NASHVILLE - The surprise element from who was lined up at wide receiver in Vanderbilt football's game against Auburn still feels like it has not worn completely off yet.
Vanderbilt backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz lined up as a wide receiver for a couple of snaps in the Commodores' 21-15 loss to the Tigers, including catching one pass for zero yards and being the target of one of Jared Curtis' passes about 20 yards down the field.
With the spot that Vanderbilt's pass-catching options are in right now, could it be possible that the snaps Berlowitz took at wide receiver were not a one time thing? It seems like it, but maybe not as much so this week given that Curtis is currently listed as "questionable."
"Yeah, I mean we were impressed with him in preparation last week," Lea said. "Obviously with Jared's availability and kid of how we work through practice this week, we've done a little less of that just to prepare Blaze for quarterback snaps if need be."
On the broadcast of last week's Vanderbilt-Auburn game, it was reported that Berlowitz practiced all last week lined up at wide receiver. And not only that, it was also said that Berlowitz looked good doing so.
After the game, Lea mentioned that Berlowitz was the one that came up with the idea of him playing at wide receiver.
"When you look at how his strength measures and power measures, this is one of the most explosive athletes we have on our team. And so it makes all the sense that we're going to find a way to use him," Lea said after the Auburn game. "The other part of that I want to make sure I share is that it came from Blaze. This is a guy that comes in and says 'I want to help this team win.'"
Whether the fact of Berlowitz still lining up at wide receiver is surprising or not, it seems to be a continued reality going forward, or at least a continued possibility. Maybe not this week, but Lea has liked what he has seen out of Berlowitz playing as a receiver in practice enough to give him additional opportunities.
What Lea also pointed to was the connection that Curtis and Berlowitz have. Lea feels like the relationship the two have off the field helps make an intriguing connection on the field.
"I felt like he flashed and he has chemistry built with Jared. They have a relationship, so it's kind of a cool sync up there," Lea said.
If Berlowitz did continue to get in-game reps at wide receiver throughout the rest of the regular season, it would be interesting to say the least. It is certainly something nobody could have predicted even a week ago. After the game against Auburn, Lea called Berlowitz a player that "catches the ball naturally," perhaps inidicating Berlowitz can give something to the wide receiver room.
Lea and his coaching staff are dedicated to do whatever they feel it takes to win. That means putting who they feel are the best 11 guys to achieve the program's mission to win. If those plans include Berlowitz playing receiver, then it seems like Vanderbilt will do that.
"What we're going to do is try to get the 11 best guys on the field, and certainly when Jared's playing quarterback. There's areas where Blaze can help us, we're going to look to insert him in those roles and let him help us win games," Lea said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/vanderbilt as Will Blaze Berlowitz Continue to Play Wide Receiver? Clark Lea Shared His Thoughts .
