Jared Curtis is back where Vanderbilt wants him: under center, taking the first offensive snap of the day against Ole Miss after sitting out last week’s loss to Georgia in Athens.
Curtis had shown up on the injury report again this week, but there was no real shock when he was back on the field Saturday. He had been listed as probable all week before being removed from the report late in the week, a sign that his status had been trending in the right direction.
The quarterback had been working through a knee bruise after taking a hit in Vanderbilt’s Week 4 loss to Auburn, the game in which he made his first SEC start and his first road start. He missed the Georgia game after that, then worked his way back into action this week.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said he sees the setback as part of Curtis’ growth.
“I actually see it as part of his development, like an important part of his development,” Lea said. “Here’s a guy that was just gutted to not play.
I thought he was an incredible teammate Saturday, which is no surprise. He wanted to be out there to the point of emotion and yet he also knew that it wasn’t the right thing and that Blaze [Berlowitz] gave us the best chance in that game.
So what a great lesson for him.”
Curtis’ return matters because Vanderbilt believes it has its quarterback of the future in the first five-star recruit in program history. He flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt on National Signing Day and won an open competition over veteran Blaze Berlowitz. At this point, the job is Curtis’ - the only question has been whether his knee was ready.
He was wearing a knee brace under his tights on Saturday.
A week ago, Curtis was a true game-time decision. Before the Georgia matchup, he went through individual tests that included stretching, checking his start-stop movement and his straight-line running. He later stood with a trainer near the 20-yard line for several minutes and threw passes to Vanderbilt receivers at midfield in pregame warmups, but the team ultimately decided he wasn’t ready to play.
“I’m encouraged by his progress,” Lea said Tuesday in a statement that appears to be holding up now. “Just like anything, it’s one thing to go into practice to be able to participate. It’s another thing to then see how your body recovers and how you feel the next day.”
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Faces A Belief Test As Losses Keep Mounting
After another loss, Vanderbilts football program has been leaning on a familiar group of voices to help explain where things stand. The public relations staff has worked through CJ Heard, Junior Sherrill and MK Young in the postgame setting, and the conversations have reflected a team trying to hold itself together while the results keep slipping away. Heard has talked about the importance of pushing forward, while coach Clark Lea has continued to frame the season as part of a larger learning process.
The challenge for Vanderbilt is bigger than one bad Saturday, because the SEC does not leave much room for a team still trying to find its footing. Lea has stressed the need to improve on both sides of the ball and the mental grind that comes with repeated setbacks, but the long stretch of losses has turned every postgame availability into a small test of belief. The Commodores keep searching for a response that feels sustainable, and until they find it, each week brings the same hard question: whether they can turn resilience into something that shows up on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Gets A Real SEC Test Against Ole Miss
Saturday brings a different kind of measuring stick for Vanderbilt, one that should tell a lot more about where the Commodores really stand in SEC play. Ole Miss arrives with the sort of offense that can expose mistakes quickly, and the buildup around this matchup has centered on whether Vanderbilt can keep the game within reach long enough to make things uncomfortable late.
The guesswork around the game has not been limited to talent alone, either. Weather is expected to be part of the equation, and that could change how both teams approach the day, especially if the scoring stays more muted than usual. Vanderbilt is still being treated as the underdog, but there is enough uncertainty in the setup to leave room for a closer fight than the odds suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Faces An Ole Miss Weather Problem That Could Change Everything
Hurricane Isaias is set to make a rough turn toward the Southeast before weakening inland, and its reach is expected to be felt in Nashville on game day for Vanderbilts meeting with Ole Miss. The forecast calls for heavy rain and wind around kickoff, which could turn what was already a tough SEC matchup into a messier, more physical afternoon at Vanderbilts home field.
The timing is the real issue, with weather hanging over the entire game window and raising the possibility of conditions that could alter how both teams choose to play. Theres no immediate sign of thunderstorms or lightning forcing a delay, but even without that threat, rain and wind alone can change everything from footing to play-calling. [Read more 🡒]