Vanderbilt Linebacker Langston Patterson Vows Team Will Be Ready for Bowl Game
Vanderbilt has known they will be competing in a bowl game this year for some time.
When they beat Auburn on Nov. 6, that locked up their sixth win of the campaign and a postseason berth for the first time in six years.
It was a landmark moment for Clark Lea since he's taken over this program, putting together the best showing the Commodores have had in some time with a chance to make it the best since 2013 when they won nine games in the final season where James Franklin was in charge.
Because of that, the Vanderbilt players know the opportunity they have in front of them.
"But you're going to see a team that's ready to attack the bowl game, attack the offseason, and eventually come back next year with the whole head of steam just building off of the wins and the good that happened this year," linebacker Langston Patterson said per Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports.
That's a great sign for Vanderbilt.
They completely ran out of steam late in the year when they lost their last three games despite a bye week being squeezed in ahead of their final two matchups against LSU and Tennessee.
While the results might not have been different in the end, the Commodores certainly didn't seem like the same group that had upset the then-No.1 team Alabama, took Missouri to overtime and lost by just three points to Texas.
Lea attributes that to the depth issues this roster still has.
Bowl practices should certainly help since that gives players more reps, and those who have redshirted are actually allowed to participate in the postseason contest without it counting towards their four games or less mark that is necessary to keep another year of eligibility in place.
Vanderbilt doesn't know when or where they'll be playing yet.
While there are projections floating around that have them competing all around the country, Lea and this team will officially be told their destination and date on Dec. 8.
