Vanderbilt is up

VANDERBILT COACH BOBBY JOHNSON

• On his schedule, which doesn't include an off week: "It just worked out that way. I'm really not happy about it, but there wasn't anything we could do to avoid it."
  
  
• More on the schedule: "It's a challenge to play 12 straight games. You have to prepare for it. You have to be smart in the preseason and work on depth. You have to be smart with any kind of contact you have during the week and the length of practices. There's a risk of injury. There's a risk for fatigue."
  
  
• Repercussions of the 2008 season, which included a bowl win: "It was very enjoyable. Hopefully, our players now know what it takes to get that point and continue to do that."
  
  
• Did you vote for Tim Tebow as the SEC's first-team quarterback? "You're looking for the culprit? It wasn't me."
  
  
• On how winning last year translated into recruiting: "We have a fantastic product to go out and recruit with. I think we're being received very well in the recruiting battles. We think we've recruited pretty well the past two or three years. We'll still have to project guys. Those things still have to happen. We're much better on the food chain now as far as recruiting is going."
  
  
• On silencing some critics with the 2008 season: "It was satisfying and necessary. We probably had chances the two years before that and didn't quite get it done. It is satisfying, but it's not satisfying enough."
  
  
• On opening with LSU: "We've got some tough duty (doody?) to go through."
  
  
• Did you earn respect with the 2008 season?: "We weren't seeking respect. We wanted to do the best we could. We're not an automatic win (for opponents) anymore. I'm not motivated by people patting me on the back and say we're getting better."
  
  
• What did the 2008 season mean to you personally? Please show your senstitive side, Bobby: "It was important for our program to do that. We needed to take that next step. Was there one instance? No. There have been many. There have been a lot of long-suffering Vanderbilt fans. They appreciated the effort of our team last year. That meant a whole lot to me."
  
  
• On SEC expectations: "Everybody is impatient. They want immediate success. I'm glad (Vanderbilt officials) weren't impatient. It's highly competitive. There's a lot at stake. They're willing to make changes to get that done. That's the way of life in the SEC. I'm just glad to be here for my eighth season. Not a lot of people thought that would happen."
  
  
• What is the next step for Vanderbilt?: "The key thing is to maintain our momentum. The sky is the limit for Vanderbilt. When we prove that we can win consistently, recruiting will pick up. We expect to compete for championships. Honestly, we weren't that far off last season."
  
  
• Are you winning recruiting battles against SEC teams?: "We don't pay attention to who offered whom. We just go after the players who we think fit our program. We recruit for Vanderbilt. We don't disrecruit against anyone else. Disrecruit? That's not a very good word, is it? Anti-recruit?"

THAT'S A WRAP. Next up is Mississippi State at 3:15ish.