Vanderbilt football is still planning on playing both quarterbacks, Jared Curtis and Blaze Berlowitz, against Delaware, coach Clark Lea said on Sept. 8.
"Continue to develop both guys and give them opportunities and learning from our first time out doing this what it should look like," Lea said.
Vanderbilt (1-0) will face Delaware (1-0) at FirstBank Stadium on Sept. 12 (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network).
Lea said he felt that Berlowitz and Curtis didn't get the chance to show fully what they could do because the score got out of hand in Vanderbilt's 28-9 win over Austin Peay. He also said that he thought the playcalling with the two quarterbacks got too different at times.
Berlowitz's offense was run-first and slow-paced, and the majority of the passes
he threw were short passes relying on yards after the catch. Curtis was asked to throw the ball more − perhaps too much, given that the run game Berlowitz had was very effective.
Berlowitz went 11-for-16 passing for 149 yards and ran 11 times for 45 yards and one touchdown. Curtis went 7-for-9 passing for 60 yards and ran three times for 22 yards.
"I'm working towards some clarity in my own mind," Lea said. " . . . I want both guys to have the opportunity to show that they can do. Blaze has earned the right to take the first snap . . . Right now this is still about finding the best formula for us to win Saturday but also to become the best team that we can become. There's no manual for this. I'm just trying to get enough sample size to get some clarity on what each guy brings to the table."
This story will be updated.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Vanderbilt football still plans to play two quarterbacks vs Delaware
