What Clark Lea needs from AJ Swann for Vanderbilt football to beat Wake Forest
Clark Lea knows that for Vanderbilt football to have a shot against Wake Forest, the Commodores will need to score. And for that to happen, the offense will need to show more consistency than it has through its first two games.
On Saturday against Alabama A&M, the Commodores (2-0) had just 12 points at halftime, two of which came on a safety. But Vanderbilt eventually pulled away to win, 47-13. Meanwhile, Wake Forest (1-0) cruised to a 37-17 win over Elon. The two meet Saturday at 10 a.m. CT at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (TV: ACC Network).
AJ Swann has had an uneven performance at quarterback across the two games, throwing an interception and a few other passes that could've been intercepted but were dropped.
"I think everybody was a little jittery in the first half (against Alabama A&M) coming off of a win but not as big of a win as we wanted against Hawaii," Swann said Tuesday. "So I think everybody was kind of going out there thinking that they had to make a huge play, including myself. The second half we came on understanding that we needed to make any type of play."
Swann said the biggest key to success against the Demon Deacons will be getting the ball to the playmakers. In particular, Jayden McGowan and Will Sheppard have showed out in the early going, and freshmen London Humphreys and Junior Sherrill have shown big-play potential.
To Lea, the most important thing for Swann will be limiting turnovers − unlike last year, when Mike Wright was benched for Swann after a fumble and a pick-six.
"What we can't do is give them extra possessions," Lea said. "We can't give them field position. That was one thing that hurt us a year ago. And we have to we have to be willing to take what they give us, get the ball out, and then play to our playmakers and in that sense, I just expect the same thing that I expect every week."
Beyond Swann, Lea said, the offensive line needs to play more cohesively than it has the first two games. Part of that is injuries, as Leyton Nelson and Junior Uzebu both are questionable for this week. But the Commodores also struggled in the run game against Hawaii and if that can't get going, it puts more pressure on Swann to be precise with his passing.
Grayson Morgan and Sedrick Alexander are two players who saw time against Alabama A&M who could start seeing more time going forward. Morgan, a redshirt freshman, is listed on the depth chart as a backup center but he played right tackle last week with Morgan and Uzebu out. Alexander showed his potential at running back with his performance when the game already was decided.
With so many freshmen and sophomores in the two-deep on offense, growing pains are inevitable. But for things to go well in Winston-Salem, those players will need to take steps forward after the first two games.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football vs Wake Forest: What Clark Lea needs from AJ Swann
