On the Vanderbilt football team’s first morning in Hawaii, head coach Clark Lea’s body clock sounded as he awakened to greet the day.
It was 1 a.m. on Monday.
Of the first lesson in the 5-hour time difference from Nashville, Tenn., Lea acknowledged the early risers “realize your body needs some more time.”
The adjustments were part of the reasons the Commodores arrived five full days ahead of Saturday’s season opener against Hawaii at the Ching Complex. “We want to be at our best come kickoff on Saturday night, and it does take time to adjust,” Lea told reporters.
On the charter flight on Sunday, the Commodores were well hydrated, and kept from oversleeping to prevent jet lag.
Monday’s workout was brief as the Commodores traveled to the North Shore for a blend of community and educational service. One group of players cultivated a pod of taro roots, another removed weeds and invasive plants from a hillside, and a third removed grass and other plants from a stream.
Tight end Ben Bresnahan said it was “awesome to really be able to learn how connected everybody is to the land here. And that’s been awesome to really see their passion (of) ‘if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you.’ … That was really cool. It was really moving to see how passionate the people we were working with felt about the land.”
Practices on Tuesday and Wednesday were fully padded, more intense and strategy driven. On Tuesday afternoon, the defensive players visited Pearl Harbor National Memorial. On Wednesday, it was the offense’s turn,
“Pearl Harbor was a great experience,” safety Jaylen Mahoney said. “I’ve always been a history guy. Just going to the actual site and seeing that in person … I learned a lot.”
While there are activities to connect to culture and environment, Lea said, “we’re going to have to be really good in creating boundaries for ourselves where we’re laser focused when it comes time to prepare for Hawaii. … In the end, by the time we get to Saturday it’s about self-mastery and our ability to find our highest level and focusing our energy on defeating the opportunity. There are a lot of steps for us to get to Saturday.”
On Wednesday in Manoa, the Rainbow Warriors’ 2-hour practice at Ching was the last heavy workout ahead of the opener. The Warriors will have video studies and a walk-through today, and a modified 40-play practice on Friday.
The Warriors have installed their entire menu of plays, fully initiated the 50-plus newcomers, and have developed leadership. In addition to the 13 members of the leadership council and the selection of four captains, holdovers such as will linebacker Isaiah Tufagan have emerged as guiding forces.
During a pep talk, linebackers coach Chris Brown implored Tufaga to be more animated.
“I tried to explain to him the linebacker is the core to everything,” Brown said. “If you guys bring that energy and that fire, it electrifies the whole team, it electrifies the whole defense. … I told him: ‘be excited. These guys are looking at you. When you make a big play, celebrate. When you’re out there, don’t be afraid to talk. Get out there and start barking calls, and start showing them we’re not afraid, and then you go out there and make that big play, and you let them know who made that big play, you let them know (No.) 17 was there.’”
Tufaga said being vocal does not come naturally. “It’s probably the way I was raised in my small-town community,” said Tufaga, who grew up in Laie. “We were raised in this Polynesian community where we were taught to be humble and soft-spoken. It’s ‘yes, sir,’ ‘no, sir,’ speak when spoken to. … As the years have gone on, and my seniority has been here, Coach CB is right. I need to step up as a vocal leader more.”
Middle linebacker Penei Pavihi said: “Isaiah’s always been one of the smartest linebackers in the room. He’s always had coach’s knowledge of the game. As a player, you want to have that. He brings a lot of IQ to the linebacker room. It shows on the field. It just adds to his play-making abilities.”
