The theme of Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea's postgame press conference was clear; take the good away but "let's not overreact."

It's difficult not to be excited about what Vanderbilt has in freshman running back Sedrick Alexander, though.

The Austin, Texas, native put on a show in the second half of Saturday night's 47-13 win over Alabama A&M.

Alexander finished with a team-high 87 rushing yards, a 27-yard rush, two touchdowns that both went for 10 yards or more and ran for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. That's not to mention the hurdle that the freshman parlayed into another splash play in the second half.

It's important to consider the opponent, a worn-down FCS opponent that went 4-7 last season, but it's also hard to ignore what the freshman showed. Alexander flashed burst, physicality and some make-you-miss ability.

That showed in the four yards after contact per attempt that Alexander earned as well as the six missed tackles he forced in his 12 carries.

Lea wasn't ready to commit to much concerning Alexander's future role, but did seem to let on that his freshman back will have one and that the coaching staff expects plenty from him.

"We're gonna give room for him to emerge as a playmaker," Lea said after Vanderbilt's win over Alabama A&M. "We expect him to be a playmaker for us."

In what capacity that occurs seems to be the bigger question. Vanderbilt has two older backs in Patrick Smith and Chase Gillespie in front of Alexander but likely hasn't picked up the production from that pair that it has hoped for to this point.

Alexander charted just two carries for three yards against Hawaii and played just a series or two while Vanderbilt's week one matchup with Alabama A&M was still in the balance.

As the Commodores enter their biggest stage to this point it feels as if that may change, though. Lea guaranteed nothing but left the door open for Alexander, as well as the rest of his freshman class.

"I'm happy for their success tonight, interested in their refocus and commitment that got them to this point because if they do that they're gonna be showing up for us late in the year, too," Lea said of his offensive group of freshmen.

For now, it's just the second half of a blowout win and a strong spring. It feels as if Alexander's résumé could have much more than that on it soon, though. Vanderbilt may need him to.