Day 1 Notebook: Vandy coach says winning time has arrived for Commodores

HOOVER, Ala. – As Vanderbilt Coach Derek Mason begins his third season as head coach of the Commodores, he made it plainly clear Monday during the first day of SEC Media Days that his team is no longer satisfied with just competing in the SEC.

Instead, the time has come for Vanderbilt to start winning games, Mason insisted, after 3-9 and 4-8 seasons (2-14 in SEC) in his first two years at the helm.

“It's not about competing anymore, it's about winning,” Mason told a room full of reporters at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham - The Wynfrey Hotel. “The idea of what we stand for, what we need to do in the midst of playing in this conference and moving towards being not just competitive, but winning games, is the ultimate goal for this team. That’s where we planned on being in 2016.”

The Commodores host South Carolina Thursday, Sept. 1 at Vanderbilt Stadium in the 2016 season opener for both teams (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), a vitally important game for both teams as far as setting the tone for the season is concerned.

Monday, Mason touted Vanderbilt’s returning experience with eight starters on both sides of the ball, a group that includes sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur (5 starts in 2015 as true freshmen), running back Ralph Webb (2,059 career rushing yards) and standout linebacker Zach Cunningham (First Team All-SEC in 2015).

“When I look that the squad and where we're at, this is about being a more experienced squad in 2016,” Mason said. “We (have) 42 returning upperclassmen, juniors and seniors who have gone through the maturation process.

“The fire, so to speak, in terms of what it takes to try to compete in this conference, this big dog conference called the SEC. We have a lot of guys who have played significant or earned significant time, played in the SEC, and we're extremely excited to see this group take the field.”

Even though multiple quarterbacks are still competing, Mason, with input from second-year offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, recently named Shurmur as Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback for the opener.

“He (Shurmur) showed great character and leadership in the offseason,” Mason said. “He has been pushed by guys behind him.

Mason took over defensive coordinator responsibilities prior to last season, and Vanderbilt demonstrated significant improvement in many areas over the previous season.

“People looked at me a year ago and thought that I was kind of crazy for going back and calling defense, but that's my wheelhouse,” said Mason, Stanford’s defensive coordinator before taking the Vanderbilt job in December 2013. “I'm a head coach who understands exactly what his strengths are. We moved that way. These guys understand the expectation in the room of making sure that they play well, that they understand how to play with each other, that we communicate.”

Cunningham and returning outside linebacker Oren Burks combined for 162 tackles in 2015. Burks plays a hybrid position similar to the spur spot under former Gamecocks defensive coordinators Ellis Johnson and Lorenzo Ward. The position combines the physical demands of linebacker and safety.

“I’ll be a little bit closer to the ball and trying to make dynamic plays for the team,” Burks said. “We have a lot of depth in the safety and corner positions, so I’m excited to come down to the linebacker position and try to make some plays for the team.

“We’ve only used a percentage of the tools that he (Mason) has in his toolbox, but I’m excited to see what he does, especially with the different packages we have. By moving me around, as well as the other players, he’ll be able to show off our strengths.”

Burks’ willingness to shift positions and move to the second level of the Vanderbilt is indicative of the Commodores’ unity, Mason said.

“This team's got a team-first mentality, has established a team-first mantra,” Mason said. “We don't care about who is standing on the hill. We don't care about who takes the accolades. It's about this team collectively and what we need to do in order to move the needle and get up the hill.”

FLORIDA’S MCELWAIN SET BAR HIGH IN FIRST YEAR: Jim Elwain won the SEC East title in his first year as Florida coach (granted, with players mostly recruited by Will Muschamp), so he has a tough act to follow in his second campaign as Gators coach. But UF should begin the season with plenty of motivation considering Florida lost its last three games in 2015 by the combined score of 97-24.

“(We were) very disappointed in how we finished,” McElwain said Monday at SEC Media Days. “(It’s) not something we're proud of, and not something I take very lightly. Yet, at the same time, it was an opportunity for us to learn. And really, as you go through life, the piece of learning is what it's all about.

“By no means can you ever be satisfied. We exceeded expectations (in 2015), so let's call it good. (But) that wasn't good. It will be interesting to see how this year's team responds. We lost some really, really fine players.”

Florida should start the season well since the first three games against Massachusetts, Kentucky and North Texas are all in Gainesville. After that, a road trip to Knoxville for a potential SEC East-deciding matchup with Tennessee (Sept. 24), LSU at home (Oct. 8) and the Oct. 29 Cocktail Party game against Georgia in Jacksonville awaits.

The Gators play just three 2016 games beyond the borders of the Sunshine State (at Tennessee, at Vanderbilt, at Arkansas), and except for LSU (Oct. 8) and the Gamecocks (Nov. 12; Will Muschamp’s return to the Swamp), the remainder of the home schedule is probably unappealing and unfulfilling for most ticket-buying Gator fans (UMass, Kentucky, North Texas, Missouri, Presbyterian).

NOTES

-- Sign of the times? Two of the four Gamecock players featured in the USC section of the 2016 SEC Media Guide are placekicker Elliott Fry and punter Sean Kelly. The other two players are offensive linemen Mason Zandi and defensive end Marquavius Lewis.

-- SEC Nation, the SEC Network’s traveling football pre-game show, will visit Knoxville, Tenn. and College Station, Tex. during opening weekend. The Vols host Appalachian State on Thursday, Sept. 1 (kickoff is 30 minutes before USC-Vandy) followed by Texas A&M hosting UCLA at Kyle Field on Sat., Sept. 3 in a matchup of Power 5 schools.

-- McElwain is one of several SEC East head coaches with direct connections to Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The others include Will Muschamp and Kirby Smart (Georgia). McElwain served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator until becoming Colorado State head coach in 2012. He was the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 before accepting the Florida job days later.

-- Auburn coach Gus Malzahn on facing Clemson in the first game: “We have the same expectations regardless of the opener. It just so happens we're playing one of the best teams in college football, a team that almost won it all last year. They’ve got a lot of guys coming back. We've had some success with first games in the past. We're going to have to continue to do that to have a chance. Very good team.”

-- Opening weekend SEC schedule:

Thur., Sept. 1

Appalachian State at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Sat., Sept. 3

South Alabama at Mississippi State, noon (SEC Network)

Missouri at West Virginia, noon (FoxSports1)

LSU vs. Wisconsin (at Green Bay, WI), 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

UCLA at Texas A&M. 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Louisiana Tech at Arkansas, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)

Georgia vs. North Carolina (at Atlanta), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Southern Miss at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

UMass at Florida, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Alabama vs. Southern Cal (at Arlington Tex.), 8 p.m. (ABC)

Clemson at Auburn, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Mon., Sept. 5

Ole Miss vs. Florida State (at Orlando), 8 p.m. (ESPN)