Nov. 18, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5 SEC) returns home to face Ole Miss (5-5, 2-4 SEC) at Vanderbilt Stadium this Saturday. It’s the first of two home games to close the regular season for the Commodores.
Here are three keys to the game for Vanderbilt:
1. Limit Ole Miss’ passing game.
It’s difficult to accurately assess Ole Miss’ aerial attack following the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Chad Kelly two weeks ago against Georgia Southern. With Kelly at the helm, the Rebels paced the SEC and ranked 15th nationally in passing offense (316.4 yards per game). But last week, Ole Miss looked just fine in its first game without Kelly: it scored 23 fourth-quarter points in a 29-28 upset No. 8 Texas A&M on the road, during which true freshman quarterback Shea Patterson looked like a star in the making.
Patterson set Ole Miss freshman records with 338 passing yards and 402 total yards in the win over the Aggies. This week Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason compared Patterson to former Oregon star Marcus Mariota, as well as another Heisman Trophy winner. “He reminds me of Johnny Manziel, in terms of his ability to extend plays,” Mason said.
Stopping the Rebels begins with stopping Patterson, a former five-star signee, as well as the roster’s bevy of talented pass-catchers. That includes tight end Evan Engram, who has a touchdown catch in seven games this season and averages 83.8 receiving yards per game in SEC play. Vanderbilt knows that challenge begins up front, and players like defensive lineman Adam Butler aren’t underestimating Patterson simply because he’s a freshman.
“I didn’t know much about him, but I’m pretty excited about him,” Butler said. “I like him. I’m ready to get after him.”
2. Run the football.
Vanderbilt’s passing game has found a rhythm in recent weeks, but its ground attack might be the key to topping Ole Miss. The Rebels surrender 229.1 rush yards per game, worst in SEC, and rank 11th in the league in yards-per-carry allowed (5.06). Moreover, only one SEC team (Arkansas) has given up more rushing touchdowns than Ole Miss’ 24.
The Commodores’ committee of running backs found success against Missouri, which also struggles to stop the run. Darrius Sims, Khari Blasingame and Ralph Webb did most of the work as Vanderbilt amassed 205 rushing yards on 35 carries, or 5.9 yards-per-carry. (That average does not take into account sack yardage on quarterback Kyle Shurmur.)
But with Webb still nursing a sore ankle – he’s averaging just 3.3 yards-per-carry in Vanderbilt’s last two games – a committee approach is the squad’s best option against Ole Miss.
“We have a lot of [rushers] who are very capable,” wide receiver C.J. Duncan said. “We have a lot of confidence in their abilities. That’s what the summer and winter is all about, preparing and building that confidence with the coaching staff. Guys like Khari, Darius Sims, Josh Crawford, they’ve done that over the course of this offseason.”
3. Engineer a fast start at home.
Last week Missouri jumped out to a 19-0 lead over visiting Vanderbilt thanks to a pick-six and an 82-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Lock. Though the Commodores managed to rally to within two points, 19-17, by the third quarter, Mason knows a come-from-behind approach won’t work against Ole Miss.
“Our football team took some lessons out of this ballgame, in terms of spotting an opponent some points, and understanding that that’s not the way we’re built,” Mason said.
The Rebels, meanwhile, have done a good job of engineering quick starts. They outscore opponents 231-143 in the first two quarters this season, meaning Vanderbilt must find a way to keep pace. Rallying against Ole Miss’ offense would be a much more daunting task. “We have to play with a better sense of urgency,” Mason said.
Vanderbilt and Ole Miss kick off at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.