Anchor Drop, August 18, 2023: 8 Days to Kickoff

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

We are now 8 days away from Vanderbilt football’s season opener against Hawaii. Two players wear 8 for the Commodores. First, quarterback Ken Seals. The 6’3”, 220-pound redshirt junior from Azle, Texas, was the starter in 2020 and the first half (roughly) of 2021 before not playing at all in 2022; this season, he’s likely AJ Swann’s backup. The second is defensive back Tyson Russell. The 5’11”, 185-pound junior from Plantation, Florida, started six games last season at cornerback and finished the season with 32 tackles.

Vanderbilt soccer kicked off the 2022-23 academic year with a win, 3-1 over Chattanooga Thursday night. Two freshmen, Ella Egglston and Courtney Jones, scored goals in their Commodore debut, with sophomore Maddie Baker adding her second career goal.

Clark Lea isn’t bothered by the stadium construction, unlike a certain idiot Vol homer on Twitter.

“There are times when you would love to microwave things, get them done,” Lea, a Vanderbilt alum, told The Tennessean on Thursday. “ ... The reality is, and I’ve really learned to embrace this as part of this experience for me, is the in between and the beauty of where we are in this journey is special.

Yeah. Pretty much.

Sports on TV

All times Central.

• 8:15 AM: PGA Tour: BMW Championship, Second Round (ESPN+)
• 1:00 PM: MLB: Royals at Cubs (MLB Network)
• 1:00 PM: PGA Tour: BMW Championship, Second Round (Golf Channel)
• 5:40 PM: MLB: Blue Jays at Reds (Apple TV+)
• 6:05 PM: MLB: Red Sox at Yankees (Apple TV+)
• 8:30 PM: MLB: Rays at Angels or Orioles at A’s (MLB Network)
• 3:00 AM: FIFA Women’s World Cup: Sweden v. Australia (FOX)

Scoreboard

MLB: Mariners 6, Royals 4 ... Nationals 10, Red Sox 7 ... Mets 4, Cardinals 2 ... Diamondbacks 3, Padres 1 ... Dodgers 1, Brewers 0.

SEC Soccer: East Carolina 0-2 Florida ... Arkansas State 0-6 Arkansas ... SE Missouri 0-4 Missouri ... South Florida 1-0 LSU ... California 1-4 Tennessee ... Southern Miss 0-2 Ole Miss ... South Carolina 0-0 Clemson ... Samford 0-0 Auburn ... Eastern Kentucky 0-1 Kentucky ... Florida State 2-1 Texas A&M ... DePaul 0-2 Alabama ... Georgia 0-2 UCLA ... Mississippi State 2-1 Grand Canyon.