Commodores on guard against I-AA Richmond

Here comes Division I-AA Richmond to see if that’s really true.

Richmond (1-2) went 2-9 last season just like the Commodores, but the Spiders are coming off a 26-21 victory over Maine. On Saturday night, Richmond will be trying for its first victory over a I-A opponent since 2000 when the Spiders beat Arkansas State 30-27.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson is making sure his Commodores don’t take Richmond for granted.

“There are so many transfers that go from I-A to I-AA, and they are immediately eligible, so you can get some pretty good players,” Johnson said. “And if you look through the (NFL) draft over the years, there have been some excellent players from I-AA. And you’ve seen a bunch of upsets. Believe me, I’m well aware of all that.”

Johnson should because he coached I-AA Furman for eight years before coming to Vanderbilt in 2002. In 1999, his Paladins beat North Carolina 28-3 for the school’s fifth all-time victory against I-A foes. He said playing I-A teams are big games for the I-AA players, who feel like they have nothing to lose.

“As a coach at a I-A, for all the reasons it is good for them, it is a trap waiting to happen. We have to be extremely careful,” Johnson said.

Vanderbilt already has seen how difficult Richmond can be. The Commodores beat Richmond in 2001 when the Spiders led 16-14 at halftime before Vanderbilt won 28-22. The Commodores have beaten a Division I-AA team each of the last four years by an average score of 37-13.

The Commodores come in leading the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division thanks to an offense that has been clicking through the first three games, averaging 451 yards per game, good for second in the SEC. Senior quarterback Jay Cutler averages a league-best 338 yards.

The Spiders are giving up just 15.7 points a game and only three points in the second half. Linebacker Lance Gray was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the week after intercepting two passes against Maine, returning one for a touchdown in the first half.

But Richmond has struggled offensively with three touchdowns in three games with quarterback Stacy Tutt accounting for all of them, which is why he earned back his job as starter after spending the first two games at wide receiver.

“I couldn’t justify having an athlete of his caliber out there and not getting him the football more …,” Richmond coach Dave Clawson said. “We’re now ensuring that he’s going to have more of an impact on the game than he had at wideout.”

Still, Vanderbilt players are downplaying the hype and national exposure they are receiving.

“This team is focused right now,” Cutler said. “We know we are capable of getting beat. We have to go out there and play our game.”