The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Vanderbilt – INSIDE SLANT
No-name defense keeps climbing the national rankings
Outside of Nashville, not a lot of people recognize many names on the Commodore defense.
None of Vanderbilt’s defenders made an All-Southeastern Conference team last year, and in the media’s preseason vote, only cornerback Trey Wilson and defensive tackle Rob Lohr made one of the first three teams.
Even then, both made the third team.
The post-season teams might not look much differently, either.
Vandy’s leading tackler, safety Kenny Ladler, ranks 16th in the league in total tackles. Linebacker Chase Garnam ranks fifth in the league in sacks and tied for 10th in stops for losses, and defensive tackle Jared Morse and linebacker Karl Butler are two of the six players tied with him.
Wilson is tied for 10th in interceptions, and cornerback Andre Hal is tied for sixth in passes defended.
So, with no big names on the defense and nobody dominating the statistical charts, you perhaps wouldn’t suspect that the Commodore defense had played that well, but you would be wrong.
As of this week, Vandy ranks 19th in total defense, 14th in scoring defense, and third in passing defense. The Commodores (5-4) have allowed more than 23 points only twice this season.
On Monday, Lohr spoke to how the defense has performed well without a true superstar.
“I think it’s just a mentality of 11 players functioning as one,” he said. “That’s how we look at it. We don’t always have people that jump out at you on the stat sheet, but we work together well and I think we complement each other.
“We execute the defense and make plays. We don’t really care who makes the play, as long as they’re made.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Vanderbilt – NOTES, QUOTES
–Vanderbilt’s next (and last) home game vs. Tennessee, which will be played on Nov. 17, is set to kick off at 6 p.m.
–If Vanderbilt can win at Ole Miss on Saturday, it will be the first four-game winning streak for coach James Franklin in his two years at Vandy.
–All four teams to defeat Vanderbilt this year are ranked in the BCS’s Top 25: Georgia (5), South Carolina (6), Florida (8) and Northwestern (24).
SERIES HISTORY: Ole Miss leads, 47-37-2, but Vanderbilt has won the last two meetings and four of the last five.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: It comes as no shock, but the Vandy offense has picked up the production in the last three weeks as it played the easier portion of its schedule against Auburn, Massachusetts and Kentucky. Not counting Trey Wilson’s defensive score, Vanderbilt has averaged 33 points and 424 yards over that span. The Commodores have achieved a nice run-pass balance with 221 yards coming on the ground and 203 through the air.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The defense has also dominated during that three-game stretch, giving up an average of 245 yards and 6.7 points. A cooperative effort on the defensive line led by DTs Rob Lohr and Jared Morse has limited teams to an average of 2.7 yards over the last three games. They will face a balanced Ole Miss offense that averages 178 rushing and 230 passing yards per game.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We haven’t had as many splash plays with turnovers this year, but we have as many good players. The biggest difference is turnovers. Across the board statistically, we’re better in 90 percent of the categories if you do the comparisons. The only difference is turnovers. This team is taking a blue-collar mentality and trying to consistently do their jobs. I think the turnovers will come if we just keep doing our job.” — Coach James Franklin, on the difference between last year’s team and this year’s.
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NCAAF Team Report – Vanderbilt – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK’S GAME: Vanderbilt at Mississippi, Nov. 10 — After two easy victories, the Commodores find themselves a field goal underdog at Ole Miss. That’s not an unfamiliar position. The Rebels have been favored the last four seasons, but Vandy has won three of those games.
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Commodores still can’t get turnovers to go in their favor, ranking 11th in the league with a minus-five margin. Vandy won last week despite a minus-two, but the Rebels are a much better team than Kentucky. Vanderbilt needs to at least break even there, and could have an opportunity with Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace, who has thrown 10 interceptions and has a sore throwing shoulder. Establishing RB Zac Stacy, who hasn’t been needed much after halftime the last two weeks, could also be big for Vanderbilt.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
RB Zac Stacy — Stacy, who has had 142 carries for 752 yards, is the league’s fifth-leading rusher, and had 11 carries for 169 yards in Vandy’s 30-7 win over Ole Miss last season.
QB Jordan Rodgers — Mr. Consistency this season, Rodgers has passed for between 214 and 220 yards in five of his eight games and completed between 13 and 18 passes in those eight. Rodgers will again need to limit his interceptions, as he has thrown only three all season.
CB Trey Wilson — He could get another shot at a big play on Saturday. Four of his five career interceptions have gone for touchdowns, including his 52-yard scoring return against the Rebels last season.
ROSTER REPORT
–G Josh Jelesky was bracketed with Jake Bernstein in an “or” situation on the depth chart for Saturday. Jelesky was also listed as a starter last week but didn’t play, and with coach James Franklin’s policy of not commenting on injuries, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he will play Saturday or what the injury is.
–C Spencer Pulley (undisclosed injury) is not listed on either the first- or second teams this week. Pulley started four of Vandy’s first six games, but none of the last three.
–WR Jonathan Krause is listed ahead of Jordan Matthews as the team’s punt returner. Matthews had replaced Krause for a few games, but Krause’s aggressiveness in trying to catch the ball last week (and drawing two contact penalties against defenders in return), coupled with his touchdown return the week before, have earned coach James Franklin’s favor.
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