It's been more than seven months, but cornerback Myron Lewis doesn't mind reliving his interception that sealed Vanderbilt's first bowl victory in 53 years.

"I think about it day in and day out," he said. "People will walk up and ask me about that feeling. The series before I had gotten beat deep for a touchdown, and the only thing I was thinking about was that I had to redeem myself and make a play when the time counts."

By intercepting Boston College's Dominique Davis with 1:36 remaining, Lewis clinched a 16-14 upset of the 24th-ranked Eagles in last December's Music City Bowl. Boston College had entered with the nation's longest active streak of eight straight bowl victories and as the ACC runner-up.

The Commodores had not even reached a bowl since 1982, and now they're seeking a second helping. Vanderbilt has the personnel to equal or surpass last season's 7-6 record, returning nine starters on both sides of the ball.

"We're an older team now, which is weird for us because we've always been a younger team," senior center Bradley Vierling said. "We have a lot of seniors in the locker room and a lot of backups coming back, which is huge for us. It's always been Vanderbilt's story that we start well but falter towards the end because we never have enough depth.

"Now we finally have that, and it's more competitive than it's ever been."

Vanderbilt started strong last season, surprising South Carolina, Ole Miss and Auburn in attaining a 5-0 record. Needing one more win for bowl eligibility, the Commodores lost four straight before clinching a postseason spot with a 31-24 win at Kentucky.

"The biggest win was beating Kentucky," Lewis said. "Every year Kentucky would beat us and would put us out of getting that sixth win and getting to a bowl game. We finally beat them and got to the next level."

From an offensive standpoint, Vanderbilt had no business breaking its bowl drought last season. The Commodores ranked 117th in total offense, averaging 256.2 yards per game, so they had to rely on a solid defense and a plus-9 turnover ratio.

Turnover ratios can change from year to year, and the Commodores are hoping something can change offensively.

"We didn't play very well the entire year, and the statistics show it," Vierling said. "We were one of the worst in the nation. We know that, and we have a big chip on our shoulder about that."

The Commodores start preseason practice Friday, but it may not be until the end of camp before a starting quarterback is named between senior Mackenzi Adams and sophomore Larry Smith. Adams was the hero of the 14-13 upset of Auburn but wound up throwing eight interceptions and only five touchdowns in 2008, while Smith played in just two games and was used more for his running.

Jared Hawkins is back at tailback after leading the team with 593 yards last year, but receiver is a sizable concern after Justin Wheeler was lost for the season after a knee injury this spring. The Commodores used a lot of no-huddle offense in the spring and expect to carry that over into the season.

"We had to get in a lot better shape a lot faster to get to the ball after every single play," Vierling said. "Whether it was 5 or 25 yards downfield, just getting to the ball to get set and then having to pay attention to the play being called was a bit of a change for us. We conditioned this offseason a lot harder than we ever have before."

LOOKING AHEAD

Camp start: Friday

Camp objectives: 1. Develop some quality receivers following the departures of George Smith and Sean Walker and the loss of Justin Wheeler this spring to a knee injury. 2. Name a starting quarterback between senior Mackenzi Adams and sophomore Larry Smith. 3. Determine which sophomore cornerback, Jamie Graham or Casey Hayward, gets to replace D.J. Moore, who left early for the NFL.

Season opener: Western Carolina in Nashville on Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m. EDT on CSS)

Fun fact: After trading for quarterback Jay Cutler and drafting cornerback D.J. Moore, the Chicago Bears now have five former Commodores on their roster: Cutler, Moore, receiver Earl Bennett, tackle Chris Williams and linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer.