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NASHVILLE – How will Vanderbilt football respond after its first game of the 2026 season?
That has been one of the biggest questions of the week. A question that is specifically pointed to Vanderbilt's offense. It was a game where the Commodores struggled to get much going offensively in a 28-9 win over Austin Peay last Saturday.
While the Commodores dominated the ground game, it was the Vanderbilt passing game that left much more to be desired. Starting quarterback Blaze Berlowitz finished the game 11-for-16 passing with 149 passing yards while five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis took his first drive of his college career in the final two minutes of the first half.
Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea said postgame that he felt like it will be the worst game that his team will play this season.
This week, Vanderbilt enters a game against Delaware, who is a step up in competition from the Commodores’ game a week ago. The Blue Hens are in their second season at the FBS level and are already ahead of schedule. In their first season of FBS, Delaware went 7-6 and won its bowl game appearance against Louisiana.
Delaware comes in with an experienced starting quarterback, Nick Minicucci. Minicucci threw for over 3,500 yards a season ago and picked up where he left off the 2025 season with a 323-yard performance against Merrimack in the Blue Hens’ Week 1 matchup.
But what will be perhaps the most interesting thing to watch for is Vanderbilt’s quarterback situation. Just like last week, Berlowitz will get the start for Vanderbilt, but Curtis will also get snaps throughout the game as well.
While it is not clear as to how exactly the snaps will be divided up this time, Lea did tell the media leading up to the game that he will adjust the playcalling for both quarterbacks so that both Berlowitz and Curtis get chances to show what they can do.
Vanderbilt and Delaware are scheduled to kickoff at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Note: This story will be frequently updated throughout the day and game.
Vanderbilt 14, Delaware 0
After an interception from Martel Hight on defense, the Commodores go 26 yards on three plays for a touchdown to make it 14-0. Curtis had one pass for 17 yards on the drive before Sedrick Alexander went in for the touchdown.
Vanderbilt 7, Delaware 0
The first touchdown in Jared Curtis' college career. It was a fumbled snap, but Curtis ends picking it up and stretching over the goal line for a Vanderbilt touchdown. Felt like a perfect representation of the Jared Curtis experience.
Be sure to refresh your browser for live updates from Vanderbilt vs. Austin Peay. The most recent updates will appear at the top.
If a player goes down during the game, we'll keep tabs on it and share any and all updates.
– Clark Lea announced Thursday that Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence is out of today’s game with a lower body injury.
Vanderbilt will be without a couple players this weekend against Delaware.
More: @VandyOnSI https://t.co/4iOAbqJ3wb
– Lea has also announced that Vanderbilt cornerback Jaylin Lackey is out with what he called a “soft tissue” injury.
Who: Delaware (1-0) vs. Vanderbilt (1-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 12, 3:15 p.m. CT
Where: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: SEC Network
Series History: Today is the first time Delaware and Vanderbilt have met in football.
Last time out, Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt started 2026 off on the right note, beating Austin Peay 28-9.
Last time out, Delaware: Delaware beat Merrimack in its season-opener by a score of 42-7.
Weather: Temperatures are going to be in the upper 80s at the time of kickoff and will dip into the mid-to-low 80s by the end of the game. There is minimal chance of rain in what is forecast to be a partly sunny sky.
Vanderbilt will be debuting its new gold jerseys this afternoon and fans are instructed to wear gold for today’s “Gold Out.” Friday, people spent time putting gold shakers in each seat throughout the stadium.
Tomorrow, we go GOLD pic.twitter.com/aDrNzUOxnR
Vanderbilt’s game against Delaware is sold out. It marks the second time in as many weeks that the Commodores have sold out their home games. It has already been reported that next week’s game against NC State is also sold out.
We’re SOLD OUT. See you at FirstBank!
For those still interested in attending, tickets can be purchased via @SeatGeek, the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of Vanderbilt Athletics.
🎟️ https://t.co/z8EBApNIi8 pic.twitter.com/fADzP4tbwd
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea knows that he has a breaking point and that is to stick with one quarterback throughout the rest of the season. That point has not quite arrived yet, though. Lea wants a larger sample size from Berlowitz and Curtis.
Speaking of Vanderbilt’s quarterbacks, could the game against Delaware be the final exam? Vandy On SI’s Joey Dwyer made the case that today’s game should be the final exam before naming a starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Berlowitz is listed at No. 1 on this week’s depth chart. pic.twitter.com/5iPf7on0DF
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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