Losing history could dog Vanderbilt against No. 11 LSU

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Posted 7:32PM on Thursday, October 6, 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Vanderbilt Commodores face their biggest challenge in the pursuit of their first winning record since 1982: the program's own miserable history of losing. The Commodores ruined a chance at posting the school's best start since World War II with a 17-15 loss to Middle Tennessee last weekend on a blocked field goal. Still, they are enjoying their best start at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference since 1984, and they promise that their first loss isn't enough to ruin such a promising season. ``We've done a lot of things that haven't been done in the past,'' senior linebacker Moses Osemwegie said. ``We're staying level headed, just trying to stay focused. LSU is our next opponent. We have to focus in on them, zoom in on them and do what we have to do.'' But Saturday night's visit from No. 11 LSU (2-1, 1-1) spotlights Vanderbilt's biggest weakness as the SEC's perennial cellar dweller. The Commodores haven't upset a ranked opponent since 1992, and their last victory over a team ranked as high as No. 11 was 1974 when they beat Florida. When the Commodores last started 4-0, they then lost to a struggling Tulane team, never recovered and finished 5-6. So forget about Vanderbilt having the chance for its first 5-1 start or improve to 3-0 in the SEC both for the first time since 1950. Senior tight end Dustin Dunning promised this team is different. ``It's important for all of us, our senior guys, to make sure the guys understand this is a loss, but we can learn from it, bounce back and play better than in the past. That's a key point,'' Dunning said. The Commodores certainly have the respect of LSU coach Les Miles and his Tigers after road victories at Wake Forest and Arkansas. ``They are a good football team,'' Miles said. ``They have played competitively with a chance to win any game. I expect it to be a very competitive game.'' This series has been close in recent years, but the Tigers have won four straight and eight of the last nine played in Nashville. This is their first game in Nashville since 1997, when the Tigers escaped with a 7-6 victory only because the Commodores, under then-coach Woody Widenhofer, couldn't decide which play to call for a two-point conversion. Vandy wound up with consecutive delay of game penalties, then had a long extra point kick blocked. That's the kind of ineptitude that has bogged down the Commodores for years. But Bobby Johnson, the man hired to replace Widenhofer, spends his time talking about how to block and tackle instead of giving history lessons. ``We don't talk about what Vanderbilt's done in the past. We're trying to do what we're doing this year. We got off to a great start. We just want to keep it going for us not Vanderbilt past, future or whatever, just our team,'' Johnson said. ``I don't know those stats, so I don't talk to them about it.'' Johnson has been much busier teaching about LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Not only is Russell a physical threat at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds, he had a near perfect game in last week's 37-7 victory over Mississippi State as he went 21 of 24 for 206 yards. Mix that with running back Joseph Addai, third in the SEC averaging 93 yards rushing per game, and the Tigers will test a Vanderbilt defense that ranks eighth in the league and 54th in Division I-A, giving up 363.6 yards per game. The Commodores will counter with Jay Cutler, who leads the league's second-best offense averaging 442.6 yards a game and the desire to pull off their biggest win in decades. ``It would just kind of verify the fact we've all been feeling that this team is good and that we're going to be able to continue on this year,'' Dunning said. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)