Dec. 20, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
Camping World Independence Bowl
Vanderbilt vs. N.C. State
Mon., Dec. 26
4 p.m. CT, ESPN2
Setting the stage
Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC) heads to the Independence Bowl on the heels of a regular season that included wins over Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee, The Commodores’ six total wins – and three SEC wins — are the most in a single season under head coach Derek Mason.
N.C. State (6-6, 3-5 ACC) notched wins over Notre Dame and rival North Carolina in head coach Dave Doeren’s fourth season in Raleigh. Four of the Wolfpack’s six losses came by seven points or fewer, including a 24-17 overtime loss at then-No. 3Clemson and a 24-20 loss to then-No. 24 Florida State.
Storylines to watch
Vanderbilt’s offensive surge
The Commodores finished the regular season playing their best football on offense. They scored a combined 83 points and reeled off 1,089 total yards (7.3 per play) in wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee. Prior to facing the Rebels, Vanderbilt had averaged just 322.1 yards per game, or 4.9 per play, in 2016. Its 45 points in the win over Tennessee (45-34) were Vanderbilt’s most in an SEC game since 1971.
Season of firsts
Vanderbilt is already assured its most wins in a season under Mason and most overall since 2013. But the Commodores did more to rewrite program record books this fall. They earned Mason’s first SEC road win in a 17-16 upset of Georgia on Oct. 15. Vanderbilt snagged three conference wins for the first time under the head coach. And by beating N.C. State in Shreveport, the ‘Dores would cap 2016 with as many wins (seven) as Mason’s first two seasons combined.
Rivalry momentum
Both N.C. State and Vanderbilt earned bowl-eligibility in regular-season finales against in-state rivals. The Commodores downed Tennessee at Vanderbilt Stadium for their third win in the last five games against the Vols. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, piled up 259 rushing yards in a 28-21 road victory over North Carolina. Can either school use its rivalry win as fuel in the bowl game?
Key faces: Vanderbilt
LB Zach Cunningham
Cunningham became Vanderbilt’s first consensus All-American in more than three decades after a redshirt junior campaign in which he led the SEC in total tackles (119) and ranked third in tackles-for-loss (16.5). The Pinson, Ala. native is now the most decorated player in Commodore history.
RB Ralph Webb
A third-year starter, Webb closed the 2016 regular season as Vanderbilt’s new career rushing leader (3,234 yards). He rushed for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns this fall and notched six 100-yard games, earning Second Team All-SEC honors.
QB Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur, a sophomore, closed his first full season as Vanderbilt’s starter by throwing for 689 yards and completing 58.5 percent of his passes in wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee. Against the Vols, Shurmur tossed for a career-high 416 yards.
Key faces: NC State
RB Matt Dayes
Dayes rushed for 1,119 yards (4.7 per carry) to become the Wolfpack’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002. He put together eight 100-yard games in 2016 — second-most in a season in N.C. State history — and earned Second Team All-SEC honors.
DE Bradley Chubb
A linchpin of N.C. State’s defense, the junior Chubb ended the regular season as the FBS leader in tackles-for-loss (21) while adding 9.5 sacks, 25th nationally. He has 33 career tackles-for-loss and was named the team’s Defensive MVP for 2016.
QB Ryan Finley
Finley, a graduate transfer from Boise State, has passed for an N.C. State sophomore-record 2,824 yards this season. He completes 60.2 percent of his throws and averages 7.6 yards-per-attempt.
Big stat: 104.7
N.C State allows just 104.7 rushing yards per game, fifth-fewest in FBS. It held four ACC opponents (Florida State, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Wake Forest) to 70 or fewer yards on the ground. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, ran for 400 yards in its final two games against Ole Miss and Tennessee, averaging 4.8 yards-per-carry. Webb, Khari Blasingame and Darrius Sims are a big part of the ‘Dores’ offense on the ground.
X-factor: Vanderbilt’s pass-catchers
Vanderbilt’s receiving corps has come up big in recent weeks. Receivers Trent Sherfield and Caleb Scott and tight end Jared Pinkey made Shurmur’s job easier with athletic catches against Ole Miss and Tennessee. In the win over the Vols, Sherfield (a career-high 184 yards) and Scott (117) became the first Commodore duo to notch 100-yard receiving games in the same game since 2013. If Vanderbilt struggles to run the ball against N.C. State, it might need more help from its pass-catchers on offense.
Did you know?
Vanderbilt is one of two FBS schools (BYU) to rank in the top 10 in FBS in red-zone offense and defense. The Commodores finished the regular season No. 1 nationally in red-zone defense (65.9 percent, or 29-of-44) and No. 2 nationally in red-zone offense (95.5 percent, or 42-of-44). Last season, Vanderbilt converted just 61.5 percent of its red-zone attempts on offense.
Commodore quotable
“When you talk about putting a bow on a season, it’s been heck of a journey. These guys still have one more chapter and one more opportunity in front of them. We’re going to play our best ball and see what happens.” – head coach Derek Mason
“Seven wins versus six is huge. [It’s] 7-6 vs. 6-7, that’s a winning versus a losing record. We’re not underestimating this game at all. We’re going there to win.” — quarterback Kyle Shurmur
“Everybody’s focused on winning this game. We don’t want to just be happy to be there. It’s not a deal where we’re like, okay, we’ve made it to a bowl game. We want win this game.” — safety Ryan White
