Redshirt senior Mackenzi Adams gets the call again, and this time, it may be the biggest test of his college career.
Adams, who took over early in the Georgia Tech game for injured Commodore quarterback Larry Smith, will get the starting nod against the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators (8-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) this Saturday in Gainesville. Smith's hamstring injury was serious enough to end his season for the Commodores (2-7, 0-5).
Johnson has made a habit out of calling Adams' number over the years and has a great deal of confidence in his ability to lead the offense.
"Mackenzi always prepares hard. He works hard at practice and is ready to go in at any time,” said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "Mackenzi is really smart. He knows our offense and it won't take him long to get up to speed."
In 2008, Adams saw time in 12 of the Commodores’ 13 games, including several off of the bench. While he has seen little action with the No. 1 offense in practice this year, he appeared to transition smoothly into the flow of last weekend’s game against Georgia Tech, completing 12 of 22 passes for 152 yards.
“It took me a little bit to get used to the speed of the game. I was a little rusty but was able to jump in there,” Adams said. “It starts with preparations all week to stay prepared to enter the game.”
Against Florida, Adams will need to be more than resilient if he is to lead his team to victory. Florida has one of the stingiest defenses in the country, allowing only 11.0 points per game and ranked first in the Southeastern Conference and second in the country for least points allowed.
In addition, the Commodores may be without starting offensive tackle Thomas Welch due to a recurring ankle injury. The Commodore offense will have to be productive and eliminate the turnovers that plagued them during the Georgia Tech game.
“We were rolling for a while but had some costly turnovers that we can’t have against an offense like Georgia Tech,” Adams said. “We need to eliminate that if we’re going to win big games.”
Adams is no stranger to stepping up during big games. Last season, Adams came off the bench to throw for two touchdowns, leading the Commodores to a critical win against Auburn. The same will likely be expected of him this weekend: to be ready to lead the team when the coach calls.
It's during the dog days of a losing season when the resolve of athletes and teams get put to the test. It would be difficult, however, to think of a better way to cap off Adams’ senior year and salvage a challenging season for the Commodores than a big game and upset of the top-ranked Florida Gators this Saturday.
With team pride on the line, Adams will have to step up to the challenge of a top-ranked Gators team in order to have any chance of success.
