs coming off strong seasons and carrying spots in ESPNs Way-Too-Early Top 25.
For Vanderbilt, the timing makes the trip even more interesting because the SEC grind is still ahead, and early games like this can help reveal what needs tightening before the pressure ramps up. Miami coach Jai Lucas has already pointed to the value of tough preparation and the need for challenging games before his team opens the season against Florida, which gives this exhibition a little more edge than the usual fall tune-up. [Read more 🡒]