Vanderbilt Football Takes the Field After Off Day, Ahead of Saturday Scrimmage; Fall Camp Takeaways

Nashville–Vanderbilt was back out on the practice field on Friday morning after Thursday's off day that appeared to rejuvenate it.

Vanderbilt had more guys out there on Friday than it did as most of its starters were sidelined on Wednesday. It did have a lighter day, though.

Here's some things to note from Friday morning's field session.

A day for Vanderbilt’s defense

It felt as if Vanderbilt’s defense–albeit in a practice without padded periods–had command of the day while Vanderbilt’s offense struggled to consistently complete passes downfield. 

Vanderbilt’s cornerback play wasn’t entirety outstanding, but the amount of guys it trotted out there that could do the job was impressive. Vanderbilt’s offense may have gotten a few completions, but it felt as if the big play was often avoided. 

Marlon Jones continues to put together a strong camp, things have been quiet on the Kolbey Taylor front–which is a great thing–and Jaylin Lackey continues to flash seemingly each day. It was a day in which Vanderbilt’s secondary may have been the biggest standouts.

It’s not entirely fair to worry about Vanderbilt’s offense based on Friday–particularly because of Saturday’s scrimmage looming. It did feel as if there was something left on the table by it, though. 

Vanderbilt’s recent little thing of note; drops

This likely won’t loom large once game one comes because the primary suspects here have been Vanderbilt’s second and third team receivers and tight ends, but there have been a few dropped balls in seemingly every recent practice. 

That’s the thing that’s going to be one of a few factors in preventing a few of Vanderbilt’s talented younger guys from getting on the field.   

Martel Hight comes back and makes an impact

Hight returned from a 10-day stint in concussion protocol on Friday and appeared to be intent on making up for lost time as he made an impact on both sides of the ball while running around in a red practice jersey. 

The Vanderbilt three-way standout made his biggest impact of the day on the defensive side of the ball as he took one away from Vanderbilt quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. 

There’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding Berlowitz if he has to play

The former New Mexico State quarterback appears to firmly be Vanderbilt’s backup at this stage, but he’s still too “up and down,” as Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck says. 

Berlowitz had a few throws that got into the hands of the defense on Friday, which has again emerged as a theme despite his step forward in development since last fall. If that’s going to continue to be the theme for the Vanderbilt backup, there will be some biting their nails on the sideline if Diego Pavia goes down. 

Vanderbilt appears to like Vanzale Hinton, Cayden Daniels and Davin Chandler

The three young guys aren’t likely to receive any playing time when it’s all said and done, but they’re all around the ball in practice and have been noticeable to an untrained eye. 

Vanderbilt may have a few solid secondary pieces down the line if those three decide to stick it out.