Florida Gators vs Vanderbilt Commodores Preview
The Florida Gators will look to bounce back this Saturday after a tough loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Florida Gators will host the Vanderbilt Commodores for their last SEC home game. Both teams come into this week with losses, as Florida lost to Georgia 24-17 and Vanderbilt lost to South Carolina 24-7. Florida will be without two key defensive players as Jeremiah Moon and Amari Burney will miss the Vanderbilt game. The Gators do have a lot of success in this matchup as Florida has a 40-10-2 record against Vanderbilt. They currently have a five-game winning streak against the Commodores. Here is the Florida Gators vs Vanderbilt Commodores game preview.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores come into Gainesville, Florida led by their head coach, Derek Mason, who’s in his sixth season as Vanderbilt’s head coach. The Vanderbilt offense will also be led by their redshirt-junior quarterback Deuce Wallace. The Tennessee native will make his seventh appearance this season for the Commodores. Wallace hasn’t played much this season as he’s completed 33 out of 76 for 217 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Redshirt-senior running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn is Vandy’s biggest offensive threat and one of the top backs in the SEC. Vaughn has 790 yards on 151 carries with six touchdowns and also has 23 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown. Cam Johnson and Kalija Lipscomb are Vandy’s top two receivers. Johnson has 20 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Lipscomb has 32 catches for 377 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, the Vanderbilt Commodores will look to improve after their last loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Linebacker Dimitri Moore leads the Commodores in tackles with 62 on the season. He also has 4.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Junior defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo has also had a nice season for the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Lone Star State native has 26 tackles, leads the team in tackles for loss with six and six QB hurries. Redshirt-junior outside linebacker Andre Mintze leads Vanderbilt in sacks with three. Mintze also has four tackles for loss and three QB hurries.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are back in the Swamp for the first time since the Auburn win. The Florida offense will be led by their redshirt-junior quarterback Kyle Trask. The former backup QB has looked sharp since replacing Feleipe Franks as he’s completed 66.8% of his passes for 1,648 yards with sixteen touchdowns and four interceptions. Florida couldn’t get anything going on the ground against Georgia but need to establish a run game with Lamical Perine and Dameon Pierce. Tight end Kyle Pitts is the lead receiver for Florida has he has 39 receptions for 469 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Freddie Swain has been great all season as he has 29 catches for 430 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. Wide receiver Van Jefferson has also had a nice season with 29 catches for 362 yards and four touchdowns.
The Florida Gators defense needs to make some adjustments for the Vanderbilt game after a poor showing last Saturday. Senior linebacker David Reese has been very solid for Florida is leads in tackles with 72. Reese also has three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Jon Greenard has been Florida’s best defensive lineman as he leads in sacks with four and tackles for loss with 6.5. Junior safety Shawn Davis struggled against the Dawgs but as has been Florida’s best safety this season. Davis leads the team in interceptions with three and also has 34 total tackles.
Five Players to Watch: Vanderbilt Commodores
- LB Dimitri Moore
- RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
- DT Dayo Odeyingbo
- WR Kalija Lipscomb
- LB Andre Mintze
Five Players to Watch: Florida Gators
- QB Kyle Trask
- LB David Reese
- WR Freddie Swain
- CB Marco Wilson
- RB Lamical Perine
Five Predictions:
- Kyle Trask throws for over 250 yards and three touchdowns.
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn rushes for over 80 yards and scores a touchdown.
- Florida’s defense forces at least two turnovers.
- Dimitri Moore leads both teams in tackles.
- Florida Gators beats Vanderbilt Commodores 41-10.
Main Photo Credit:
