How Clark Lea Hopes To Change Blaze Berlowitz' Usage Ahead Of Vanderbilt Football's Matchup with Delaware – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea appears to be open to opening up the offensive playbook ahead of Vanderbilt’s week two matchup with Delaware. 
Lea acknowledges the conservative, run-heavy nature of Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck in Vanderbilt’s week one win over Austin Peay–particularly when veteran quarterback Blaze Berlowitz was in the game–and also says that he needs a bigger sample size before making a decision on who his quarterback is. 
Coincidence? It doesn’t seem like it. 
Berlowitz didn’t complete a pass that was in the air for 10 yards or more in Vanderbilt’s Saturday opener while Curtis was able to sling the ball downfield more consistently. Lea indicates that he has confidence in Berlowitz and his ability to complete passes downfield despite external skepticism, though. The fact that Berlowitz didn’t push the ball downfield with his arm all that often is a product of Vanderbilt’s coaching staff more than it is Berlowitz, Lea said Tuesday. 
“We have to call him into those throws,” Lea said.
”There shouldn't be criticism on him that way. I thought when he had chances to make throws, he made them at times–once on a sail route to Junior that I thought was impressive. I thought he had him on the glance. 
I think I talked about this after the game, and you just want to see Junior get to that ball earlier. I thought that was a chance for a touchdown.  I've seen Blaze do it and practice, so I know it's in him.” 
Berlowitz joined Vanderbilt in the spring of 2024 and backed up Vanderbilt star Diego Pavia for the 2024 and 2025 seasons while working to develop. Vanderbilt’s coaching staff appeared to believe that Berlowitz didn’t do enough to prevent them from exploring other avenues at quarterback after Pavia’s departure, which led them to flipping five-star freshman Jared Curtis from Georgia. 
Since Curtis’ arrival, he and Berlowitz have been embroiled in a quarterback battle that Lea hoped to resolve during fall camp but has yet to. Lea said Tuesday that he plans to play both quarterbacks again on Saturday. Berlowitz is still listed on Vanderbilt’s depth chart as the starter, but hasn’t won the job decisively. 
Berlowitz finished Vanderbilt’s opener with 11 completions on 16 attempts, 149 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, and two touchdown drives. Fine, but not enough to inspire much confidence. He didn’t do enough to win the job, but Vanderbilt still has questions in regard to who gives it the best chance to win its biggest games.
He didn’t push the ball downfield enough to declare himself as that. He didn’t appear to have enough trust from Beck. He didn’t appear decisive enough at times. He wasn’t erratic–in fact, he was the opposite–but he left too much to be desired for a veteran quarterback against an FCS program. 
Lea appears to have belief that Berlowitz can prove himself if Vanderbilt puts him in a position to put all his cards on the table and show its coaching staff who he really is. Lea appears to believe that Berlowitz wasn’t in week one. 
Perhaps he will be as he looks to lock down the job against Delaware. 
“I have confidence in him, and I think we need to get explosive offensively, and that will always start with a physical run game,” Lea said. “But it doesn't have to start with like five consecutive runs in the same way. That was unique last week. But eventually, we need to get up and over the top. And both these guys can do it. So I'm hoping for them to have those opportunities on Saturday.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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