Here's what's newsworthy in and around Vanderbilt football as the Commodores get set to travel to Florida this week.
Wallace to start at quarterback
Coach Derek Mason said on Tuesday that he didn’t expect either Riley Neal or Mo Hasan to be cleared from concussion protocol for the Florida game. Neal has started seven times, including last week’s loss at South Carolina (he left after the first possession) and Hasan started (and appeared) just once, that, the team’s lone Southeastern Conference win over Missouri.
And with that, VU will have a third-different starting quarterback this season.
‘l’ll be playing Deuce Wallace and Allan Walters. Those are our quarterbacks, and I’ll have a third ready to go,” Mason said on Tuesday.
Wallace went the distance against Carolina after Neal was hurt, while Walters—a redshirt freshman scholarship quarterback—has yet to take a snap this year.
What will that change?
“The offense changes just a little bit, because I think those guys have a little bit more mobility. … We’re going to have to tweak it just a little bit, but, the main frame of what we do is still there," Mason said. " With these guys, too… it gives us an opportunity, too, to take advantage of some other options in our offense.
“What we’ve got to be able to do is make sure it fits them, it fits our guys, it gets the ball to our playmakers. Obviously we’ve got to be able to run the ball, but throw the ball effectively in order to stay on the field and give ourselves a chance to score points.”
Walters never truly competed for the job in fall camp, and has been working with the scout team all year. On Tuesday, Mason was asked if Walters knows the offense well enough to play.
“He does, because a year ago, he was in a role where he was [getting regular practice reps],” Mason said. “The reality is, he’s gone through everything we’ve gone through in terms of adjustments, what we do, how we work. He’s been in the system long enough. He’s been through spring ball.
“The one thing I’ve seen in Allan through the last month is just how he’s competed. His energy level’s been through the roof. I think it was just confidence; you come to college trying to find your way, there’s guys ahead of you. You come in with a chip on your shoulder, and sometimes the chip gets knocked off, and you lose your confidence. For him, it’s been a year in the making, and when the light turned on, the light really turned on.”
Kalija Lipscomb back
Mason cleared up Kalija Lipscomb’s status for the coming week. Last week, Lipscomb stood on the sideline, helmet off, for the entire game.
This week, it appears he’ll be playing.
“Kalija’s ready to go,” Mason said on Tuesday. “I met with Kalija on Sunday. He’s ready to play. Let’s ride.”
Lipscomb, who opted to return to VU for his senior season, rather than enter the NFL Draft, has been visibly frustrated with the offense and his lack of touches at times this year.
McAllister coming on
Outside linebacker Elijah McAllister had shown potential in practice before the redshirt freshman took a snap. That's really begun to translate in games.
McAllister recovered a fumble for a touchdown vs. LSU earlier in the year. Last week, Pro Football Focus graded him as VU's best defender.
I think Eljah McAllister is just starting to scratch the surface. ... He came in here as a 235-pound outside 'backer and now he's 262 pounds. ... He's done a better job about being intentional about his reps," Mason said on Tuesday.
Little movement on the depth chart
Outside quarterback, little appears to have changed on Vanderbilt's depth chart.
Cam Johnson, who again caught a touchdown pass last week, is now listed as the sole starter ahead of C.J. Bolar. Last week, that was an "or" situation.
On defense, the depth chart remains entirely unchanged except for one corner spot. Last week, VU listed Allan George, Randall Haynie and Jaylen Mahoney one one side, in that order. This week, it added D.C. Williams and flipped Haynie and Mahoney.
Williams, who started at Wisconsin as a freshman, began the year as a starter and as Vandy's top corner. Williams left the Northern Illinois game with an injury after two plays and hasn't seen the field since.
Bucky Curtis dies
Mason led off Tuesday's press conference by mentioning the recent passing of Bucky Curtis.
“I wrote Bucky consistently over the years. … I would hear from him time to time. His loss will be felt in the Vanderbilt community," Mason said.
