College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt football season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Vanderbilt Football Schedule Analysis
– Vanderbilt Commodores Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
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2020 Record: 0-9 overall, 0-9 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Clark Lea, 1st year
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 91
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 63
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 116
Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– Step One: Score. Step Two: See Step One. The Commodores had a really, really, really hard time putting the biscuit in the basket, scoring 17 points or fewer in seven games and topping out with 35 in a loss to Ole Miss. Overall, the O averaged just 330 yards per game with no rushing attack and without enough of a passing game to make up for it.
Enter new offensive coordinator David Raih – an NFL assistant coach over the last several years who knows how to deal with wide receivers. He’s going to open things up for new head coach Clark Lea as the Commodores try getting more dangerous and more explosive right away.
– The quarterback situation is fine. Ken Seals rose up as a freshman and showed off the passing upside to grow into the job, and fellow sophomore Mike Wright – who brings a bit more mobility – is getting a shot, too. But the passing game has to go from promising to more dangerous after averaging just 6.6 yards per throw.
Leading receiver Cam Johnson is back after making 56 catches for 545 yards and three scores, and 6-4 seniors Amir Abdur-Rahim and Chris Pierce add more deep threat pop. Throw in 28-catch TE Ben Bresnahan, and the veteran parts are there to work with.
– The offensive front has some tweaking to do. The running game has to be better, but the pass protection wasn’t all that terrible. Three starters are back around veteran Tyler Steen at left tackle – most likely; there will be juggling done – but there isn’t a whole lot of massive bulk up front.
Leading rusher Keyon Henry-Brooks is in the transfer portal, but second-leading rusher Ja’Veon Marlow is back after running for 186 yards. In the mix as the likely No. 1 is Re’Mahn Davis, a 1,259-yard rusher for Temple who had a great freshman season but struggled to get going last year.