The Vanderbilt Commodores first road trip is Saturday to historic Bobby Dodd Stadium in downtown Atlanta. The Commodores will face ACC foe Georgia Tech with kick off at 11:30 CST. Vanderbilt stumbled in the first game of the season with the 13-10 loss to South Carolina, but they came back in week two to play a solid well-rounded game in their 47-24 win over Middle Tennessee State University. Running back Ralph Webb was the fire the ‘Dores offense needed as quarterback Kyle Shurmur found his rhythm.
The Yellow Jackets seem to have overcome their struggles from last season. They are 2-0 this season and head coach Paul Johnson has found long-term success in his triple-option offense. Their defense will key on Webb after his high-flying performance last weekend. Meanwhile, the stout Vandy O-line (with an average height of 6’5” and weight of 296 pounds) have their work cut out for them against an athletic Tech front seven. The offensive line played well against MTSU last week.
“Black Death” Defense
It is no secret that Vanderbilt’s head coach and defensive coordinator Derek Mason loves a challenge, and he thinks of game planning as a chess match. Mason will have his “Black Death” defense ready to play. Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas took some hits in the Mercer game, but will play Saturday. He’ll do so with two of his favorite offensive weapons: running backs Marcus Marshall and Qua Searcy. Vandy linebacker Zach Cunningham enters Saturday with a streak of six games with at least 10 tackles after he recorded a game-high 10 last week. Cunningham has accumulated 66 tackles during the streak. Enter Oren Burks, who also put up a big game playing in his new star position. Coach Mason added that position to Vandy’s defense specifically for Burks.
“It’s a special position and takes a special kind of guy to play that,” Mason added “how many guys that you know can play on the line of scrimmage then drop back and cover a wide receiver, and then jump up and pick off a pass and put us in scoring position?”
Burks picked off the ‘Dores first pass of the season and ran it back for 59 yards setting up a Vandy TD. Meanwhile, Tre Herndon and Torren McGaster have been hitting hard and breaking up passes. This defensive duo is due for a pick six.
The interception by Burks — which set up the TD — was the fourth of his career.
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) September 10, 2016
Offensive Rhythm
It is a well-documented fact that the Commodores struggled in the red zone last season, converting just 21-of-33 trips into points. Vanderbilt did not have a game last year where they scored points in every red zone trip. This season is a whole new ball game as Vanderbilt is one of 35 teams in the nation to be perfect in the red zone through the first two weeks. That list includes fellow SEC teams Ole Miss (10/10), Alabama (9/9) and Tennessee (7/7). If Vandy’s offensive line puts up a game like last week, sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur could get the passing game firing on all cylinders. To do so, he’ll have to use every option in his arsenal of receivers. Shurmur used 10 different receivers last week. Couple that with Vandy’s dynamic rushing duo, Webb and Khari Blasingame, and it should be a fast paced and exciting game to watch.
Special Teams Make an Impact
Last week Vanderbilt’s special team play helped solidify their victory, obtaining their first safety since the 2012 season. Kicker Tommy Oppenshaw added a field goal to the tally. Meanwhile Darrius Sims made his season debut and returned three kicks for 95 yards, including a long of 47 yards. Sam Loy punted four times for an average of 49.2 yards, placing three inside the 20-yard line and kicking three over 50 yards. This week special teams will need a repeat performance. The Dores third phase must keep the Yellow Jackets on their toes by playing smart, limiting errors that plagued them last season, and continuing to help their team. Field position is critical against rushing attacks like Georgia Tech. Every point will be needed in Atlanta.
Long Hours and Game Plans
Mason talked about the extensive game planning in his weekly press conference, “We did it this summer, now we have to go back and really flip gears… Lets go through all the things we talked about how does that structure stand up? You look at their first two games, what do they look like now versus what they looked like a year ago.” Mason and his staff have been putting in long hours to get their team ready for Georgia Tech. The triple option is an offense few teams utilize and it poses some unique challenges. It’s the knuckleball pitcher of football offenses. Since the coaches only get 20 hours a week with the team, they have been working long hours to maximize and manage time spent with players in the classroom and on the field.
Georgia Tech’s triple option is the dominating story line, and as Mason said repeatedly, “the defense will have to eliminate the explosive plays…and tackle in space.” He will make adjustments as needed to keep his defense strong and effective. Shurmur found a nice rhythm last week and will need to keep it up to keep the team on the right track. It is a non-conference match-up, but this is college football, where all games matter. Vanderbilt is coming into the game Saturday with some confidence, and if they can execute plays effectively, the Commodores have a good chance to take home a win.
The Commodores’ depth chart for Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech. #RTI pic.twitter.com/WAgSHz3gLv
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) September 13, 2016
Main Photo
