By Michael
Ward
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The
Vanderbilt Commodores held the “Spring Gold and Black Game” on April 13 at Vanderbilt
Stadium in a game that reflected the high hopes Commodore fans have for the
upcoming season.
The Black team, the projected
starters for the 2013 season, escaped with a narrow victory as place kicker
Carey Spear kicked one through the uprights with two seconds left in the
fourth, giving the Black team a 17-15 lead and victory over the young Gold
team.
“I think the spring game gave
our staff proof that overall team depth continues to improve,” said Head Coach
James Franklin. “We had a number of younger guys, a lot of redshirt freshmen,
that played with a great deal of urgency and showed they are ready to compete
for playing time this year.”
The Black team started off
strong, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game, one coming off a 2-yard
run by Wesley Tate and the other behind the arm of Senior Quarterback Austyn
Carta-Samuels. The Gold team made a late surge in the fourth quarter behind
true freshman quarterback Johnny McCrary and redshirt freshman quarterback
Patton Robinette to go up 15-14 with less than five minutes to play.
“Austyn Carta-Samuels took a
great deal of ownership of the position this spring,” said Franklin. “Patton
Robinette and Johnny McCrary are doing an excellent job learning our offense,
and developing their talents. None of them are as far along as we need them, but
I expect all of them to substantially improve as we approach summer camp.”
The defenses stood out above
all. Besides a few large yardage plays by the offense, the defense consistently
got the offenses off the field quickly, a necessary attribute of a team that
hopes to compete for a Southeastern Conference title. The two teams combined for
12 sacks and more than 15 tackles for loss, led by redshirt sophomore Darien
Bryant with 2.5 sacks for the Gold.
Police report that 6,000 to
8,000 were expected to attend the “Gold and Black Game.” After a surprisingly
successful 9-4 2012 season, Franklin has commodore fans and staff excited for
this upcoming year.
“Coach Franklin has
substantially changed the mindset and the culture surrounding Vanderbilt football,”
added Sports Information Director Larry Leathers. “You see people walking
around in Vanderbilt shirts and hats. And finally, you now hear Vanderbilt fans
across the nation saying hello to each other with an “Anchor Down.” James
Franklin is responsible for popularizing the phrase.”
Franklin and the new atmosphere
around the Vanderbilt football team will have a long summer of workouts, all
focusing on the home opener on Aug. 31, when the Ole Miss Black Bears travel to
Vanderbilt Stadium for the first SEC game of the year. For more information on
Commodore football visit Vanderbilt’s Athletic site at http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-footbl/.
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