Johnson hopes early home stand plays to Vandy’s advantage

Vanderbilt started the 2006 season with consecutive road games against Michigan and Alabama. A more favorable and manageable start to the 2007 awaits the Commodores, who begin a four-game home stand Saturday by hosting Division I-AA Richmond.

The Commodores won’t play their first road game until they travel to Auburn on Oct. 6, and that’s where Johnson wants them to settle into a routine.

‘It’s a lot easier to play at home. You don’t have to get on buses, go to airports, get on planes, go through security and tote your equipment halfway across the country. It’s just a comfort zone that you get in,’ Johnson said Monday.

Vanderbilt, coming off a 4-8 season in 2006, is targeting its first bowl appearance since 1982.

The Commodores regard the first four home games, the first of a school-record eight this fall, as vital toward bowl hopes.

‘We definitely are excited about that,’ defensive tackle Theo Horrocks said. ‘We have to reclaim our stadium. We haven’t been too great over there in the past, so we’re going to try to get over there and make that our home again.’

Since Johnson arrived at Vanderbilt in 2002, his teams are 10-22 at Vanderbilt Stadium. That includes a 37-13 victory over Richmond in 2005.

The Commodores, accustomed to playing in cavernous stadiums throughout the Southeastern Conference, believe they can create an intimidating environment of their own in the league’s smallest home field seating 39,733.

‘I definitely do feel like it’s something we need to take advantage of,’ offensive tackle Chris Williams said.

‘We want to make this a tough place to play. We want to make this another SEC stadium where people fear coming in here. We might not have 100,000 people, but the 35 or 40 (thousand) that we have can be really good for us.’

Johnson said his team is more prepared to play well at home due to having better talent and depth. That starts with quarterback Chris Nickson, who started his first games on the road at Michigan and Alabama, and spreads throughout the team with 19 starters back.

‘Most places that are tough to play is because of the team you’re playing,’ Johnson said. ‘It’s not because of the fans, the atmosphere or whatever. If we can put a good team on the field at Vanderbilt Stadium, we’re going to have a better chance of playing well.’