Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Vanderbilt Commodores Biggest Key: Offense
Get the ground game working again. The Commodores might be trying to crank up more of a high-powered attack, and they might want a more efficient passing game, but they have to stop turning the ball over so much, which means they have to stop pressing so hard, which means they have to do a better job at controlling the time of possession, which means they have to start running the ball.
2020 was the first time since 2017 that Vandy averaged under four yards per pop, and it was by far the program’s most ineffective running attack in decades.
They don’t have to crank out 200 yards a game – they only hit that mark once over the last 21 games – but they do have to get more out of their runs. They only averaged three yards per carry and ran for four touchdowns with two of them coming against Kentucky.
They ran well against UK – coming up 180 yards and a season high four yards per carry – and it was their best game of the year in a 38-35 loss.
Vanderbilt Commodores Biggest Key: Defense
Where was the pressure? The new coaching staff knows defense and it’ll do whatever it can to get this group to wreak more havoc, but it’s going to take a lot of tweaking and work.
The Commodores couldn’t get behind the line enough, and it was a big part of all the other problems from pass defense to third down stops to takeaways.
The 2019 defense averaged close to six tackles for loss but struggled with the pass rush, averaging fewer than two sacks a game. The 2018 defense had a bigger problem averaging just 1.69 sacks and 4.77 tackles for loss per game.
2020? The Commodores average a paltry 3.67 tackles for loss and just 1.56 sacks per game. Worse yet, most of the main playmakers in the backfield aren’t around this year.
Vanderbilt Commodores Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Ken Seals, Soph.
The Commodores have to look like they have the parts for the near future, and it starts with getting a quarterback to emerge into a possible difference-maker.
No one’s expecting a possible Heisman winner, but as long as there’s steady downfield production and more of a boost on scoring drives, the first season under a new regime will take a big step forward. That’s where Seals comes in.
Mike Wright will get his shot, and others will be the mix, but Seals showed several bright moments in a lost year and needs to build off them. There are good receivers in place, and now the passing game has to start rolling.
Vanderbilt Commodores Key Game To The 2021 Season
at Colorado State, Sept. 11
It’s one of those moments that will show exactly how far the program has to go to be decent. There shouldn’t be a problem against ETSU to open things up – it’ll be the program’s first win in the last 11 games – but the last win over an FBS team was against Missouri in the middle of 2019.
The last road win over an FBS team? 45-31 over Arkansas on October 27th of 2018.
Colorado State will be better than it was in 2020, but Vanderbilt is an SEC program that has to be good enough to go into Fort Collins and come out with a win. Do that, and there will be some momentum going into the home date against Stanford a week later.
– Vanderbilt Football Schedule Analysis
2020 Vanderbilt Commodores Fun Stats
– 1st Half Scoring: Opponents 178 – Vanderbilt 60
– Field Goals: Opponents 10-of-13 – Vanderbilt 4-of-9
– TDs Scored: Opponents 44 – Vanderbilt 17