What a hard fought, fantastic 71-62 victory for our basketball team Saturday Night at Memorial before 10,471 fans.

Matthew Fisher-Davis led the team in scoring with 17, and Matt played well again sinking 3-of-8 trifectas and was 4-of-4 from the line, but the play of Nolan Cressler in the first half, Riley LaChance’s play in the second half along with a super all around efforts by Luke Kornet and Djery Baptiste off the bench, were the keys to this victory as the Dores moved to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in the SEC and in a tie for 6th place in the conference with Tennessee and Ole Miss and two back of Alabama and Arkansas for the fourth spot in the SEC standings.  A fourth place finish would insure a double bye in the SEC Tournament, but we can’t worry about that right now. We play Tennessee this Wednesday in Knoxvegas at 5:30 PM CT/6:30 PM ET on the SEC Network in a gigantic contest. We can’t look ahead at all with this colossal matchup Wednesday. 

NacFlow’s drives and scores at the basket were pivotal in opening things up for us and keeping us in the game in the first half. Nolan also hit a key triple in the second half. This South Carolina team is very good, ranked 19th in the country coming in, they play super defense, and are a tough, hard-nosed, physical  basketball team. We matched their intensity and physicality after four of five minutes of the first half when they were kind of having their way scoring inside and in the mid range game. Riley came on in the second half and hit key shot after key shot to extend leads. Riley finished with 14 and four assists. Luke played his typical hard hat, lunch pale game with 9 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Luke had not been shooting his best recently, but sank a pair of triples in the second half, and did some superb things on defense and on the boards. Djery is really coming on. He’s starting to figure out the college game, and he plays with such super energy. Djery sank a basket and pulled down 3 boards, but his hard-nosed play and hustle were huge. 

Clevon Brown played solid minutes with 3 blocks, 4 rebounds, a basket and free throw. Joe Toye added 7 points. Joe and Clevon really bring athleticism to this basketball team that we really need. We’ve got good athletes on this team for sure, but Joe and Clevon are elite, so we need them on the floor quite a bit. Payton Willis played hard, and did some good things also.

We out-rebounded a really good rebounding team, 36-33, and that’s tremendous. We held them to 1-for-9 from 3, and 43% from the field. We played a really solid game.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself with SEC tourney projections, because our team needs to stay in the present with a monumental challenge in Knoxville on Wednesday. They took it to us at our place in January, 87-75, and they’ve on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, so this would be a huge deal to grab a victory on the road, and make us a pretty interesting team heading into the latter part of February and March. They’ve got a lot of very good, athletic players, so we’ll need to bring the same amount of intensity on Wednesday that we brought Saturday, if not more, with it being on the road.

Love the way the team is battling and competing though. Really like their passion and effort. This group is talented and are peaking. Can’t wait for Wednesday.

Baseball takes final 2 at San Diego

Our team knocked the cover off the ball in San Diego Saturday night and Sunday afternoon winning games 2 and 3 over the San Diego Toreros, 8-2 in game 2, and 11-1 in game 3.

In game 2, Alonzo Jones was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and an RBI, Julian Infante hit a two run shot, and Jason Delay was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Patrick Raby pitched 5 excellent innings giving up just one hit, no runs, with 3 walks and 4 Ks. Collin Snider pitched the last four innings and was superb, giving up only 2 hits, walking none and striking out 7. Wow, that’s awesome.

In game 3 of the set, Jeren Kendall was 2-for-5 with 2 Ribeyes, Ethan Paul had two hits and 3 Ribbies, and Infante added two hits and 3 more Ribeyes. Freshman Drake Fellows pitched 6 superb innings, giving up only 2 hits, no runs, walking 1 and K’ing 5. Matt McGary, freshman Zach King and closer Matt Ruppenthal finished it off, as we left the left coast with 2 impressive victories. After a frustrating first game, the team really got it together and played extremely well to close out the series against a good San Diego team. Up next is the Wednesday home opener against Evansville out of Indiana, and then a weekend home set vs University of Illinois- Chicago. Good start for a talented team. Love what Julian did with the bat and what the starting pitching did along with Collin’s relief work. 

Latest addition to the 2017 class

Coach Mason added the 20th player to this 2017 class in 6’4″, 320 pound offensive guard Saige Young. Saige, a Kentucky native, qualified to play FBS out of high school, but spent this past season at Dodge City Community College in Kansas. Watched Saige’s film and it’s superb. He buries people and has that terrific mean streak that Coach Mason and offensive line coach Cameron Norcross are looking for in their linemen. Saige joins a stellar o line class with tackles Bryce Bailey, Cole Clemens and Jonathan Stewart and offensive guard/tackle Grant Miller. Super line class. Really like this class in general.

With basketball cookin, baseball starting to start churning out the victories, and the signing class secured and spring ball starting a week from today, a lot to be fired up about. Will have write ups with superb women’s tennis coach Geoff McDonald and phenomenal men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh, and another interesting piece on football I think you’ll enjoy next week. Take care and Anchor Down!

Matt Fisher Davis called last night’s 72-67 VU victory over Texas A&M a “resilient” victory for the basketball team. It was and it was also a tremendous effort.

Matt finished with a team leading 14 points off the bench, sinking 4-of-8 trifectas, as the Dores moved to 6-7 in the SEC and 13-13 overall before 8,976 partisans at Memorial.

A&M dropped to 5-8 and 13-12 overall.

Next up is South Carolina @ home on Saturday,  7:30 PM CT/8:30 PM ET on the SEC Network. 

Joe Toye played a super game finishing with 13, with many drives and scores at the basket along with his 6-for-7 free throw shooting performance. Luke added a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Riley also chipped in 12 and hit a pair of triples. Jeff Roberson had 7 points and 6 boards. Nacflow had 5 points and 4 boards. Clevon Brown chipped in 4 points and 2 boards, and Djery Baptiste continues his improving play with a basket and 2 boards. We’ve got some really good young players to go along with our vets.

Now at 6-7 in conference, we are only 2 games back of 4th place as we sit in a tie for 7th with Tennessee and Georgia. Alabama and Arkansas are at 8-5, so we have some work to do to get to the 4th spot and earn a double bye in the SEC tournament, which will be held at Bridgestone Arena, March 8th-12th, but even earning a first round bye would be good. We have 5 games left, South Carolina, Saturday, @UT, next Wed., 2-22, @5:30 PM CT on the SEC Network, Miss State next Saturday, 2-25, @ home, 3 PM CT on ESPNU, @ KY, Tuesday, Feb. 28, @8 PM CT on ESPN,  and we finish it off @ home vs Florida @ 1 PM CT on ESPN or ESPN2; will know closer to time what network the UF game will be on. So a lot of work left, but the victory last night looked like a big momentum builder for us. We’ve had some bumps in the road this season, but ever since our upset victory over Florida on the road on Jan.21st, we’ve been playing much better and it looks like we’re peaking now.

I talked to Bryce, Luke and Riley last week after practice and liked what they had to say. The team really works hard in practice, they’re positive, enthusiastic and feel like they can win every time out. I really like this team. They have a great spirit about them. Very good group of players, and Bryce’s positive approach is contagious amongst the team. 

We were down by 11 in the first half, but our 3 point shooting led by Matt’s couple along with one from Nolan, Jeff and Riley, got us back in it and we led by 1 at half. We outscored them 37-33 in the second half. We got out-rebounded 41-36, but had a plus 5 margin on the boards in the second half. They have three really big guys and they’re good players, but we battled on the boards in the second half and that was huge. We kept them from shooting the 3, they rely on their inside game, and we really shot our free throws well, going 18-of-22, 82%, which was also big. We were 10-of-26 from three, 39%, which was good, but we also started taking it to the glass when they extended their defense on us in the second half. Like the way we’ve become pretty proficient going to the basket as well as shooting the 3.

I like where our team is at. It’s an every day thing now; keep improving every day. We learned a lot from last night’s victory; how to fight through adversity, how to close a game, how to battle on the defensive end and the glass. We’ve got a tough road ahead, but if we just approach it one practice, one game at a time, we can end up with a strong finish to the season heading into the postseason.

Will have South Carolina write up most likely Sunday. Will be working on some other stuff next week, but back with a lot more on Wednesday, March 1, with a lot of material, including plenty of basketball, baseball, some football stuff, along men’s golf and women’s tennis previews. Those two teams look exciting as well. The women’s tennis team won the national title in 2014 and went to the Final Four last year, and Geoff McDonald, who does a super job with the program and has for a long time, has another talented group this season. Scott Limbaugh has done a superb job with the men’s golf team. We’ve gone to the Elite Eight in the NCAA’s the last two seasons and we’ve got a really talented team this season that finished the fall No.1 in the Golfstat. com and the Golfweek rankings. Scott wants to win national championships. So does Jeff. We’ve got shots in both sports. Will have interviews with both Geoff and Scott March 1st and 2nd respectively. Also, will have a piece on football I think you’ll like when I get back. 

Baseball

Lost a tough one to San Diego last night on the road, 3-2. Jeren Kendall opened the game with a triple and scored on a sac fly by Will Toffey. Jeren was 2-for-4 on the night and first baseman Julian Infante was 2-for-4. We struck out 13 times, so we HAVE to get better with that. All American Kyle Wright pitched pretty well, going 5, giving up 3 earned, with 3 walks and 2 K’s. Will had both RBIs, to go along with his Sac fly, Will also had a single for a Ribeye. We looked a little rusty, which is typical for the opener, but I like our personnel. Maddux Conger pitched the last 3 innings for us and was super. Maddux gave up no runs with 0 walks and 5 K’s. There were positives to the night. 

We play San Diego again today at 4 PM CT. No TV. We finish up the 3 game set tomorrow at 4 PM CT. No TV tomorrow either, but gametracker will have both games covered on vucommodores.com

I do feel good about this team. We played fine last night. We’re trying to integrate some new players into starting positions and just had some first game slip-ups. But we’ll be fine. Would like to take today’s game and get some momentum back on our side. Corbs was worried about San Diego. He knew they had a good team when I talked to him 2 weeks ago. They have everybody back and look like an NCAA tournament team. We’ll get it going, hopefully today.

Genesis Open, Originally the Los Angeles Open and most recently the Northern Trust Open

Riviera Country Club Course, Pacific Palisades California, just outside LA, 7,349 yards, par 71

Greens: poa annua, fairways kikuya grass

Designer: George C. Thomas, 1926

Defending champion: Bubba Watson, also won it in 2014

Last week’s winner: Jordan Spieth, Pebble Beach

Weather:  Thursday, perfect 70, wind minimal. Friday: 63, rain, intense winds, ESE 28 gusting up to 52. Could be a suspension in play and catch up on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, couple of showers 64. Sunday, 67, perfect. 

TV: Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel 1-5 PM CT/2-6 PM ET.

Saturday, Golf, 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET.

Sunday: Golf, 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS, 2-5:30 PM CT/3-6:30 PM ET.

There have been 3 majors held at Riviera, the 1948 U.S, Open won by Ben Hogan, they call the Riviera course “Hogan’s Alley” because he won there so many times. Hal Sutton won the 1983 PGA Championship, and Steve Elkington won the 1995 PGA.

Key holes:

No.1 503 yards, par 5

Super starting hole. The tee box is 75 feet above the fairway. A long drive can set up a birdie or eagle, but there’s out of bounds on the left and trees on the right, so accuracy along with distance is crucial.

No.2, 471 yards, par 4

One of the course’s most demanding holes. A slight dogleg right with OB left and trees on the right Requires a long yet straight tee shot. The approach faces a heavily bunkered green.

No.4, 236 yards, par 3

Hogan called this hole the “best par 3 in America.” It’s difficult at 236 and requires anywhere from a three iron to a three wood depending on the wind. Friday it will require a cannon. It will be impossible on Friday. The green slopes severely from right to left and is guarded by a large bunker.

No. 6 199 yards, par 3

A signature hole at Riviera that features a bunker in the middle of the green. If the player lands on the wrong side of the bunker he must chip over or putt around the sand.

No. 18, 475 yards, par 4

A tough finishing hole and one of the most famous 18th holes in golf. It starts with a blind tee shot to an elevated fairway, then requires a long approach to a green that is narrow in front then widens out. There is sand all around the green and trouble with trees to the right if the player comes up short or rough on the left hand side of the green. It’s a natural amphitheater. 

Prediction

Going with the 32 year old from Columbia, SC. to get the job done at Riviera this week He was in a playoff two years ago that he barely lost to James Hahn. Last year, he finished fourth here, and finished 3rd last week at Pebble Beach with a strong backside on Sunday as he shot 68, -14, 5 shots back of Spieth. He’s trending well. Going with the defending United States Open Champion. 

Dustin Johnson

I had the opportunity to sit down with Vanderbilt head football coach Derek Mason last Thursday. Here is the context of that interview.

DW: Coach, how do you like this 2017 signing class?

DM: Everybody wants to talk about winners and losers in recruiting, and I’m still trying to figure that out. If everybody feels like they got what they needed during recruiting then I think everybody won. Recruiting in college football is better than the NFL draft because in the NFL draft you have first round, second round, third round, fourth round, fifth round, sixth round, seventh round, but what happens is it’s always about valuing those rounds. I look at college football, because you have so much more to choose from, you feel like every pick you take is a first rounder. You don’t know how are going to develop, some guys may be second or third rounders, but you feel like, at the end of recruiting, you got what you wanted. And coming out of this class, we knew we wanted to get longer, more athletic, and when I say that I mean more explosive with that length, and just to keep adding to what we feel like we’re building here on West End. So that’s how I determined it. I could have gone in a lot of different directions in terms of stacking up on multiple positions. But recruiting looks a little different here at Vanderbilt. My first year I had to sign a class in a couple of weeks, and I didn’t know what my needs were in the program at all. And any time you take on that, you’re going to find that you you missed some things. You might find some gaps in your recruiting and that can cost you. So our recruiting team looked at the roster management piece in the last two years, how do we get our roster back in tact based on who left, any attrition that you have, and what your needs are moving forward. And in this class, offensive and defensive line were important. We had to address getting quality players on the offensive and defensive lines. We felt like we needed length at the receiver position and that’s what we got.  We felt like we needed to add quality to our offensive and defensive lines. At offensive line and defensive line, we feel like that’s exactly what we got it. And with what we added at wide receiver, we got a couple of quality players. Obviously you’re going to take a quarterback in the class to make sure you continue to build, grow and develop at that position, and Jacob Free (6’5″, 200 high 3 star quarterback out of Brantley, Alabama), was a good get for us because he’s a 3 sport athlete, whose best football is in front of him, because now he gets to focus and concentrate on one sport, rather than 3. I think the value of the 3 sport athlete in terms of awareness, skill set, and abilities, is something you can’t coach any more because there’s not enough time in the day. 

DW: Coach, you seem to really like the 2 wide receivers you got.

DM: Yeah, I think they’re tremendous gets. When you look at those two guys, what they’re going to be, James Bostic (6’3″, 202)  has grown an inch and a half in the last year and he’s a thick and strong receiver. He sort of reminds you of a young Dez Bryant in terms of his strength and his ability to be physical at the point of contact or the point of catch. He has a really good catch radius, he’s a big target. And Chris Pierce (6’4″, 200)  is hopefully our Julio Jones of the future. He’s somebody who’s long, explosive, and he’s only going to get stronger. A guy, who with good speed, is going to  have good  long speed as his strength continues to grow (house call stuff).  You look at his ability to run after the catch, his ability to high point the football (jump over d backs and catch the ball), and again his tremendous catch radius (huge target), that all leads you to believe that as they start to put all the core football fundamentals of being a good receiver behind them, Coach Hankton (wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton) has got two guys who he believes fit the bill for what we want as we continue to move forward with. That’s grouping them with guys like Kalija Lipscomb (6’1″, 195 rising sophomore), Donaven Tennyson (5’10”, 180, rising sophomore),  and the group with C.J. (Duncan, 5’11”, 203 rising senior) and all these other guys who have been here. They all have different skill sets, but when you jump into the toolbox and you look at Caleb Scott (6’2″,202, rising senior) and what he’s done, and you add these long guys to the shorter, more explosive, dynamic group that we have, I think the future’s bright. 

DW: It looks like a good group on the offensive line.

DM:  Really is. You look at Cole Clemens (6’5″, 285, solid 3 star), Bryce Bailey (6’5″, 290, high 3 star), Jonathan Stewart (6’8″, 292, solid 3 star) those guys are all guys that can play tackle. And when you look at those three and their bodies, how athletic they are, they’re not big, fat lineman, they’re linemen with great weight and mean streaks in’em, the future is bright. Then, when I look at Grant Miller (6’4″, 260 solid 3 star), he comes from great stock with his NFL pedigree. His dad played for the Titans for 6 or seven years. And for him, he’s 6’4″ with a size 18 shoe, so he still has not grown into his body. You look at his hands, his hands are huge, huge feet. He’s kind of like a puppy growing into his paws. He’s got a wide back, big neck, big head, physically, and he’s athletic. And playing at a program like St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale national powerhouse which just won the 7A FL state championship), he competed against some of the best in the country. He’s been on a big stage. So for him, he’s the smallest of the group at 260, as a guard, but he’s so lean he can get up to 275, 285, 300, then you’ll look at somebody who can play on the next level. He’s tremendously explosive and really athletic. I like’em all. The other guys are tackles. Jonathan Stewart is the best athlete out of the group, but he’s played the least amount of football. But when you watch him, athletically he reminds me of Andrus Peat (1st round, 13th pick of the 2015 draft out of Stanford, OT for Saints, 6’7″, 316). I saw Andrus as a young guy because I know his dad, Todd Peat, really well. Just watching Jonathan, you watch his body, his mobility, his extreme athleticism, he’s a basketball player, but the mean streak he showed and the ascending player that he was from the beginning of his freshman year, it tells you this young man is going to be a great football player. If you look at Jonathan as compared to Andrus Peat, you see his passion, his competitiveness in football, Andrus was an extremely passionate player, but was extremely quiet like Chris Williams (VU super tackle first round draft pick in the late 2000’s),  You’re going to see that out of Jonathan. He’s going to be extremely fun to watch.

DW: What about the rest of your class, do you like what you see out of Jacob Free, your d linemen and your secondary guys?

DM: Yes, you look at Jacob Free, Jacob Free (6’5″, 200 high 3 star QB) is a 3 sport athlete and he’s going to be a good player. Everybody talks about these recruiting classes, and what you’re going to see from us that good players get on the field earlier and college football is a junior, senior sport. With that being the case, you judge classes on how they play. Jacob Free is going to be a down the line player. His best football is in front of him, but he still has some football nuances at the quarterback position that he needs to brush up on. He’s going to get stronger and learn the system, that’s just part of it. When you look at where we are on the defensive line, a lot of people don’t know about Jonah Buchanan (6’3 1/2″, 285), and that’s OK because you start looking over on the island (Hawaii, where Jonah is from), you don’t know those players, but he’s one of those kids who is a diamond in the rough. He’s extremely athletic. He played from a 3 point (d end), a 2 point (d tackle), he moved all over, backer, line, and I just think when you look at that frame, that size and that athleticism, that’s what you want to go with in interior players. Guys with length, he’s 285 pounds right now pushing his way to 300 real fast, and he’s gonna remind people of Nifae (Lealao, upcoming, senior, 6’5″, 312, great ability, 4 star out of high school), that’s just where I see him. And when you look at Dayo (Odeyingbo, 6’6″, 260 defensive end, high 3 star), when you look at Jalen Pinkney (6’3 1/2″ high 3 star d end), Stone Edwards (6’4″, 240 solid 3 star  d end), when you look at those 3 guys, they’re 3 pretty good players. Two of those have brothers on this team (Dayo older brother Dare, d end, Jalen, older brother Jared, tight end, both excellent players), Dayo is 260 now and who knows where his body is going to take him because every time we see him, he gets bigger.  He’s 6’6″, he’s long, he’s athletic. I’ve seen those body types before. I’m hoping he’ll come in here and be a contributor as a freshman. And play opposite of his brother, which would be good. I don’t see him as a day 1 starter, but I see him playing a lot his freshman year because he’s ready. With Jalen and Stone Edwards, you see two players who can pass rush. Stone can move up and down the defensive line because his body is going to continue to grow. Stone comes from great pedigree. His brother played at South Carolina and played in the NFL for 12 years. And you look at his father, and his father is a big man. His older brother has the same body type and they play similar. So as I look at Stone, he’ll have to play early because of depth on the defensive line, and he’ll grow into what we need him to be over time. I’m excited about him. And between the linebacking corps and the secondary, these guys are going to be explosive. You talk about Michael Owusu (6’6″, 210, solid 3 star) the big outside backer from Oxnard (CA), played at Oaks Christian. I had a chance to see the two brothers, one plays for the Jets, and Frances is a senior at Stanford, and you talk about athletic genes, his other brother played at Harvard. He comes from great pedigree. His father was an Olympian sprinter for Ghana, his mother’s Polynesian. This young man is going to be a player for us. All the brothers are big and he’s going to be big. His athleticism for a first year outside linebacker was phenomenal (as a player in high school). Every game you saw him continue to grow and get better, and his athleticism is off the table. I can say the same thing for Feleti (Afemui, 6’3″, 222 solid 3 star backer) , Dimitri (Moore, 6’2″, 195 high 3 star early enrollee). When you look at their film, they jump off the charts. They’re strong, they’re fast, they’re athletic.  And one other guy people don’t know about is Brayden DeVault-Smith (6’3″, 205 LB). I talked about him being the last player in the class. He’s 6’3″, 205 pounds and he’s a great athlete. This young man is going to be special. He may have been the last take in this class, but sometimes the last take is like Jordan Matthews. They have a way of working themselves out. 

And then in the secondary, we felt like we got better all the way around. We got length at corner. Randall Haynie (6’0″, 180 high 3 star) is a true 3 dimensional cover corner, who can run, hit, and has ball skills. Then you look at Allan George (6’2″, 180 solid 3 star) he’s long, he’s explosive, he’s got a 42″ vertical jump ( 3 feet, 6 inches), he can jump out of a gym and has tremendous ball skills. So he’s also a great kid and a great addition. Then Tae Daiey (5’11”, 175 solid 3 star safety, early enrollee) is just impressive every time he steps on the field. He’s fast, he’s explosive, he’s long and he has extremely high football IQ. He’s from a great football program (Northside, Warner Robins, GA), he’s won titles and championships. If you go back and look at this group, then you understand what we’re doing in recruiting. It’s not about stars, it’s about winners coming from winning programs, and hopefully infusing that reputation into winners for us. Because you don’t have to teach winners to be winners. 

DW: I know you’re excited about Ke’Shawn too. (Ke’Shawn Vaughn, 4-star transfer running back from Illinois, 5’10”, 210).

DM: That’s the Christmas player that came just a little late. I’ll tell you what, I think I signed the best back in this recruiting cycle in the SEC. We got better just there alone. We improved in this recruiting class as Ralph, Khari and Jamauri look to take the field this year, you’re replacing them with a known commodity. He stepped up as a freshman in the Big Ten. The Red Mamba as they call him at home. He’s a 3 dimensional back. He can run between the tackles, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he’s tremendous in pass pro (blocking for the quarterback) Any time you can find an every down back, that’s what you saw with James White (Patriots), those guys are hard to find.

DW: They’re rare commodities those guys?

DM: Well you look at Ezekiel Elliott. How many Ezekiel Elliotts are there? You look at Ke’Shawn, his style is like Ezekiel. He’s physical, he can run away from you, he can run through you. Coming out of high school, what you saw him do in the Big Ten was phenomenal. He showed all the same attributes that he showed out of high school. To do it on that level, on that stage, it says a lot about him. He’s a humble young man, he’s going to have to sit a year, but he’s looking forward to learning, getting better, getting stronger with Coach (James) Dobson, and making whatever contribution he can to this team. We got better. We may have the best scout running back in the country.

DW: Coach, about the present team, what’s the spring schedule?

DM: Spring starts on the 27th (Feb, Monday), we’ll end spring ball on the March 31st, a Friday. We’re milling around a spring game. We might not play a spring game just looking at our schedule and where we’re at. We have graduated 27 guys out of this program, so we need to manage our roster, because everybody is trying to get to August. But we’ll see. It’s not out of the picture. Right now, I won’t know anything till I get into the end of spring.

DW: What do you think about this group coming back?

DM: We’ve got experience. There are 9 returners on defense, 7 on offense, and those are the starters, those aren’t just the returners. The thing that we have is a team that’s game experienced, and hopefully 2016 was a launching platform for this group. And I’m going to let their work lead me towards my expectations for them. Because I think every year you don’t know what you have until you’re in the midst of it. Who gets you to August. Spring will give me a look at the tools that we have and fall camp gives me a full idea of what’s at our disposal defensively, offensively and at special teams.

DW: How special can this team be and what will it take?

DM: I believe every team has greatness in them. That greatness has to be manifested in the work we do both on and off the field. The leadership that grows in that locker room, and really that team’s commitment to winning. What does that look like?  Because i can’t give you what’s not inside of you. I can’t give you what you don’t have. Those things come from the leadership, to the commitment, to the goals and focus of this team, I can provide leadership off the field, but what happens between the white lines is between player to player.

DW: You like the makeup of this group?

DM: I love the makeup of this group. There’s no doubt now going into my fourth season, this group kind of looks more like me. This team looks like me and is going to take on my personality and it’ gotta do more than take on my personality to win games.  We’ve gotta be flawless in execution and consistent in terms of our play. If we can do that, not beat ourselves, and continue to grow in key areas, we’re going to be a good football team. And those key areas are getting turnovers, having the ability to stay on the field and have explosive offensive plays because you saw what we were able to do in the redzone on both sides of the ball.(No.1 on defense nationally, No.2 on offense last year). But you’ve got to continue to get better at the things you didn’t do well, which is consistent protection of the quarterback, or being able to get off the field on 3rd down. We’ve got to play the ball better in the secondary (interceptions). Those are things that are all there to be had, but it’s all about the works that has to be done by these young men and our coaches to make sure we can go to where we want to be.  

Course Pebble Beach Golf Links 6,816 yards, par 72

Also the first two days at:

Spyglass Hill, 6,953, par 72

Monterey Peninsula Country Club, 6,914 par 71

Defending champion: Vaughn Taylor

His last victory before last year’s title was at the 2005 Reno-Tahoe Open, which he also won in 2004. Those are Vaughn’s only 3 PGA titles. Played awesome last year to edge out Phil, who missed a four footer on 18 for birdie that would have sent it into a playoff.

Weather

Thursday: 62, 100% rain, wind S 13 MPH

Friday: 58, 60% rain, WSW 11 MPH

Saturday, 58, Sunny NNW 10

Sunday: 62 Sunny, N 7.

First two days will be challenging weather-wise. They’ve gotten a ton of rain this year already in California. The CBS guys said in Torrey two weeks ago that California is over their drought with all the rain they’ve gotten. And they’ve been in a massive drought for several years so they got  buckets of rain. The course is pretty soggy, so length off the tee will be a real bonus this weekend.

TV

 Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET

 Saturday, Golf Channel 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET, CBS: 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET

Sunday, Golf 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET, CBS 2-5:30 PM CT/3-6:30 PM ET.

They asked John Feinstein and Geoff Shackelford of Golf Channel what has been the greatest major run, Jack’s 1972 season when he won 2 of 4 majors, including the U.S. when he hit one of the greatest shots of all time in majors as he hammered  a 1 iron to the par 3 17th at Pebble, which played over 200 yards at the time, to a foot to clinch the major. Jack also almost won a third at Muirfield at the Open Championship. Or Tiger’s 4 straight majors from 2000-01, when he won the U.S, at Pebble, running away from the field, the Open Championship  at the Old Course, the PGA at Valhalla, then the 2001 Masters. Feinstein went with Tiger. Shackelford went with Jack. I’ll have to give Tiger the edge on that, but Jack’s the greatest of all time in my book. He has 18 majors to Tiger’s 14 against what I would say was a much tougher field of “elite” players. Tiger had Phil and Ernie, maybe Vijay Singh too, but Jack had Arnie, Trevino, Player, Watson, Johnny Miller, that type of eliteness to face in majors, so to me, Jack’s the greatest. Plus his personal character was second to none, while Tiger’s is not too swift in that category. Personal conduct and character are part of being the greatest and Jack had those two qualities down pat.

Pebble has hosted 5 U.S. Opens and one PGA. Jack won the 1972 Open, Watson the ’82 Open, Tom Kite won in ’93, Tiger won in 2000, and Graeme McDowell won in 2010. Lanny Wadkins won the 1977 PGA Championship. Pebble will host the Open again in 2019.

Key holes

No.7

A 106 yard par 3 that is surrounded by traps and offers the Pacific on the players right side and behind the green for your golf ball’s swimming pleasure. It can be an easier shot with minimal wind, but the first two days will feature 10-15 MPH winds and wet conditions, so club selection will be at a premium. A player can use anywhere from a sand wedge to a 4 iron depending on the wind. It’s a tricky and beautiful hole.

Amen Corner for Pebble; No’s 8, 9 and 10.

No. 8

A 428 par 4 will challenge the players with a blind drive, then what Jack calls the best second shot in all of golf. It’s over the Pacific to a small green surrounded by sand and trouble. If you fade an iron or hit it fat, here comes the ocean.  Super challenging, outstanding hole.

No.9

A 462 yard par 4. Will play long in the wet conditions. The players will need some driving accuracy on this hole and with their approaches. The ocean runs on the right side and there’s pretty thick rough on the left. The ninth has a small green like all of Pebble’s are, and water on the right, thick rough around the green, and Poa Annua greens which are tricky to read and putt on. Par here is a pretty good score for the competitor.

No.10

A 430 yard par 4, and another difficult hole, it’s the same kind of setup as 9 with the ocean on the right and some tricky rough on the left. The green is small and there is sand around it. A birdie and two pars on Sunday on these three bears would be a pretty good job and keep a guy, who is high on the leaderboard, in the hunt.

No. 17

A 178 yard par 3. It’s where, in the 1982 U.S. Open, Tom Watson told his caddie, Bruce Edwards, “I’m not going to get it close. I’m going to make it.” Watson proceeded to chip in and capture the ’82 Open over Jack. It was reported that he told Jack, “Put that in your pipe and smoke it.” Not cool there.

No. 18

A 543 yard par 5 with the Pacific running along the left side, so for those players who draw it you better aim right or you’re in the rocks or swimming. But the competitor can’t be too far right because there is out of bounds on that side. There’s a large Cypress tree in the middle of the fairway so players don’t want to be too straight and get behind it. Should be some electricity on Sunday, and with the wet conditions, it looks like a 3 shot hole, so a birdie on the 18th might very well decide this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach.

Contenders 

Dustin Johnson

Won here in 2009 and 2010, though he also collapsed in the 2010 U.S. Open here as he had a pretty substantial lead heading into Sunday, but gagged it away to McDowell. Dustin will be playing with his father-in-law, the Great One, Wayne Gretsky, so maybe the Great One’s four Stanley Cup titles with the Edmonton Oilers in the 80’s, and his 9 Hart Trophies as the MVP of the NHL, will rub off on the 32 year old Johnson.

Phil

Phil’s has won here 4 times in ’98, ’05, ’07, and ’12. In 2012, he won it on Sunday when he shot a 64 playing with Tiger who shot a 75. Phil is still playing super golf at 46, so he could win number 5 here. That would break the tie with Mark O’Meara for most titles at the AT&T.

Patrick Reed

Finished T-6th here last year and is an elite player. Still can’t get over his epic Ryder Cup performance where he went toe-to-toe with Rory on Sunday, after Rory had just won the Fed Ex Cup, and defeated him on the 18th, with clutch putt after clutch putt securing the 1 up victory and paving the way for the U.S.’s blowout of Europe, 17-11, at Hazeltine. The 26 year old went 3-1 in the Ryder Cup and the future is through the roof unlimited. 

Brandt Snee-deker

Sneds won here in 2013 and 2015, so it bodes well for another odd year victory. The putter can be off the charts good, and if it is, the 36 year old could capture his ninth PGA tour victory. Brandt’s play in the Ryder Cup was beyond clutch. He went 3-0-0. 

Winner

I am going to go with the guy who is first on tour in greens in regulation, and first on tour in strokes gained on approach shots along with birdies made. His putting hasn’t been its best this season at times, but it’s close to being really consistently great. He’s closer and closer to winning a regular event and will be a “major” factor again in the majors. Going to the well again with the 23 year old.

Jordan Spieth

Darkhorse

J. J. Spaun

The 26 year old from LA finished fourth last week at the Waste Management shooting -15. Hideki was unstoppable last week, like he’s been all season with 4 wins in the six events he’s played in. Justin Thomas is also en fuego with victories at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, and the Sony Open in Hawaii. Justin and Hideki aren’t playing this week, so the field is relieved.

But Spaun also finished T-9 at the Farmers two weeks ago, so he’s trending well. This guy is close to breaking through. Could be this weekend. 

Speaking of Great Ones, here are two of the greatest.

In six years as the head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Mike Anderson’s record at Bud Walton Arena, before last night’s game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, was 91-14. Wow.

With a stellar offensive first half and a superior effort on defense and the boards, VU basketball made it 91-15 with a tremendous 72-59 victory last night before 13,494 fans.

The Dores moved to 12-12 overall and 5-6 in the SEC, while the Hogs dropped to 17-7 and 6-5. We are on the road again Saturday @ Missouri, which defeated Arkansas @ home last Saturday, so we’ll be tested again. Game time is 2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on the SEC Network.

We were shorthanded going in as Matthew Fisher-Davis was suspended for the game due to an athletic department violation. No word on what exactly happened with MFD, but it looks like only one game. Hopefully so, as we’ll need him for the stretch run in February and March. But the rules are the rules and all our players need to abide by them. 

Some amazing stats. In the first half, we were 10-for-15 from trifecta, 67%, we were 14-for-25, from the field, 56%, and held Arkansas to 7-for-28 from the field, 25%, and 1-for-10 from three, 10%. For the game we out-rebounded them 38-26, and they’re a very good rebounding team. We dropped off offensively in the second half somewhat, shooting 2-for-8 from three but we were still 10-for-21 from the field, 48%, so that was solid. They shot shot 49% in the second half and 5-for-10 from 3, and made it closer. But we led at halftime 39-18 and kept a comfortable lead throughout the game with our solid defense and rebounding. Coach Drew really liked our defense and the way we hit the boards. We’re usually a really good offensive team, but when we can play defense like that and rebound, we’re pretty dangerous. We were 12-for-18 from the stripe, 63% which is not our usual numbers, as we’re averaging 77% from the line, but we didn’t get many opportunities, so that was OK. Luke was 7-for-8 though. They were 5-for-8 from the stripe, 63%.

Individually, Nolan Cressler led all our scorers with 13 points. Nolan also added 8 boards to tie Jeff Roberson for the team lead in that category. NacFlow was super going to the hole with some beautiful drives and lay-ups, and he was 2-for-2 from distance. NacFlow is the most improved player on the team and playing super efficient, excellent basketball for us right now. We had four other players in double figures with Riley LaChance, JRobe and Luke Kornet adding 12 apiece, and Joe Toye chipping in 11.  Riley was 3-for-5 from triple and pulled down 7 boards. Riley and JRobe are super efficient players for us right now, really solid basketball players. Luke was Luke, outstanding as usual. Luke looks like he’ll be in the NBA next year, and could have a really solid career there. But there’s a lot of time left in this season and he’s solely focused on this team. Luke added 4 boards and 3 blocks. He’s an enforcer in the middle. Joe is playing very well, too. If we can get MFD back on Saturday and he digs in, we’ve got a chance to end the regular season with a lot of momentum heading into the SEC tournament, March 8-12th, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashvegas. 

Like where the team is at. Love the way we’re not only shooting the 3, but the way we’re now aggressive to the basket and scoring in the paint. We’re just a much more aggressive, confident team now. We believe we can win every time out. Our defense is so much better and our rebounding has improved exponentially. 

So I really like where our team is at heading into Missouri. Another key game Saturday. Missouri is @ A&M tonight at 7:30 CT/8:30 ET on the SEC Network. They defeated Arkansas 83-78 last Saturday. They’re a pretty good team, very athletic, so we’ll have to bring our hard hats for that one. Like where we’re at though. We lost a tough one @ home to Ole Miss last Saturday, 81-74, but we’ve won 4 of our last 6 and playing good basketball right now.

Football

I’m going up to Nashville tomorrow and will be interviewing Coach Mason tomorrow afternoon and then be in a sportswriters conference tomorrow through Saturday. Will have Coach Mason’s interview up on Monday and then interviews with Vanderbilt men’s golf coach Scott Limbaugh on Wednesday, and Vanderbilt women’s tennis coach Geoff McDonald on Friday. Coach Limbaugh led the golf team to a No.1 ranking in the fall according to Golfstat.com the premier golf online site in the business. He’s got a super team. Geoff has another excellent team. I think you’ll enjoy those.

 I will talk to Coach Mason about the 2017 recruiting class and the prospects for what looks like a very promising 2017 campaign, with a lot of our talented vets back,  and some younger players who look like they could be special.

Will hit ya back on Monday. I’ve also attached a video from the 2008 season that really charged me up for 2017. I hope you’ll like it. Our stellar inside linebackers coach Chris Marve is in it. Have an outstanding rest of your week. Thanks.

Atlanta Falcons (13-5) vs. New England Patriots (16-2)

NRG Stadium, Houston (72,220), retractable roof, no weather issue

5:30 PM CT/6:30 PM ET

FOX

Joe, Troy, EA, Chris Myers

Lead Whistle: Carl Cheffers

Patriots by 3

Playoffs record: 6-0

I’ve been thinking Patriots the last two weeks. It’s very hard to go against Brady and Belichick. With two weeks to stop the Falcons, Belichick is one guy who can. Brady is unstoppable, as are his receivers and running backs. The Patriots have the leading scoring defense in the NFL.

With that said, I’m going with Julio and Matt to get it done on Sunday in Houston, and give Atlanta their first Super Bowl championship in 51 years of the franchise’s existence. Matt and Julio go off. Brady, Chris Hogan, Julian Eddleman and the stud Patriot cast do too. But Atlanta has a stud cast of their own on offense. So I’ll take the Falcons in an upset. It’ll be an electric offensive game. Gaga at halftime. Should be interesting as well. 

Falcons 38, Patriots 35 

I had a chance to speak with Coach Corbin on the phone last week and get his thoughts and opinions on this year’s baseball squad. Corbs was his typically engaging, positive and got me pumped up for another stellar year heading into the February 17th opener @ San Diego. First pitch is 8 PM CT/9 PM ET. The Dores will face a talented Toreros team for a weekend set. Should be some vid on vucommodores.com or Facebook Live. 

Corbs, who has taken his teams to 11 straight regional appearances, 12 overall, 6 Super Regionals, 3 college world series appearances, 2 national championship series along with a national championship in 2014,  brings back 19 letterman and welcomes 14 newcomers from a 2017 class that was ranked No.10 in the country, and has off the chart talent and the typical work ethic all Corbin coached teams possess. 

Jeren Kendall will play center field. The junior hit .332 last year with 9 long ones and 59 Ribeyes. Jeren was selected 1st team All American by the coaches. Kyle Wright will be our Friday Night guy. Kyle was 8-4 last season with a 3.09 ERA with 32 walks and 107 ring ups. He’s a stud and along with Jeren, Will Toffey, Jason Delay and Ro Coleman, comprise our leaders this season.

We are ranked No.6 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, and No.7 in the D1 Baseball Top 25. We’ve got a shot to go the distance. Here’s my conversation with Corbs. 

DW: What are your thoughts on the 2017 Vanderbilt baseball team?

TC: It’s too early to tell right now. Last year we lost a lot of key guys from the year before. After it was all done, the way the kids navigated their way through the season, I thought it was a pretty consistent group. To be honest with you, we lost a lot of kids, a lot of position players and pitchers from the year before. Because of that, the kids got a lot of game experience. We played a lot of newcomers. Of course, we had Bryan Reynolds, Jordan Sheffield and Ben Bowden who were key components of that team. But at the same time, there was a lot of youth inside that group. Because of those experiences, it will help us moving forward. But we’ll see how it all shakes out.

Note: Last year’s team finished 43-19 and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year. The season ended in tragedy as Donny Everett lost his life in a drowning incident right before the NCAA regional series. It was an impossible situation due to the tremendous tragedy. They had lost their teammate. It was a very difficult time.

DW: I know how difficult the year ended. How has the team responded to that?

TC: I think we were slow out of the gates in September and October. It took some time. We’ve progressively gotten better. The timing of it, and there is no good time ever for something like that, but when it happened, four days later they’re gone. They’re off to summer ball. So we didn’t really have a chance to deal with it as a team for a long period of time. It’s just days. Days put together. Grief is a very difficult thing. I think the positive of it is we’ve had Teddy Everett (Donny’s father) around quite a bit. He’s kind of like an honorary dad. He’s been around quite a bit. He comes to a lot of workouts, which is nice. I think he just enjoys being around us as a whole, so it’s nice to have the Everetts in and around our facility quite a bit. I think that’s the positive that’s come from it.

DW: How do you approach that? Do you play for Donny?

TC: I think you play with him. When you’ve been around a teammate and someone who’s got such a positive personality and he’s taken from you, I just think you play with him. There’s a certain part of his spirit that is left with us. Possibly, some of us left with him. So we still celebrate him, we still talk about him. A lot of times we talk about him like he’s still here. I just think you continually play with him. Teddy’s influence and Teddy being around is a nice part of that. 

DW: Don’t ever want to discount Donny’s impact on the team, but getting back to this team. Guys like Jeren Kendall, Will Toffey, Jason Delay, Ro Coleman, Kyle Wright what do they need to improve on as players?

TC: If you return guys who were drafted, those are your best recruits. When a guy like Jason Delay comes back to school particularly at a catcher position, because catching in college baseball is a commodity, to find one that’s good at what he does, it really helps your cause. And, as you know, Jason’s got experience and he’s got ability. So to have him back it helps with the growth of the pitching staff and their overall development. We’re lucky to have him back. And a guy like Toffey, too. He was drafted and there wasn’t a huge part of him that wanted to go out, even though he was a 21 year old sophomore. Nonetheless, he had a chance to go out and you certainly can’t take him for granted. Will’s got some pretty good experience, he’s been part of a college world series team and part of a finalist team (in 2015). He’s played third base ever since he’s stepped on campus. So those defensive positions by themselves are big. You’ve got to include Ro because Ro is just an old soul. He’s just one of these kids who has played ever since he started here, and he’s filled with integrity. He’s just a quality, quality guy. His senior year, I feel like he’s grown physically. He’s stronger and more mature on the field and there are just things he’s doing that he wasn’t doing 12 months ago. So I trust those kids.

And Jeren’s got some nice talent. Jeren’s got overriding athletic ability that you don’t see a lot of places. He’s got a chance to help us a great deal. And I look at Infante, Jones, Kaiser and Paul, those are four sophomores that got a lot of key repetitions last year. They got more than 500 at bats, so they’ll all be in the mix of an infield spot. But I gotta believe Julian (Infante) will play some first, Alonzo (Jones) and Ethan (Paul) will play in the middle, and one of them will end up dh-ing. As a nucleus it’s pretty solid. I think we can defend our positions pretty well and now it’s a matter of putting it together. Kyle Wright, as you mentioned, will probably be at the front of the line in the rotation and Patrick Raby had a pretty good freshman season and I imagine that he would have a chance to start for us too. And we’ve got some pretty good other parts, but I don’t know where they fit yet. 

DW: How about the outfield? I understand Jeren will be in center this year (moving over from right). 

TC: Yes, he’ll probably play center. I’d say Ro in left, and after that, we got a young kid named Justin Bleday who’d mature. He’s got some mature offensive ability. Then possibly Walker Grisanti and Stephen Scott. Both played a little bit last year. So there are certainly possibilities. Reed Hayes is a right handed hitter who also pitches for us. He’s got some strength if he’s going to play in the field it would be as a corner outfielder. So we’re working him out there, but he’s also got a chance to pitch for us. So that’s kind of where we are with that spot. 

DW: Finally, how does the bullpen look like arm-wise? Do you feel good about that spot?

TC: Yes. I don’t know which piece will start, it could be Chandler Day, Matt Ruppenthal, it could be Collin Snider, it could be Matt McGarry, it could be Maddox Conger. And any one of those kids could be a relief piece too. They certainly could. I wouldn’t be able to tell you right now. Who will pitch at the end of the game?  Reed Hayes is part of that too. I like the way Maddux Conger has improved. Matt McGarry is coming along pretty well. Chandler Day is coming along. Those are three sophomore arms along with Donny last year. All three of those kids are possibilities. Ruppenthal had the most appearances on our team last year so he certainly could fill that role (as closer). Collin Snider has pitched a lot for us as a freshman and there’s some experience there. Freshman wise, Drake Fellows and Zach King are further along. Fellows is a big right handed arm (6’5″, 205). Zach King is a big left handed arm (6’6″, 210). Drake could potentially start for us. King is more of a bullpen guy. I like the way those kids have grown so far. Jackson Gillis is a left handed kid who’s got a very good arm. He just needs time. A.J. Franklin is a left hander who’s getting better He started in junior college and pitched some at Mississippi State. Patton Stover has been injured. I don’t know how quickly he’ll come back. Both pitched pretty well for us in the fall. Michael Sandborn (left hander) is a freshman from Florida. He was injured in the fall so I don’t know how much time it’ll take with him. Reed Hayes will pitch for us, more at the back end of the game. He’s a junior college kid and he’s kind of got a Dansby-like body, but he’s a little thicker (6’3″, 185). He’s an outfielder/pitcher. 

DW: Are there any particular strengths to this group?

TC: We’re just trying to grow the pieces together. I’m all about building the locker room and teaching in the classroom. We’re trying to get them to grow as a group. I think in time we have a chance to be a solid team. The pitching was the part I was most concerned about in the fall, but the growth from October till now has been pretty good. We haven’t faced any competition so it’s tough to say. The pitchers have gotten better at harnessing the ball, manipulating the ball and throwing strikes. I’ve seen growth and that’s nice to see. Defensively, I think we’ll handle the ball well. Toffey is a solid third baseman who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. It’s just a matter of what we’ll do at second base. But you’ve got Jonesey and Ethan and they’re pretty good players. Infante could play first and he’s pretty solid. The Brewer kid (Alex Brewer) is a left handed hitter and I like him. I like his bat Whether he plays, I’m not sure. I just think the middle of the diamond shapes up pretty good. Delay, Kaiser (short), Jones or Paul, then Kendall. Just to be able to catch the ball in the middle of the field, you have a chance to be somewhat consistent. That’s how I see it right now.

Offensively, it’s tough for me to figure. We start off well with San Diego and they’ve got everybody back and he really likes his team. So we’re really going to be challenged early playing on the road. It’s a nice start for us.

DW: You added some new coaches to the staff.

TC: We have. D.J. Svihilk as our hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. D.J. was with the Yankees for 16 years as a scout. I’ve known his a long time. When I was at Clemson (as asst coach) he played second base for Illinois. We played them in the regionals. D.J. was one of the most effective evaluators in the country when he was at the Yankees. When Travis (Jewett) took off for Tulane (as head coach), I thought it was a very nice acquisition for us. He’s got a good way about him, he’s intelligent, he’s a very good communicator with the kids. I really enjoy him in our program.

Aaron Gershenfeld took over Blake’s position (Blake Allen). Aaron has a lot of positive energy. He played at Louisville in 2011, and we played them in the CWS. He was a full time recruiting coordinator at East Tennessee State last year. We put him in Blake’s position and he’s been good. He’s been very good with the hitters and very good with Jason Delay and the backup catchers.

And Brownie (Associate Head coach and pitching coach Scott Brown), we’re so fortunate to have him. We’ve had great pitching coaches in this program. D.J. (Derek Johnson) to Brownie we haven’t skipped a beat in that area. We’re lucky to have him. He’s very skilled at what he does. He’s just a very consistent personality and the kids really appreciate that.

DW: Do you see this team as another special group like we’ve had at Vanderbilt for so many years in a row?

TC: I’m really enjoying these kids. I see them every day and they are very invested in the program. What that’s going to look like on the scoreboard, I don’t know. I always think we’re going to be somewhat consistent. I just focus on their work habits, and their work habits are good. They come ready to play when they’re in the training environment. They take ownership in things. I like’em. We started slow for obvious reasons. When we got back here (in the fall) it was slow going. I would go home and Maggie (Corbs’ wife who’s at every practice), would say, “What do you think?” I told her “I don’t know.” But I think now we’re headed in the right direction.  We cancelled the Black and Gold game because we didn’t have enough parts due to injuries, and I gave’em four days off and told them to get away from the field for a while. We came back from that and it was just different. We came along really well. I felt like their spirits were a little bit better. The environment has been good. I feel pretty good about this group.

DW: How many guys will be playing in the majors next season?

TC: 12. And they all come back here, which they don’t have to do. It’s just a big family we have here.

The 11 players are David Price with the Red Sox, Sonny Gray with the A’s, Mike Minor of the Royals, Dansby Swanson with the Braves, Carson Fulmer with the White Sox, Tony Kemp with the Astros, Ryan Flaherty with the Orioles, Curt Casali with the Rays and Drew Verhagen with the Tigers. Caleb Cotham, Pedro Alvarez and Mike Baxter are free agents but should get picked up.  

Quite a contingency with many more in the minor leagues who are knocking on the door to get into “The Show.” Tyler Beede (Giants’ minors), Mike Yaztrzemski (Orioles), Zander Wiel (Twins) Rhett Wiseman (Nationals) Connor Harrell (Tigers) Adam Ravanelle (Tigers). The list goes on. Phenomenal. 

TPC Scottsdale, 7,266 yards, par 71

Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama

TV: Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel, 2-6 PM CT/3-7 PM CT/3-7 PM ET; Saturday-Sunday, Golf, 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET. 

Weather: Sunny and perfect, 72-78 all 4 days. Wind minimal Thursday, Friday, 4-9 MPH Saturday, Sunday, so maybe a slight factor Sat and Sun.

Key Hole: No 16 par 3 163 yards: One of the most famous and without a doubt the loudest hole in golf. There will be 20,000 raucous, rowdy fans filling this fully enclosed stadium hole. They are pumped, energized and are ready to let a player know if they hit a good shot or a bad shot. Plus it’s Super Bowl Sunday so everybody’s pumped. The patrons cheer loudly for a shot on the green that is 25 feet and in for birdie, but boo without remorse for a shot that misses the green. The players have a blast with it as some of them put on the jersey of their favorite football team and with Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium Sunday, there may be players donning a Patriots or Falcons jersey, or for the local guys, like Pat Perez and Phil, maybe an Arizona State jersey. It’s loud, it’s fun and it’s pressure filled on Sunday. It’s a key, nerve wrecking hole for the players with trouble to the right and a trap in front on the left. A par here is a good score on Sunday and a birdie is a huge bonus with the 323 yard par 4 17th coming up in which players can reach the green off the tee and have a putt at eagle. Though it’s pretty challenging to stay on the green and make eagle and even birdie on the huge, lengthy green. Then the players finish at 18, a difficult 438 yard, par 4, that requires a 280 yard carry over water on the player’s left.The longer hitters really have an advantage on TPC Scottsdale.

Winner

Going with the 23 year old gunslinger from Dallas. It’s time the young stud wins again. Justin Thomas can’t steal all the thunder this year.

Jordan Spieth

There was so much to like about our basketball teams’ 68-54 victory over Texas A&M last night before 7,508  fans at Reed Arena in College Station.

Both on offense and defense we dominated the game. We have really been bringin’ it on the offensive end recently, but last night we brought our hard hats and lunch pales to the defensive end and on the glass.

We held A&M to under 40% from the field, 21-of-53, and 28% from the behind the line, 5-of-18. Our game plan was to double down on their stellar big men, Tyler Davis and Robert Williams, and we executed that to perfection. They shot 7-of-11 from the stripe and we only attempted three free throw attempts but we sank all three with Joe Toye going 2-for-2 and Riley LaChance sinking 1-for-1 to complete an, and 1 three point play.

I loved our defense. We built a 21 point lead, but A&M started sinking some shots and cut it to 8, 55-47, with just under 5 minutes left. Then Joe sank a deep 3 from the corner, and Jeff Roberson, who, along with Joe had another super game, connected from downtown to put us up by 14 again. We closed the game off well and moved to 11-11 and 4-5 in conference play. A&M dropped to 11-10 and 3-6. We now face Ole Miss Saturday at 2 PM CT/3 PM ET on ESPNU. The game will be at home. Need to get it loud in the gym on Saturday. This team is starting to really turn it on. I like what is developing with this group.

Luke Kornet and Matthew Fisher-Davis led the team in scoring with 12 apiece. They were both 2-for-5 from three. Jeff had 11 and 6 boards, another stellar workmanlike performance from our junior forward. Nolan Cressler really started off hot sinking a 3 on our first possession, driving to the rack and scoring, and sinking another 3 early in the game. Nolan finished with 10 points and 5 boards. Joe Toye played a phenomenal game. Joe finished with 11 points and 5 boards. Joe is only a sophomore and is peaking as a basketball player. Riley was Riley. Another solid performance from our junior point guard. Riley only had 3 points, but he added 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Riley will score more now with us taking it inside and scoring more that way. Like where Riley is at. Payton Willis played another solid game off the bench at point guard. Payton sank a 3, finished with 3 points, and had 3 assists.

And maybe the story of the night was the play of Clevon Brown. Our 6’8″, 215 pound freshman finished with 8 points and 5 boards. Clevon had a couple of massive slams in there, and played aggressively and so well. Clevon and Joe give us very good athletic ability when they’re on the floor together. We have a lot of good athletes, but those two are elite.

We shot 48% from the floor, 28-of-59, 9-of-27 from trifecta, 33%, and, of course, 3-of-3 from the line. Another key stat was our rebounding. We out-rebounded them 35-28. That’s huge. If we can play defense and rebound like we did last night, we’re going to win a lot more basketball games and be a threat to make a run in February and March. We also turned it over only 11 times and had 16 assists which led to 28 points. Just really loved the way we competed in a hostile environment against a pretty good basketball team. Next up, Ole Miss. Need this one at home. Ole Miss took No.2/3 Baylor (AP, Coaches poll respectively) to the wire  before losing 78-75 at home, and just crushed Mississippi State last night, 88-61 at home. They have a really good big man in senior Sebastian Saiz, who averages 15.8 ppg, and 11.2 rebounds, which leads the SEC. He’s a load at 6’*9″, 240. Junior guard Deandre Burnett averages 16.9 ppg, and they’ve got some other good players. Luke and Jeff will have their work cut out underneath and Ole Miss teams always shoot it well under Andy Kennedy, who was a prolific shooter at UAB when he played there in the late 80’s. So huge game Saturday at Memorial. Can’t wait to see the guys play and continue their momentum. We’ll go for 3 in a row on Saturday and 4 of our last 5 with the only loss coming in a heartbreaker to Arkansas, where we lost by a point at home. But that’s behind us and we’re trending very well.

Football signees

Coach Derek Mason secured 20 signees for 2017, with possibly 1 if not 2 more to come. Here is a look at the guys in the fold.

1. Brayden DeVault-Smith

Brayden, a 6’3″, 208 pound middle linebacker, is a late pickup for Coach Mason and the staff. Pretty impressive numbers though. Brayden posted 155 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 3 forced fumbles for a Pearl-Cohn team in Nashville that finished the season 12-2 and reached the finals of the 4A playoffs. The Firebirds played in the semis or finals all 3 years Brayden played. Brayden is underrated by Rivals and 247. Certainly a solid 3 star, though they both have him rated as a 2 star, which I don’t buy at all. His numbers and his team certainly dispute that rating. Brayden’s high school coach, Tony Brunetti, says Brayden is a super kid and will “blossom into a jewel”. Vanderbilt  inside linebackers coach Chris Marve is high on Brayden as a person and as a football player. Marve sees Brayden, with some work in the weight room and reps with the team, developing into a super linebacker for us. Just watched Brayden’s film. Super hitter, tackler, saw him intercept 2 passes and force a fumble. He looks like a dominant player. Just get him in the weight room with Coach Dobson and Brayden’ll be a force for us in the future. 

2. Dayo Odeyinbo

Dayo is a 6’6″, 255 pound defensive lineman out of Carrolton Ranchview High School in Irving, Texas. Dayo is the younger brother of our stellar rising junior defensive end Dare Odeyingbo. Dayo was rated as high as a 4 star recruit by ESPN and Scout, and a high 3 star by Rivals and 247. Dayo finished the season with 20 tackles for loss and 7 quarterback sacks to go along with 47 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. Ranchview Coach Terry Smith called Dayo ” a warrior” who rarely came off the field. Coach Smith says Dayo’s attitude is through the roof special. Dayo’s film is beyond impressive. He gets to the quarterback, takes him down violently in a good football sense, buries running backs in the run game, and dominates the line of scrimmage. Dayo selected VU over offers from A&M, Oklahoma, Baylor, Colorado and Miss. State. Super pickup here. Defensive line coach C.J. Ah You says that Dayo will be “a disruptive force and physical presence.” His film shows that there is no doubt about that. Love the addition of little brother Dayo. 

3. Grant Miller

The 6’4″, 260 pound consensus 3 star offensive tackle from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale helped his team capture a 7A state championship in Florida, the highest classification in the Sunshine state. His senior season, Grant was credited with 28 knockdown blocks, 11 pancake blocks and just one sack allowed. Also, Grant  did not commit a single penalty this past season. Grant is a high academic achiever as well. Grant’s coach at perennial national powerhouse Aquinas, Roger Harriott, said “Grant’s work ethic, laser-beam focus, and moral compass have made a positive impression on our community. He possesses the size, strength and athleticism to perform at an elite level.” Grant buries people on film. Super physical player who dominates his opponent both in the running and passing game. VU Offensive line coach Cameron Norcross loves Grant’s size and physicality and says he is “highly intelligent and extremely athletic.” Grant chose us over offers from North Carolina, Minnesota and Colorado State among others. Coach Dobson will get Grant up to 300+ then watch out. 

4. Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Ke’Shawn was a consensus 4 star running back coming out of Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville 3 years ago He has transferred to VU from Illinois. Ke ran for 2,646 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior. Wow. He’s a take it to the house opportunity player every time he touches the ball. Ke is 5’10”, 210 pounds, and on film, has ability to out-physical and break tackles and always take it the distance. His speed is superb, I saw take about two or three carries that went to the house for 60+ yards, and he’s a serious student according to his high school coach. Can’t wait to see Ke play in the SEC. He’ll be available in 2018 as he is a transfer from Illinois. VU running backs coach Jeff Genyk says, “his physical running style, acceleration and shiftiness make him a very difficult challenge for defenders. He will excel in the SEC.” As a freshman at Illinois, Ke’Shawn ran for 723 yards and 6 scores. And as a sophomore, he ran for 301 yards and 3 TDs. He’ll excel at VU. His high school coach, Tony Brunetti, calls Ke, “one of the most talented backs to ever come out of Metro.”

5. Tae Daley

Tae is a consensus solid 3 star signee out of Northside HIgh School in Warner Robins, GA. The 6’0″, 185 safety posted 5 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 84 tackles his senior year for the 11-3 Eagles which reached the Class 6A semifinals. Tae accumulated 13 interceptions and more than 200 tackles as a 3 year starter at Northside.  Tae’s film is superb. He is physical, a ball hawk, and a superb tackler. I saw him make 2 awesome interceptions on film and strip and take away a ball from a running back while the running back was trying to get extra yards. We’re really going to like Tae. Looks like a player who could play as a freshman. Advanced skills. Tae is enrolled and will be participating in spring ball. Tae could play corner as well. Tae selected us over offers from Ole Miss, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Purdue and Central Florida. 

6. Dimitri Moore

Dimitri, a solid 6’3″, 208 pound outside linebacker, is another early enrollee. Dimitri was a consensus 3 star player out of Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, TX. He was a 2 time captain and helped Cedar Hill to a 34-7 record as a 3 year letterman, which included 1 state title and 3 playoff appearances. Dimitri finished his senior year with 90 total tackles, 61 solos, 12 quarterback sacks, and 18 tackles for loss. Dimitri selected us over Arkansas, Missouri, Arizona State and Minnesota among others. Dimitri’s film is outstanding. I saw him make a beautiful interception and make some massive hits. Highly physical, tough competitor, who is also a playmaker at linebacker. 

7. Jalen Pinkney

Another consensus highly valued 3 star player, Jalen, a 6’4″, 230 pound defensive lineman, d end  out of Norcross, GA, Norcross High School, and is the younger brother of standout VU tight end Jared Pinkney. He was a senior captain and 3 year letter-winner at Norcross. As a senior, Jalen posted 13 QB sacks, 23 tackles for loss and 71 total tackles. Norcross finished the season 11-1 and reached the second round of the Class 7A playoffs. As a sophomore, Jalen helped Norcross win the class 7A state championship. Jalen’s film is ultra-impressive. He’s a sacking-tackling for loss machine. Very athletic, violent tackler. Outstanding football player. Jared’s a stud and Jalen is going follow suit for Vanderbilt football.

8. Jonathan Stewart

This massive 6’8″, 305 pound consensus solid 3 star tackle is out of Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, GA. Jonathan was a senior co-captain like many of our other signees, Jonathan recorded 28 knockdown blocks leading Mountain View to an 8-3 overall record and the 7A state playoffs in the highly competitive class in the state of Georgia. Jonathan is also an honors student like many guys in our class. He picked Vanderbilt over offers from Virginia, Iowa State, Central Florida, South Florida and Western Kentucky, all solid programs. The latter 3 went to bowl games and South Florida and Western Kentucky dominated their bowl games, so we beat out some solid, on the rise programs for Jonathan’s services.  Jonathan’s film is super impressive. Just a dominant player who enjoys burying opponents both in the running game and the passing game. Just destroys defensive players. Jonathan is part of our superb four player offensive line class.

9. Colin Anderson

Colin is a 6’2, 212 pound consensus high 3 star outside linebacker out of Brooks High School in Florence, AL. His senior season, Colin posted 56 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles for a Brooks team that finished 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the Alabama Class 5A playoffs. Alabama’s classifications go up to 7A, but 5A is highly competitive in a state that loves its football. Colin picked VU over Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss. State, South Carolina, Michigan and Louisville among others. Colin took an interception 35 yards back to the house, blocked a punt and hammered ball carriers and quarterbacks on film. Colin’s a stellar player who we’re going to love. 

10. Bryce Bailey

Bryce is a 6’5″, 305 massive offensive tackle who was a consensus high 3 star playing for Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana. Bryce was an All-State performer who was credited with 25 domination blocks, and 12 pancake blocks for an offense that averaged 35 points per game. Bryce was a three year starter for Newburgh and senior captain. He’s an honors student and a four year student council representative. The team went 8-4 this past season and reached the 5A quarters. Bryce selected us over Louisville, Purdue, Illinois and Cincy among others. Our O line coach Cameron Norcross loves Bryce’s physicality and “mean streak.” On film, Bryce buried not one but two defenders on a run play, his pass blocking technique is perfect, and his run blocking is dominant and physical. Bryce will be a force for us up front in the coming years.

11. Stone Edwards

Stone is a 6’5″, 245 defensive end who played at Orange High School in Hillsborough, N.C. He is a consensus 3 star player. Stone was a senior captain. As a senior playing defense tackle and end he played a major part in the defense only allowing 35 points during the regular season. Stone registered 15 sacks, 23 tackles for loss among his 67 tackles, and  helped his Panthers team finish undefeated in the regular season 12-1 overall. Stone was an All-State performer. He’s called a high academic achiever. Stone chose us over Ga Tech, Marshall, Miami of Ohio and Old Dominion among others. 247 sports Barton Simmons calls him possibly the most dominant player in our class. Stone is a physical, violent pass rusher. The quarterback will dread seeing Stone coming after him in college. This is a major late addition for the staff as Stone committed on Sunday. 

12. Jacob Free

Jacob is a high 3 star quarterback out of Brantley, AL. He has super size at 6’4″, 212. He was senior captain and a three year starter for the Brantley Bulldogs. He was a first team All-State for the Class 1A team that went 7-5 and reached the second round of the playoffs. Jacob accumulated 7,425 passing yards and 92 TD passes as a 3 year starter. He was a standout baseball player and also played basketball. Jacob is an honors student. He chose us over Louisville, Purdue, Memphis, Troy and Western Kentucky among others. Jacob can throw the deep ball and the intermediate ball with perfect accuracy. He’s got a cannon and has superb mobility. I saw him run for a 10 yard score and a 35 yard score. This is an exciting pickup to go along with the excellent quarterbacks we already have on the roster. 

13. James Bostic

James is a 6’3″, 205 pound consensus 3 star wide receiver out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale. As a senior, James caught 26 passes for 415 yards and 7 TDs for a team that finished 9-2 and reached the 2nd round of the Class 5A playoffs. James chose us over N.C. State, Wake Forest, Temple and Middle Tennessee among others. Saw James catch and run for  6 house calls on film. He has deceptively good speed. Sometimes 40 speed doesn’t equate to field speed. His speed and explosiveness on the field are much better than his solid 40 time. He has super hands and athletic ability. Love the size as well. He will be a nightmare for opposing cornerbacks and a playmaker for Vanderbilt football. Super pickup.

14. Randall Haynie

Randall is a teammate of James Bostic and is 6’0″ 180 pound  a 3 star cornerback out of Cardinal Gibbons, who was a 4 star by Scout recruiting service. As a senior shutdown corner, Randall posted 43 tackles, 9 passes defended, forced 2 fumbles and blocked 2 punts for a team that went 9-2 and reached the second round of the Florida 5A playoffs where they lost to the eventual state champion. Randall chose us over Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Maryland among others. On film, quarterbacks have a really difficult time completing passes against Randall. He is lockdown. He’s an awesome tackler and I saw him block a punt which he took to the house and also blocked an attempted extra point. Another stud signee for Coach Mason.

15. Chris Pierce

Chris is a consensus 3 star wide receiver out of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, VA. He has super size at 6’4″, 208, much like Bostic. He was a 2 year captain, and caught 43 passes for 709 yards and 11 TDs his senior year for Smithfield which finished the season 8-3 and reached the 4A East Region playoffs in Virginia. As a junior, Chris caught 45 passes for 776 and 13 TDs. He’s an honors student. Chose VU over Virginia, Old Dominion, Maryland, Wake Forest, Boston College and Temple among others. Chris has super hands and he’s just so much bigger than the secondary players on film. He caught a pass for a TD in which he used super footwork to keep a foot in. He’s also a tackle breaking machine after he catches the ball. He broke 2 tackles as he took a 45 yarder to the house. Very good speed. Along with James, Chris gives us 2 terrific receivers in this class to go along with the stellar guys we already have on the roster.

16. Cole Clemens 

Cole is a 6’6″, 305 pound consensus 3 star offensive lineman out of Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. Cole’s size is superb like our other o line signees. He was a multi-year captain for a national powerhouse that captured 14 consecutive victories and a Class 5A state championship in 2016. Bingham won back to back state titles Cole’s junior and senior seasons. Cole registered 30 knockdown blocks and was a three-time All State selection. He earned multiple letters as the pitcher on the baseball team. He is called a high academic achiever. Cole chose Vanderbilt over BYU, Virginia, Utah and Air Force among others. On film, Cole likes to knock defensive players down and hit’em some more when they’re on the ground. Massive, violent blocker. Love this guy. Cole will be a dominant offensive lineman at VU.

17. Allan George

Allan is a 6’1″, 182 pound 3 star cornerback out of Andalusia, AL. He was a senior co-captain. As a senior at the 4A power, Alabama goes up to 7A, Allan was first team All-State. He finished the season with 7 interceptions, 49 tackles and 9 passes defended for a 12-2 Bulldog squad that advanced to the 4A semifinals. He also returned 2 punts and an int for a TD. Allan was a standout guard in basketball, he is currently starting for his fourth consecutive year on the bball team and is a National Honor Society and student government member. Allan selected VU over Richmond, Navy and LA-Monroe among others. Allan’s film is highly impressive. Saw 3 ints, a 50 yard punt return for a TD, and some super tackling ability. Allan was a late pickup. The Vanderbilt family will be glad we got Allan on board.

18. Michael Owusu

Michael is a 6’5″, 210 consensus 3 star linebacker from Oaks Christian High School in Oxnard, California, one of Southern California’s top private schools. Michael had 54 tackles as a senior and four quarterback sacks for a playoff team. He is a standout in basketball also. Michael selected us over Southern Cal, Michigan, Missouri, California, Washington State and Boise State among others. Michael was a huge signee this morning. He chose us over an offer from USC. He was down to the two schools and chose us. Huge pickup. Michael is highly athletic, has super length, I saw him bat down a couple of balls on film, and he’s a terrific pass rusher and run stopper. Michael was high on our board for a long time, so this was a spectacular pickup today.

19.Feleti Afemui

Feleti is a 6’3″, 222 pound consensus 3 star linebacker our of Maui High School in Kahului, Hawaii. He was a 2 year captain and 3 year starter for the Sabers. He  was an all-state player as a senior registering 61 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Ranks among the top of his senior class academically. Feleti chose us over offers from Washington State, Utah, UNLV and others. Feleti is a physical, dominating linebacker on film. He lays the lumber on running backs and QBs and took a fumble return back 75 yards to the house. He’s highly athletic and like all of our players, he has a massive motor. This is an excellent late pickup by Coach Mason and the staff. 

20. Jonah Buchanan

Another from the Poly pipeline out of Hawaii, Jonah is a solid 6’4″, 270 pound defensive lineman out of Iolani High School in Honolulu. He was a captain as a senior and a two year starter on the defensive front and led his team to the Division 1 state finals this season. Jonah recorded 39 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. He was a contributor on the Division II state championship squad as a sophomore.  He threw the shot put and discus in track and field. He has earned two letters in basketball. Jonah is a member of the Latin Honor Society. On film, Jonah is a disrupter, an excellent tackler who lays heavy lumber, and is another tough, physical player that Coach Mason loves. Awesome late addition to the class.

Final comment

I love this class. Highly athletic. Many of them are basketball, baseball, track or wrestling standouts. It’s a highly athletic group with both power and skill. We can win a lot of games with this class. We’re going to win a lot of games next year.