Sideline watch

by Barca Blog - One of the storylines coming out of Saturday's practice had to do with the Commodores that didn't take the field on day two.

First, three receivers – redshirt sophomore Udom Umoh, redshirt freshman John Cole and redshirt freshman Akeem Dunham – attended practice but did not participate due to minor injuries. Cole and Dunham tweaked hamstrings while Umoh had a sore shoulder.

"We were a little thin at receiver today," Johnson said. "We need all those guys out there. John is one of our most explosive receivers and Udom has continued to improve. We'll get them back when our trainers give their okay."

Also, senior tailback Jared Hawkins watched the two-hour session from the sidelines. The Commodores' top returning rusher missed all of spring practice after having offseason surgery on his foot.

"Yesterday I was back in full-go and today (the coaches) wanted to limit me a little bit to make sure I'm easing back into things," Hawkins said. "They don't want me to start back up right away.

"It's very important to be back. It's killing me to be on the sidelines every now and then. I'm itching and ready to go for the season."

Watch video (below) of Coach Johnson's post-practice press conference plus VUcommodores' interview with Hawkins. For a full recap of the action, click here.

Hawkins shares his faith

I had the pleasure of attending the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast early Monday morning.

In front of a packed ballroom inside Gaylord Opryland Hotel, junior tailback Jared Hawkins shared how he found his faith in Christ just before coming to Vanderbilt.

"I decided to dedicate everything I was going to do from that point on to Christ whether it be football or school or just living daily. I wanted to make sure that everything was about Him. I am so thankful for everything He's blessed me with."

The event was hosted by WSMV's Rudy Kalis and also featured a testimonial from Boston College offensive guard Thomas Claiborne as well as a talk from former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson.

I give Jared credit for having the courage to open up a personal chapter of his life in front of his peers. That's never an easy thing to do.

And the next time you see Jared score a touchdown, you won't see any showboating or gloating in the end zone. You'll see him thanking God for giving him the ability to live through Him.