With 1:36 remaining in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31, the Vanderbilt football team was clinging to a two-point lead.Every yard was crucial, and Boston College freshman quarterback Dominique Davis just connected on a 16-yard pass to give the Eagles a first down.His next pass found the hands of a Vanderbilt defender — then-junior cornerback Myron Lewis.The interception allowed the Commodores to run out the clock and secure their first bowl victory in 53 years. “When the team needed me to make a play, I was able to make a play,” Lewis said. This season, the Commodores have their sights set on another bowl appearance, and Lewis and the Vanderbilt defense is “taking it one game at a time.” “I just wanna go out there, play hard and win games,” Lewis said. “Hopefully every game.”The 6-foot-2-inch cornerback was a key part of the Commodores’ 7-6 campaign, logging impressive statistics and gaining the confidence of his coaching staff.”We feel like he can do the job against just about anybody,” said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. “There happens to be some great receivers in this conference that are going to be tough to cover, but Myron’s going to have a chance to do it.”Lewis emerged this past season as a dominant defensive force, playing opposite the field of current Chicago Bears cornerback D.J. Moore. Moore began the season with a proceeding reputation, but Lewis said he didn’t feel he was being tested by other opponents.”I think me and D.J. each had our fair share of getting the ball thrown at us,” Lewis said.The tandem helped the Commodores have the third-stingiest pass defense in the Southeastern Conference, allowing just 174.9 yards per game.”He does a great job playing man to man,” Johnson said. “He does a great job playing zone. “He’s also a good blitzer.”His ability to blitz helped him tie teammate senior defensive end Broderick Stewart for the team lead in sacks last season with five.”He’s a big asset to our defense,” said Vanderbilt senior safety Ryan Hamilton. “He can do pretty much everything.”Lewis also racked up 76 tackles after notching 49 his sophomore season. The senior defensive back said he changed the way he played in between his sophomore and junior seasons.”I was more aggressive on the field,” Lewis said. “I was able to make more plays. I was smarter about what I needed to do and get done.” That change in aggression paid dividends for both Lewis and the Commodores, who where bowl eligible in 2008 for the first time since 1982.Lewis made a lot of game-changing plays, such as intercepting Auburn quarterback Chris Todd with 2:07 left in the Commodores’ 14-13 win, allowing the Commodores to hold the ball and secure victory. “It’s not foreign to him to make big plays in big games,” Johnson said. “He’s just a real confident player.”Lewis will face tough tasks again this season as Vanderbilt faces SEC teams with talented receivers like Georgia sophomore A.J. Green and Ole Miss senior Dexter McCluster. But Lewis said he is going to do what he needs to do to defend those types of players.”Basically just going out there watching a lot of film and seeing what they like to do,” Lewis said. “The different formation packages, what they like to run. Just staying focused and having the mindset that I’m not going to let anybody catch anything on me or out work me on the field.”Hamilton said Lewis is “a nice guy” and is well liked by his teammates.”He likes to joke around and have a good time, but he’s also real serious when he has to be,” Hamilton said. “He’s a really good teammate all around.”
 
 
 
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