No. 22 Vanderbilt visits Sanford Stadium on Saturday to take on ninth-ranked Georgia in a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. The Commodores have been the surprise of the SEC thus far, winning their first five games before falling 17-14 at Mississippi State last Saturday. From the time Georgia head coach Mark Richt first laid eyes on this year’s Vanderbilt (5-1, 3-1) team while watching them take on South Carolina earlier in the season, one thing about the Commodores stood out to him. “I just watched the game and I just thought they were fast,” Richt said. “I made the comment that they look every bit as fast as South Carolina, maybe faster. I shouldn’t have said that the week of the South Carolina game, but I did see a team that could run.”
Bulldog offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has also noticed Vanderbilt’s speed. “I think Vanderbilt has greatly improved their team speed,” Bobo said. “They’ve always been a very well-coached football team, assignment- and fundamentally-[wise], and now you add team speed to that. I think they’ve just become an excellent football team.”
One of the areas where the Commodores’ speed is very apparent is in their secondary. That group has helped Vanderbilt tie for the conference lead in interceptions (11) with Tennessee. Safety Ryan Hamilton has three interceptions and teams rarely throw at cornerback D.J. Moore. Bobo compares the Commodore secondary to the Tennessee group that Georgia (5-1, 2-1) faced last week. “They’re very similar in athletic ability and guys that make can plays on balls,” he said. “The difference would have to be they play a little more zone, where Tennessee probably plays a little more man-to-man.”
Bobo does give Vanderbilt’s group one advantage. “All four [starters] are returning starters and all have a lot of experience in this league, where Tennessee’s guys had experience but they were young guys,” he said.
The Bulldogs had success passing the ball against the Volunteers, as quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for his first 300-yard game, totaling 310 in Georgia’s 26-14 win. Stafford took what the defense gave him, as he threw shorter and safer passes. Those decisions and that performance may be the start of an amazing run for the junior quarterback. “We’ll see how it goes from here,” Bobo said. “I’m definitely pleased with his progress and how he played last week. If we get it to the guys that we’ve got in space they can make plays for us.”
Georgia’s backfield caught six of those short passes from Stafford, and there were several wide receiver screens, but the Bulldogs’ tight ends were shut out. The Bulldogs were playing without starting tight end Tripp Chandler, who will also miss the Vanderbilt game with an injured shoulder. Aron White got the start and split time with Bruce Figgins, who has decided to delay surgery for his injured shoulder and play the rest of the season. “He’s in a position where he could have taken a [redshirt], gotten his surgery done and got his shoulder fixed,” Chandler said. “I think it just really shows his commitment to this team.”
Chandler hopes to return for the LSU game and is excited for his backups, including White. “He’s come along,” Chandler said. “I’m looking forward to see what he can do this weekend.”
Fullbacks Shaun Chapas and Brannan Southerland are also versatile enough to play tight end, but Kiante Tripp has moved back to the offensive line after the season-ending knee injury to left tackle Vince Vance. Tripp practiced as a backup at right tackle as the Bulldogs plan to start the offensive line that finished the Tennessee game, with Clint Boling replacing Vance at left tackle. Georgia’s line will be tested, as the play of Vanderbilt’s secondary works in conjunction with a Commodore front seven that has Vandy atop the SEC with 19 sacks. Defensive end Steven Stone’s three sacks lead the way for a total of seven players that have two or more sacks. However, Georgia should have success running the ball, as the Commodores give up over 128 yards a game on the ground.
Offensively, Vanderbilt is showing they are not content with their 5-1 start. Following the loss to Mississippi State, Commodore head coach Bobby Johnson decided to bench starting quarterback Chris Nickson and replace him with Mackenzi Adams. Adams played extensively against Georgia a year ago and led the team to their victory over Auburn this year. “I don’t really see too much of a difference when I watch both of them,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. “When I watch Adams, I might see them throw a little bit more, but for the most part they’re both playmakers, they’re both athletic and they both can get the job done if you don’t contain them.”
Curran also sees both speed and trickery in the Vandy offense. “They play with a lot of speed. You really never know what’s coming,” he said. “If you don’t read your keys, you’ll get mixed up, you’ll overrun a play or you’ll get lost in the shuffle.”
The Commodores rank last in the SEC in passing yards per game, averaging just a little over 90 yards, so stopping Vanderbilt’s running game will be critical for Georgia. The Bulldogs have been good against the run all year, ranking fourth nationally, and thanks to a couple of sacks they held Tennessee to 1 yard on the ground last week. Darryl Gamble replaced the injured Dannell Ellerbe at MIKE linebacker, as the Georgia defense did not miss a beat. “He’s just a student of the game, a real smart player,” Curran said of Gamble. “He’s played all three of the linebacker positions and is just a vital player for our linebacking corps.”
Overall, Vanderbilt’s play on the field matches its record as one of the SEC’s best teams. “They’re leading the league in the categories that are most important,” Richt said. “Very few penalties, the second best turnover ration, one of the best punting teams, one of the best punt returners (Moore) when it comes to field position changes and when you get in the red zone, they’re No. 2 both in red zone offense and red zone defense, […] those are the crucial stats they’re leading the league in.”
If any team in the league knows what the Commodores are capable of it is Georgia, as Vanderbilt beat Georgia 24-22 two seasons ago and was on the verge of beating the Bulldogs again last season before a forced fumble doomed them to a 20-17 defeat. The Commodores will be refocused after suffering their first loss and are very much looking forward to getting their sixth win of the season, which would make them bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. Georgia may be ready to explode offensively after their impressive performance against Tennessee, and while Vanderbilt’s secondary is one of the SEC’s best, the Commodore defense does not appear to match up well against Knowshon Moreno and the Georgia running game. They also figure to have a hard time running against the Bulldog defense, but having SEC-quality speed and being one of the soundest teams in the league gives them a legitimate shot at winning. However, expect Georgia to remember its last two meetings with Vandy and to take them as seriously as possible. Despite the Commodores being legit, Georgia is still the better team and should win the game.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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