Oct. 14, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville — Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3 SEC) hits the road for its fourth road game in five contests as it travels to Athens to face Georgia (4-2, 1-2 SEC) this Saturday. Here are three keys to the game for the Commodores:
1. Shore up the run defense.
Kentucky scampered for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 52 attempts (5.0 per carry) in last week’s win over Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason knows the Commodores can’t repeat that performance against a dangerous Georgia squad. “They lean on a strong run game, and it starts with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel,” Mason said. “Those guys are two really good backs. They have a one-two-three combination at the running back position.”
In last week’s 28-14 win over South Carolina, Georgia ran for 326 yards, its most in an SEC game since 2007. Chubb and Michel were responsible for 254 of those yards along with two touchdowns. Freshman Brian Herrien, meanwhile, chipped in 74 rushing yards against the Gamecocks. Expect the Bulldogs to deploy that three-headed monster against the ‘Dores, particulary as first-year head coach Kirby Smart continues to break in freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.
Last season Vanderbilt allowed Nick Chubb to run for 189 yards on 19 carries, or 9.9 yards-per-carry, in a 31-14 loss in Nashville. Linebacker/safety Oren Burks said the ‘Dores’ defense understands the importance of stopping Chubb, the 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year.
“It’s just being physical and driving your feet,” Burks said. “He’s a great player, he’s a dynamic player. We just have to get a lot of hats to the ball… You’re not going to get him down with just one person. You’ve got to be able to gang-tackle.”
2. Cut down on mistakes.
Self-inflicted wounds have spelled doom for Vanderbilt in recent weeks. The Commodores were flagged for a total of 13 penalties in their last two losses against Florida and Kentucky. They ended up losing both contests by a combined 14 points. “We keep definitely shooting ourselves in the foot,” Mason said. “Inopportune times for penalties – those things have sort of plagued this group the last couple of games.”
Last week, as the ‘Dores drove for a game-tying score in the fourth quarter against Kentucky, a delay-of-game penalty on fourth-and-goal pushed VU back from the Wildcats’ 8-yard line to the 13. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur then misfired on the ensuing pass to receiver Kalija Lipscomb in the end zone, sealing the win for Kentucky.
Vanderbilt must clean up its act in Athens with the hope of sparking a struggling offense. Untimely penalties often prevent Shurmur and company from finding a rhythm, and yet the Commodores’ playmakers know they can be better. “We see it, and that’s what so frustrating about it,” Shurmur said. “We have great days of practice, and we see it.”
3. Win special teams.
Mason called Vanderbilt’s special teams a “comedy of errors” against Kentucky, and those setbacks played a role in the Commodores’ loss. Return man Ryan White fumbled two punt returns on the afternoon, including one in the first quarter that was recovered by the Wildcats. Kentucky then turned that miscue into touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Vanderbilt wasn’t effective punting the ball, either. Punter Sam Loy bobbled a pair of snaps from long-snapper Wilson Johnson against Kentucky. The Commodores will have to stay sharper on special teams against Georgia, particularly with punt return man Isaiah McKenzie and kickoff return man Reggie Davis roaming deep. McKenzie ranks third among SEC players in punt return average (9.6 yards) and has returned four punts for touchdowns in his career. Davis, meanwhile, is the SEC’s second-best kick return man (26.2 yards per attempt).
For the ‘Dores, the third phase of football could determine Saturday’s outcome in Athens. “Special teams can’t be an Achilles heel,” Mason said. “It has to be something that stands out for you.”
Vanderbilt and Georgia kick off at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network.
