One week after handling Elon, 45-14, in head coach James Franklin’s debut, the Vanderbilt Commodores will play host to reigning Big East champions, the Connecticut Huskies.
“Things that I think are going to be important in (that game) for us is winning the turnover battle again,” Franklin said in Monday’s press conference.
Bringing pressure will be difficult since this UConn team boasts experience at the offensive line led by senior left tackle Mike Ryan. Behind the line, the Huskies feature freshman running back Lyle McCombs who rushed for 141 yards in a 35-3 victory over the Fordham Rams last weekend.
“On defense, we need to be disruptive up front — sacks, tackles for loss — to get their offense off schedule,” Franklin said.
There are three quarterbacks vying for the starting position for UConn, none of which have registered a start prior to this year: Johnny McEntee, Scott McCummings and Mike Nebrich. Just as they did against Fordham, the Huskies will be using these three quarterbacks interchangeably throughout the game, despite their inexperience.
“I think we have a little bit better of a situation because we got to watch tape, so we got to see how the different quarterbacks were used,” Franklin said when asked about the Huskies’ versatility at quarterback.
On the other side of the ball, the Huskies return nine starters from a defensive unit that led them to the Big East championship and the Fiesta Bowl last season.
Franklin is no stranger to UConn and defensive coordinator Don Brown’s schemes, as the pair served on the same coaching staff at Maryland. Brown’s defensive play calling led to the Huskies holding Fordham to a mere 169 total yards last weekend.
According to Franklin, both quarterback Larry Smith and running back Warren Norman will be ready to go on Saturday. Smith was removed from the game in the fourth quarter after a hard hit, while Norman didn’t play the entirety of the game.
“Larry got banged up at the end but that was more a precautionary thing we did with taking him out,” Franklin said. “We feel good about (Warren Norman); we could have played him on Saturday.”
As the Commodores prepare to take on UConn, they will remember last year’s painful loss to the Huskies.
“I remember scoring three touchdowns real quick, and then just coming out in the second half real flat, and we didn’t score again,” said tight end Brandon Barden. “We want to come out this year and beat them for good.”
The Commodore defense needs to take advantage of the Huskies’ inexperienced offensive backfield while the Vanderbilt offense must find holes in UConn’s veteran defense to bring further success to Franklin’s first season.
The players know it will be tough.
“We know they’re a great team,” said linebacker Tristan Strong. “We’re going to have to play our best game.”
