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Good morning.
Well, just what we wanted, five games into the season.
I'm not sure if it's the right decision or not - and I don't think coaches are fully convinced either - but I'll be surprised if Deuce Wallace doesn't play meaningful early snaps against UNLV Saturday.
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) October 7, 2019
It seems like a suitable game to try a different direction for the offense.
Spoiler: we may have more on this later in the week. (Possibly even today, depending on what comes up at Derek Mason’s press conference.) But, this is where we are.
Vanderbilt’s offense was most recently seen scoring six points in an entire game against an Ole Miss team that is, frankly, not great (though its defense has made strides under first-year defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre.) On the other hand, while Riley Neal’s inability to throw downfield has been an issue, it’s certainly not the only issue.
Of course, whenever the offense is underperforming, one of the easiest changes to make is to change the person running it on the field. So that explains why the idea is under consideration (by, at least, fans and media.) You’re probably not going to suddenly grow an entirely new offensive line, and frankly, Vanderbilt’s backs and receivers are not an issue.
Anyway, feel free to post your thoughts. Like I said, we’ll probably have some later this week.
Meanwhile, Greg Arias writes that Vanderbilt is basically what its record says it is. I’d agree with this take: it’s a 1-4 team that, considering the competition it’s played to date, should be 1-4. Transitive property suggests that Vanderbilt may be worse than Ball State.
Chris Lee and Mitch Light podcasted about the complete lack of positives in Vanderbilt’s most recent football game.
Off the West End
As we continue the stupidest story of the week, Adam Silver supports Daryl Morey’s free speech rights re: the Chinese government. Really, is anybody surprised that the NBA’s expansion into China means playing ball with a repressive government?
Jim Harbaugh is in favor of players leaving for the NFL at any time. Pssst: he’s right.
College Basketball Talk’s ACC Preview podcast is up.
From The Athletic ($): SEC teams are dominating the top of the AP Poll and it’s not a product of “SEC Bias”.
Scoreboard
MLB Playoffs: Rays 10, Astros 3 ... Cardinals 5, Braves 4 ... Nationals 6, Dodgers 1 ... Yankees 5, Twins 1.
NFL: 49ers 31, Browns 3.