There’s an old saying that asserts: Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves. On Saturday, Vanderbilt made enormous strides from last season in the big picture, only to be undermined by a few critical mistakes, as they fell to Northwestern 23-21.
The Commodores (0-1) played host to Northwestern (1-0) for the first time in school history — their third meeting overall — in a game that some touted as the “SAT Bowl.” To refer to it as such, though, would be to disregard the fact that two talented teams took to the football field on Saturday night and entertained a near-sellout crowd with high-level play.
Unfortunately, the game ended on a sour note for all in attendance. Vanderbilt was forced to play catch-up after redshirt sophomore kicker Ryan Fowler missed an extra point in the second quarter. The Commodores attempted a two-point conversion to knot the score at 17-17, but a quarterback draw was stuffed at the line.
A Northwestern touchdown pass looked to put the game on ice with under five minutes to go, but a missed extra point kept the game within reach at 23-15. However, on Vanderbilt’s ensuing score, another two-point attempt was thwarted by a botched snap.
It was an unfortunate way for the game to end, but it was fitting that Persa’s resilience led the Wildcats to victory. Despite making his first true start, the junior completed 19 of 21 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to running for 82 yards, singlehandedly keeping the Commodore defense on its heels all game.
Persa marched the Northwestern offense down the field early, and the Vanderbilt offense self-destructed on consecutive series, giving the Wildcats a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, Coach Robbie Caldwell made timely use of his timeouts to straighten out the offense, resulting in the offense finally hitting its stride.
Most notably, redshirt junior quarterback Larry Smith began to develop rapport with his receivers. Smith finished with 19 of 33 for 240 yards and one touchdown. Although he also threw one interception — an overthrown pass intended for redshirt junior tight end Brandon Barden — his decision-making was much-improved, a stark contrast from the indecision that plagued him last season.
“(Larry) struggled a little bit in the beginning, but he's a good leader,” Caldwell said. “I think sometimes he presses too hard; all we can tell him to do is relax and play. He’s going to be a fine player for us.”
The offense was also able to breathe a sigh of relief when it was announced that sophomore running backs Warren Norman and Zac Stacy would both be ready to play, despite recovering from injuries suffered during the offseason. Stacy rushed for a team-high 69 yards, including an exhilarating 33-yard touchdown to give the Commodores a shot at the tie in the game’s waning minutes.
“Everything was really in slow motion,” Stacy said. “It just opened up, and I did what was expected of all running backs and made a big play.”
Despite starting the season on the wrong foot, the Commodores are ready to move on.
“It’s always disappointing … but we can't dwell on this loss,” Stacy said. “We fought hard as a team, and we just need to bounce back and get ready for our next big opponent, LSU.”
