Match-ups: How worried should Texas REALLY be about Vandy?

Suchomel

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Aug 10, 2001
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VANDERBILT PASS OFFENSE vs TEXAS PASS DEFENSE

It’s not necessarily an overly talented group of players in the passing game, but Vanderbilt is extremely well-coached. In fact, in talking to Vanderbilt insiders who have been around the program for two decades, they believe this is the best Vandy coaching job they’ve ever seen. The passing game looked awful in fall camp, but when the lights have come on they’ve been really good. Quarterback Diego Pavia went from a guy that few football fans knew about to someone who is must-watch TV each week. Pavia isn’t the most physically talented player, but he’s like a really good point guard running a college football offense, displaying great vision and seeing things develop as they’re happening. Vanderbilt has decent receivers but nobody that’s really elite. TE Eli Stowers might be the best passing game option on the team and he went for 130 yards and a touchdown last week. With Pavia, you have to be ready for him to throw it at any time, and he will make improvisational plays after the snap that aren’t necessarily in the playbook. So far this year, he’s rarely made a bad decision on the field.

Edge – Texas *

VANDERBILT RUN OFFENSE vs TEXAS RUN DEFENSE

Vanderbilt employs a decent run game thanks to Pavia’s legs, but the running backs are pretty ordinary in terms of natural talent. Vanderbilt ranks ninth in the conference in rushing offense. Sedrick Alexander is the leading rusher beside Pavi, but has actually drawn praise for his blocking more than his running ability. Sophomore A.J. Newberry, a Texan, is decent but not really a guy Texas will fear. Alexander is just steady, not great in any one area but decent in all phases. He can run through tackles at times so Texas will need to be focused on getting him on the ground. Pavia is the wild card here. He’s more than capable of moving the chains and keeping drives alive so it’ll be interesting to see how Texas plays him. Having someone spy him would make a lot of sense.

Edge – Texas **

VANDERBILT OFFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE

Vanderbilt features three transfer starters on the offensive line and it’s a group that’s starting to click a little bit. Delfin Xavier Castio has made the move from guard to center and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger center, with Castio tipping the scales at 361 pounds. Vanderbilt has a new offensive line coach this year who is credited with getting this group to play at a higher level than expected. The tackles are okay, not great. Left tackle Gunnar Hansen has a chance to be an NFL player, but he can be up and down. Chase Mitchell, a transfer from Liberty, has been okay at right tackle. Interestingly, Vandy doesn’t have left tackle or left guard in the traditional sense. They have strong tackle and strong guard and they’ll flip the line accordingly.

Edge – Texas **

TEXAS PASS OFFENSE vs VANDERBILT PASS DEFENSE

Vanderbilt has some pretty good players in the secondary, but they have also given up a decent number of big plays. CJ Taylor at safety is pretty talented. The Commodores actually have three safeties that might have a chance to play in the NFL, so there is some talent and depth in the back end. De’Rickey Wright is a big safety at 6-4, 229 pounds who plays physical. Star Randon Fontenette is the team’s best defensive player. He’s a transfer from TCU. Martel Hight at corner has some experience and has been decent. CJ Taylor on the other side is talented but can give up big plays. Vanderbilt has been pretty good against the screen game and short passing because the defense is so disciplined.

Edge – Texas **

TEXAS RUN OFFENSE vs VANDERBILT RUN DEFENSE

Vanderbilt is decent against the run but not dominant by any means. The Commodores rank 12th in the conference in rush defense, giving up 215 yards per game. People close to the program feel a power running team might be able to give Vanderbilt trouble, so we’ll see if Texas tries to pound the ball between the tackles. Vandy does have pretty good linebackers play, including Langston Patterson, who is one of the top players on the defense. Patterson didn’t play last week but the thinking early this week was that he’ll be available for Texas. Weakside linebacker Bryan Longwell leads the team in tackles.

Edge – Texas *

TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs VANDERBILT DEFENSIVE LINE

Freshman Glenn Seabrooks hasn’t played a ton but he’s very athletic and has shown production when he’s on the field. De’Marion Thomas brings good size at nose tackle, weighing 334 pounds. This is a defensive line that’s been battling some injuries, but it does have some depth and Vanderbilt will still rotate a handful of guys.

Edge – Texas ***

SPECIAL TEAMS

The best description of the Vanderbilt special teams is that they don’t beat themselves. Drew a lot of penalties early, but have cleaned things up lately. Kicker Brock Taylor has been hot lately and the team does have had a punt return for a TD. Overall, it’s a special teams that ranks highly when you factor in all units.

Edge – Vanderbilt *
 

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