SPORTS

Vanderbilt fans vent frustrations over coaches, season

Adam Sparks
asparks@tennessean.com
Vanderbilt fans' frustrations range from play-calling to game management to lack of motivation.

Vanderbilt football fans range from dissatisfied to furious at midseason, and most of them point their frustrations at the first-year coaching staff.

"The team looks unprepared, uncoached and not motivated," said Daryl Nolen, a long-time Vanderbilt fan from Hendersonville. "The thought that you could come in and go 180 degrees against the blueprint that had been laid out and shown to be successful (during former coach James Franklin's tenure) just boggles the mind.

"Only a wholesale change of the coaching staff will fix it at this point. The staff is clearly in over their heads. This is not the league to learn on the job."

Nolen is among a selected sampling of Vanderbilt fans The Tennessean polled for their impressions of the football program. Each fan has been active on Twitter about the Commodores and said they have been Vanderbilt supporters for many years.

Their levels of frustration vary over the Commodores' 2-5 record in head coach Derek Mason's debut season. Some say they have already lost patience only seven games into Mason's tenure, following three straight bowl seasons under Franklin.

"I believe Coach Mason is in over his head and doesn't have a clue what he is doing," said Tim Neely, a long-time season-ticket holder from Bowling Green, Ky. "The man says one thing and does another every single week. I do believe that it takes some time for a new head coach to figure certain things out, but we are seven weeks into the season and he is still as lost as last year's Easter egg."

Not all Vanderbilt fans blame Mason for the lackluster start. Many think Mason, a former standout defensive coordinator at Stanford, has been hampered by poor play-calling from offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell.

Some fans blame Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell's play-calling for the team's struggles.

"There are lots of problems, but play-calling stands out as one of the biggest," said Alan Hall, a Franklin native and Vanderbilt fan for nearly 50 years. "I like Coach Mason, but I think he is adjusting to being a head coach. I hope he makes the transition because I think he is a winner and I think he is a defensive wizard. … I believe the OC (offensive coordinator) needs to adjust to the players more than the players in year one should be adjusting to the OC."

Vanderbilt fan and alum Sean Gilbert, from Raleigh, N.C., said Mason is doing all that he can with an inexperienced team that has played 31 freshmen this season, the most in college football.

"Not many coaches would improve the won-loss column given how young and inexperienced we are," Gilbert said. "The talent and effort from the players is incredible, but having to play 31 freshmen is going to be an uphill battle for any coach in the SEC. Looking back at the incredibly talented senior leaders Franklin had, he gets way too much credit for the success of the 2013 team.

"… I love Coach Mason's enthusiasm, and he seems to be a lot more genuine than past coaches. But he is in a tough spot given our youth and his lack of head coaching experience."

Gilbert said one of the biggest issues is Dorrell's "inability to evaluate a quarterback for your system," as Vanderbilt has used four quarterbacks this season. Opening day starter Patton Robinette has been injured twice, and the Commodores have swapped between him and three other signal-callers a combined 10 times in seven games.

The quarterback carousel is a point of frustration for Vanderbilt fans.

"A hot mess," said Kristen Hayes, a Vanderbilt fan from Smyrna. "The quarterback is usually the leader of the team and with no clear quarterback, we have no clear leader – on offense, at least."

"The dastardly quarterback situation is a microcosm of the ineptitude in this coaching staff's handling of the whole team," added Skip Prince, a Vanderbilt fan of more than 60 years. "Coaches are indecisive, trying to mold quarterbacks (and the) team to Dorrell's system instead of playing to their strengths. … It's not the players. It's been a season of coaching snafus."

Following the bye week, Vanderbilt returns to the field for an Oct. 25 game at Missouri (3 p.m./SEC Network). The Commodores face Old Dominion, Florida, No. 1 Mississippi State and Tennessee to wrap up the season.

"We now expect to compete in most of our games and make a bowl game every year," said 24-year-old fan Chris DeLoach. "That is why there is so much backlash right now toward this coaching staff. I never expected another nine-win season this year, but I did think six wins would be doable. Now I think three is stretching it.

"My biggest fear is becoming SOV (Same Old Vandy) again. Right now, we actually look worse than the old Vandy. We don't even look prepared on Saturdays."

Most Vanderbilt fans said they would give Mason at least one more season before making up their mind on his coaching ability, but none are happy with the early results.

"We don't need to panic just yet and start making coaching changes every other year or we will be back to what the old Vandy was," said Jon Price, a long-time fan and 10-year season-ticket holder.

Fellow season-ticket holder Clay Phillips' expectations for the remainder of this season are to "be competitive, improve each week and beat UT, … but (Mason) should get at least one more year."

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

NEXT GAME

VANDERBILT (2-5, 0-4 SEC) at MISSOURI (4-2, 1-1)

When: 3 p.m. Oct. 25

TV/radio: SEC Network/1510-AM, 95.9-FM, 560-AM