Adam Sparks

asparks@gannett.com

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said his team will follow a two-quarterback system despite endorsing Patton Robinette as "our leader."

During his radio call-in show Monday night, Mason said both Robinette, a sophomore, and true freshman Wade Freebeck will play against No. 14 South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday (6:30 p.m./SEC Network) to finish Vanderbilt's four-game season-opening homestand.

"Patton Robinette is our quarterback. But here is the situation: we have a two-quarterback system," Mason said. "We have two quarterbacks who are capable of doing different things. We said that going into (last week's UMass) game, and that's not going to change.

"Teams are going to have to prepare for two quarterbacks. We believe Wade is going to get better and better as he continues to play. ... Patton Robinette is our leader, but Wade Freebeck is going to play."

Robinette relieved Freebeck to start the second quarter and rallied the Commodores (1-2, 0-0 SEC) from a 14-0 deficit to a 34-31 win over UMass.Freebeck was 1-of-2 passing for 3 yards and one interception in his college debut.

But on Monday night, Mason said the strong-armed Freebeck can give Vanderbilt a different dimension in its passing game.

"He does have arm talent and an ability to play this game," Mason said. "Patton Robinette is a leader and a tremendous competitor and winner. So what you find yourself in the middle of is a team with a leader who they know is going to lead them play in and play out for most of the game. But there is also a young guy who provides a different kind of spark that we need to do some different things in the pass game."

Three quarterbacks have started and four have played for Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-1) in three games.

Robinette was benched in the second quarter of a season-opening 37-7 loss to Temple. After Saturday's game, he said he understands Vanderbilt's quarterback situation is still on a week-to-week basis.

"You never earn the job," said Robinette, a sophomore who threw for 147 yards and a touchdown and ran for 35 yards and a score Saturday. "You have to come out every week, practice your best, play your best, put the best product on the field. That's how you take the job every week."

Vanderbilt has performed at a higher level with Robinette on the field over the other quarterbacks — LSU graduate transfer Stephen Rivers, redshirt freshman Johnny McCrary and Freebeck.

In 13 possessions with Robinette, minus a game-ending kneel-down against UMass, Vanderbilt has scored 22 points with one turnover. With the other three quarterbacks, the offense has scored three points with six turnovers.

The offense has averaged 3.6 yards per rush and 6.9 yards per pass attempt with Robinette, compared with 3.0 and 4.9 with Rivers, who played much of the Temple game and all of the Ole Miss game.

Six of Vanderbilt's nine turnovers have been committed by quarterbacks — three by Rivers, two by McCrary and one by Freebeck — but none by Robinette. McCrary and Freebeck turned it over three times and gained just 53 totalyards in 17 plays combined (3.1 yards a play).

Against UMass, Vanderbilt scored its only three offensive touchdowns this season with Robinette behind center.

"Patton is a playmaker, whichever way you go," linebacker Darreon Herring said. "Last year you saw that he came into games, and he just knows how to win. He has just been a winner his whole life, and he knows how to get the ball into the end zone in different ways — passing, running."

Game time set: Vanderbilt's Sept. 27 game at Kentucky will be at 11 a.m. on SEC Network.

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.