VANDERBILT

› Spring-game recap: The Commodores bypassed a game and instead held its “Spring Showcase” on March 25. Starting quarterback Kyle Shurmur completed 7 of 13 passes for 88 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while backups Shawn Stankavage and Deuce Wallace completed just 1 of 9 attempts for 6 yards. Senior tailback Ralph Webb, already the school’s all-time leading rusher, sat out the showcase, which enabled Khari Blasingame to get the start and bolt 53 yards for a touchdown early in the scrimmage. Tre Herndon, the senior cornerback out of East Hamilton High School, took another step toward becoming the defensive leader of this year’s team by notching four tackles and a blocked field-goal attempt.

› Moving forward: Vanderbilt stunned Georgia and Tennessee last season during its 6-6 regular season but has bid farewell to linebacker Zach Cunningham, the first consensus All-America position player in program history who was a second-round selection last Friday night of the Houston Texans. Also having to be replaced is defensive tackle Adam Butler, who logged a lot of starts and signed a free-agent deal with New England. The Commodores should develop a starting 22 to be competitive again later this year, but depth is an issue, and Shurmur must look like the quarterback who defeated Ole Miss and Tennessee down the stretch and not the one from the Independence Bowl loss to North Carolina State.

› Opener: Sept. 2 at Middle Tennessee State. The game has an 8 p.m. EDT kickoff will be televised by the CBS Sports Network.