Woody in coaching hot seat at Vanderbilt

There are those who think Vanderbilt University can do better than not having a winning football season since 1982.

Vandy Head Coach Woody Widenhofer is one of those. He's just one from a long line of those. Widenhofer has talked the talk (maybe too well), but he has yet to see his Commodores walk the walk.

Starting his fifth year at VU, Widenhofer has watched his charges strain in compiling a 13-31 resume. Only four of those victories came in rugged Southeastern Conference play. Vanderbilt is picked in most polls to finish ahead of only lowly Kentucky this go-round in the SEC East.

Vandy's annual season video is titled "The Basement Tapes." The only change to the cover each year is the volume number.

Widenhofer, who signed a six-year contract in 1999, is seated, strapped, and bolted in the proverbial hot seat. Last year, with 18 returning starters, he brazenly touted a bowl season. VU finished 3-8.

This year's squad has 14 returning starters, seven on each side of the ball. Widenhofer has offered no predictions.

The Commodores open the season Aug. 30 by hosting Middle Tennessee State University, a 30-minute drive from Murfreesboro for the Blue Raiders to the campus in Nashville.

It's a no-win situation for the Commodores, and Widenhofer is fully aware of the match-up and its possible consequences. What coach in his position wouldn't be? The coaching dominos fall anywhere -- even in Vandyland, home of the perennial, yet cuddly losers, where all the jab-lines are tired, but sadly, true.

MTSU is led by a group of battle-hardened veterans who have suffered some bruising defeats during the past two seasons from the likes of Illinois, Florida, Mississippi State, Maryland, Arizona, Arkansas, and Central Florida. They will not likely be intimidated at the prospect of playing Vanderbilt.

Coach Andy McCollum's squad returns seven offensive starters and five on defense from a unit that closed the books at 6-5 as a second-year 1-A independent. The six wins, though, came against schools with a combined 6-36 ledger.

MTSU is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference, where all polls so far rate them as the favorite.

In tough enough, Widenhofer has a tormentor he doesn't need.

On the Internet, on the front page of Bama Raider's Middle Tennessee Sports Page, is this: "It's not going to boil down to whether we win or lose, but how badly we beat them." -- Woody Widenhofer, Vandy football coach on facing the Raiders.

You can click on the quote to get the full version of the published story -- thank goodness for Woody. The quote takes on a much different context when the article is read in its entirety.

No matter, words of derring-do, do not fly any longer for Widenhofer and Vandy. They both need to win in the worst way. (All cliches of desperation apply when it comes to Vanderbilt.)

It's time to walk the walk.