Takeaways From Vanderbilt Football’s Fourth Day of Fall Camp

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football returned to the field Sunday for its fourth practice of fall camp after its first off day Saturday.

The energy in the air Sunday morning was noticeably higher than what it was the first three days of camp. That is not to say there was a lack of energy during the first three days, but Vanderbilt looked juiced up and ready to attack the day from the start.

The atmosphere of Sunday’s practice produced a few interesting storylines. Here are Vandy On SI’s takeaways from the fourth day of camp.

Quarterback Competition State of the Union

Neither Jared Curtis nor Blaze Berlowitz were sensational in Sunday’s practice but it did look like there was a clear winner of the day in the quarterback competition. While Curtis was not doing anything eye-popping in practice, he did have a few good throws that were in rhythm.

However, Curtis did make a couple bad decisions with his throws as well. Perhaps those could be chalked up to freshman mistakes, but Curtis’ arm talent showed in some parts, but so did the fact that he has room to grow in going through his progressions and deciding where or who to throw the ball to.

The reason why it looked like Curtis won the day for the quarterbacks is because of Berlowitz' performance. While Berlowitz looked steady in Friday’s practice, that was not the case in Sunday’s practice. Berlowitz left a lot to be desired, especially from a decision-making standpoint.

Berlowitz had his good moments, too, but it looked like there were too many errors to sweep under the rug. Maybe that could just be a bad day in practice, but the truth of whether Sunday was a bad day or a day closer to the norm will reveal itself over the next couple of weeks in camp.

Things can change throughout camp, but it is possible the gap between Curtis and Berlowitz could have widened given how both looked and what both have shown early in camp.

Inside of the Defensive Line Impressed

A season ago, Vanderbilt was one of the better run defenses in college football. Maybe it could improve on that this season.

The Vanderbilt defensive line looked good and played with passion. More specifically, the guys on the inside part of the defensive line were impressive. Players were getting penetration against the offensive line, which was very encouraging to see.

Vanderbilt feels like it has options in its EDGE rushing room, but if it can generate more pass rush from the guys on the inside part of the line, the Commodores’ pass defense could see improvements from last season’s numbers.

Edwin Kolenge Looked Encouraging

Speaking of the defensive line, Boston College EDGE transfer Edwin Kolenge had himself a good showing Sunday. Kolenge showed a lot to like in practice with his pass rush ability. It feels like Kolenge is gaining more confidence in his new home at Vanderbilt and looks like he is picking things up nicely.

Kolenge also made a couple plays at the line of scrimmage during some reps. What also stood out is the moves he seems to have in his skillset. Kolenge could be a player to watch that provides a solid amount of production on the defensive line as one of the depth pieces.

Over the summer, Vanderbilt defensive ends coach Adam Morris told Vandy On SI what he likes from Kolenge’s game.

“He has some real natural pass rush ability that I think you saw when he was at Boston College. We're excited about him. I think he's versatile, he can rush on the edge. I think he's strong enough to hold his own inside too. So, it's been effort and motor with Edwin,” Morris told Vandy On SI in June.

Lackluster Day From Offensive Line

Maybe it was because the defensive line had a good day, but it felt like the Vanderbilt offensive line could have had a better practice Sunday. The offensive line did not look like it got as much push up front as it has in other practices.

The offensive line is an interesting part of Vanderbilt’s team because it only has one returning starter on the line with Cade McConnell. There are likely still kinks to work through in terms of communication up front and developing with one another, so perhaps that could be the reason for why the offensive line could have been better.

There were good moments, though. North Dakota State transfer Beau Johnson looked good in practice on a majority of his reps. Vandy On SI projects that Johnson will be a starter on the offensive line and will play a crucial part to Vanderbilt’s success offensively this fall.

The battle between the offensive and defensive line will be one of the most intriguing developments to follow throughout camp. Will the defensive line continue to pressure the offensive line or will the offensive line get better from today? That remains to be seen.

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