NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis had a visible smile on face you could see through the facemask of his helmet Saturday night when he went on the field postgame to shake hands with Mississippi State players.

It was easy to tell how happy he was after he got his first conference win of his college career. Curtis and Vanderbilt just finished surviving a late surge from Mississippi State where the Commodores beat the Bulldogs 25-23.

It was a game in which the Commodores showed some more identity in the run game and on defense. The Commodores were able to get 160 yards on the ground and find more balance offensively.

“I think we established the run game pretty well last game. Obviously, that’s our mission is to run to win. We just got to keep establishing that run game and then be able to move the ball in all aspects,” Curtis said.

The running game has been something that head coach Clark Lea and the rest of the team has been wanting to get going for a long time. Not just from the standpoint of being multi-dimensional offensively, but also to take pressure off Curtis and the rest of the offense.

Curtis does not really think of it that way, though. He does not seem to mind or think too much about what is on his shoulders, even when the run game is not rolling. He looks at it more simply. If Vanderbilt finds something in the run game, keep feeding the running backs.

“I think if we get going, then why not keep using it [run game]. We got good backs and we got a good offensive line that can make them get the movement. And they showed it all night, so just keep feeding them,” Curtis said.

Late Game Execution

One of the biggest aspects of Curtis’ performance to follow is the late-game execution. Curtis has had some poorly-timed decisions at points, such as the late interception in the NC State game.

But against Mississippi State, the execution in the final stretch was by far the best it has looked in a long time. And for Curtis individually, he was composed and performed well when he needed to.

His stats from Vanderbilt’s game against Mississippi State may not jump off the charts, but he did not make the big mistake when the game got tight. That is perhaps the most encouraging part of his performance going into this week.

“Just being smart with the football. Just knowing if it’s RPO then we don’t need to throw the ball. Just take care of the ball and drain the clock out and make smart plays with the ball,” Curtis said on what made the execution late in the game better.

Growing in Leadership

Clark Lea has talked in recent weeks about Curtis growing as a leader for the offense. Though Curtis seems to be more quiet in nature, Lea has seen the veterans on his offense such as tight end Cole Spence and offensive lineman Cade McConnell make room for Curtis to lead the offense.

The more time Curtis has spent with his teammates, the more confident and comfortable he gets to be. He may be a little quiet during the week, but there is no doubt that changes the closer it gets to game days.

“I feel like it depends maybe in practice, but I feel like when game time rolls around I get more vocal and try to lead the guys,” Curtis said. “I think just being more comfortable with each guy on the team, building a relationship with each person gives you confidence to be able to lead the team for sure.”