College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt Commodores season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Vanderbilt Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-7 in SEC
Head Coach: Derek Mason, 7th year, 27-47
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 99
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 116
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 62
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Offense 3 Things To Know
– It was a rough run. The offense that scored 370 points in 2018 only managed 198, coming up with 14 or fewer points seven times and finishing dead last in the SEC in scoring. The O averaged fewer than 300 yards per game, was dead last in the SEC in rushing, and was second-to-last in passing.
Enter Todd Fitch, the former Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator who steps in to try finding something that consistently works, preferably with the passing game.
If it’s possible to have less than no experience at a position, that’s the Vanderbilt quarterback situation.
Leading passer Riley Neal is done, second-leading passer Deuce Wallace is transferring, and Mo Hasan left for USC. The hope is for true freshman Mike Wright to be ready to roll right out of the box. He has 6-3, 190-pound size and the athleticism be dangerous whenever he’s in the open field. He’ll have to battle with fellow recruit Ken Seals along with JUCO transfers Danny Clark and Jeremy Moussa.
CFN in 60 Video: Vanderbilt Commodores Preview
– Leading receiver Kalija Lipscomb is done after a disappointing year – not his fault – but sophomore Cam Johnson is back after finishing second with 30 catches for 316 yards and three scores and 6-4, 225-pound senior Chris Pierce. Tight end Jared Pinkney is done, but 6-4, 245-pound Ben Bresnahan has good size and upside.
– The offensive line has to be a whole lot better. It didn’t do much of anything for the ground game, and it struggled to do anything consistently well in pass protection. To be fair, it was a rebuilding group that started a slew of young parts, and now there’s more work to do.
Left tackle Devin Cochran left for Georgia Tech, but in comes Stephen Spanellis from Michigan to potentially take over a starting guard spot.
No matter what, the front five has to do more for a ground attack that finished with fewer than 1,500 yards and just 11 touchdowns, even though Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for 1,028 yards and nine scores.
Vaughn is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer now, but 6-1, 202-pound Keyon Brooks is back after finishing second on the team with 252 yards and a score. Freshman Rocko Griffin was a nice recruit, but 211-pound junior Mitchell Pryor and 5-11, 190-pound sophomore Ja’Veon Marlow will be in the rotation.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Defense 3 Things To Know
– After working with Appalachian State last season, America’s defensive coordinator Ted Roof – this is the former Duke head coach’s 12th DC gig – needs to improve the nation’s 101st defense. It struggled against the run, allowed too many deep passes, and it didn’t show much of a pass rush.
Other than that, everything was great.
But it was a true rebuilding year, but the top 11 tacklers and 26 of the top 28 are expected back, and DE Alex Williams is transferring in from Ohio State.
Roof’s first job is to generate a pass rush and more pressure from the defensive front. Vandy came up with just 20 sacks, and just 4.5 came from true defensive linemen.
6-6, 280-pound Dare Odeyingbo led the team with 12 tackles for loss, but he wasn’t much for getting to the quarterback. 6-3, 265-pound Rutger Reitmaier was the second-leading defensive linemen in tackles for loss, and he only came up with 4.5.
There’s size on the inside – Cameron Tidd and Drew Birchmeier are both 300-pounders – and there’s a veteran rotation to help the cause.
– The defensive backs had to make way too many tackles, but the linebackers did their part, too – and now all four starters are expected back. 230-pound junior Dimitri Moore led the team with 99 stops, but 6-3, 246-pound senior Andre Mintze led the corps with 7.5 tackles for loss – the linebackers did most of the heavy lifting when it came to getting into the backfield. There’s lots of size and lots of experience.
– All of the DBs are back, too. The safety trio of Brendon Harris, Dashaun Jerkins and Tae Daley combined to be the top three tacklers behind Moore. Harris and Jenkins went through trial by fire, and now the sophomores should grow into their jobs.
Daley led the team with three picks, but the guys on the outside have to do a whole lot more. There’s size in 6-1 corners BJ Anderson and Allan George, but Georgia is the only one to come up with an interception – he got one.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top Vanderbilt Commodores Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top Vanderbilt Commodores Players
Best Vanderbilt Commodores Offensive Player
WR Cam Johnson, Soph.
Once this all gets started, someone is going to rise up into the role of the team’s best offensive player.
In a perfect world, it turns out to be one of what seems like 57 quarterback options, and a few running backs are going to be in the mix, but for now, it’s Cam Johnson who has the upside to be the team’s star – now he just needs the ball more.
Steady as a freshman, he made 30 catches for 316 yards and three scores and was used a wee bit in other areas, too. He’s got the athleticism and game-breaking skills to grow into a true No. 1 target.
2. RB Keyon Brooks, Soph.
3. OT Tyler Steen, Soph.
4. OT Jonathan Stewart, Jr.
5. TE Ben Bresnahan, Soph.
Best Vanderbilt Commodores Defensive Player
LB Dimitri Moore, Jr.
Go ahead and put S Tae Daley here, and several other veteran Vanderbilt defenders have the upside to turn into the main man for the D that gets everyone back, but it’s Moore who comes into the season as the star of the show.
The 6-3, 230-pounder kicked off his career with 84 tackles, and he followed it up with a team-high 99 stops with six tackles for loss. He’s not going to be much of a pass rusher, but that’s not his job on the inside. The range is there, but he’ll eat up everything inside the hashmarks – he came up with double-digit tackles five of his last seven games.
2. S Tae Daley, Sr.
3. S Dashaun Jenkins, Soph.
4. DE Dayo Odeyingbo, Sr.
5. LB Andre Mintze, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Vanderbilt Commodores Offense
Beyond simply saying that everything needs help, most importantly, the offense has to find one thing it can do well on a consistent basis. That might be a bit too daunting, but there’s one are that’s a must to fix.
Get more scoring chances, and take advantage of them. The offense just never, ever seemed able to go on long drives – it was in the red zone a nation-worst 21 times.
How bad was it? Akron – who really did nothing offensive – was the second-worst in red zone chances, and it got there 26 times. That was tied with Rutgers, who also seemed to be against the whole idea of scoring.
By comparison, LSU and Ohio State tied for the nation-high with 75 trips inside the 20.
Not only did Vandy struggle to get into scoring position, but it didn’t put the biscuit in the basket often enough when it did – only six teams were less effective at coming away with points in the red zone.
By the way, in 2018 Vanderbilt was 38-of-50 inside the 20. Not great, but at least it made plenty of visits.
Biggest Key To The Vanderbilt Commodores Defense
Find ONE area that can rock. Either be the team that dominates against the run, or the one that can give everyone’s passing game problems.
With all 11 starters coming back on D. there’s no excuse to not find something it can do consistently well.
Georgia ran for over 300 yards, and Purdue threw for over 500 the following week.
LSU went LSU and threw for 418 yards, and Ole Miss ran for 413. Florida threw for 410, and then Kentucky ran for 401.
It was as if opposing offensive coordinators went into Vanderbilt Week saying, “this is what we do well, and we’re going to do it over and over, because it can’t be stopped.”
The program has allowed over 5,000 yards of total offense in three of the last four years. Get that down to around 4,500, and this might be a far better season.
Key Vanderbilt Commodores Player To A Successful Season
QB Mike Wright, Fr.
Or JUCO transfer Danny Clark, or JUCO transfer Jeremy Moussa, or freshman Ken Seals.
Ball State transfer Riley Neal was supposed to be a whole lot better than he was – there just wasn’t anything happening to move the offense. The Commodores need a dangerous playmaker to build around, and the 6-3, 190-pound Wright might be it.
One of the team’s top recruits, he’s a good, accurate passer, but his real upside is as a runner. He’s got dangerous breakaway speed to be one of the team’s top rushing threats, but … he has to win the job.
No matter who it is, the Commodores have to get better quarterback play.
Key Game To The Vanderbilt Commodores Season
South Carolina, Oct. 31
If this is going to be a turnaround season with a run to a bowl game, the Commodores have to take care of Mercer without a problem in the opener, and they have to beat Ole Miss after taking it down the last two times in Nashville.
Beating Colorado and Louisiana Tech are a must, and it’ll take two other upsets to get to six wins.
The get a week off before facing South Carolina, who plays Texas A&M the week before and Georgia and LSU right after – welcome to a big-time sandwich game for the Gamecocks.
By the way, Vandy has lost 11 in a row in the series – the last win was in 2008.
– Vanderbilt Commodores Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Vanderbilt Fun Stats
– 3rd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 111 – Vanderbilt 38
– Fumbles: Opponents 9 (lost 5) – Vanderbilt 9 (lost 3)
– Rushing Yards: Opponents 2,505 – Vanderbilt 1,496
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
CFN in 60 Video: Vanderbilt Commodores Preview
It takes a few things to go the right way for Vanderbilt to have a good football season.
It needs other teams on the schedule to be mediocre, it needs a shocker of a win – or three – and it needs everything to come together personnel-wise.
It’s going to need a little help in the schedule department – it’ll likely be a big underdog in every SEC game except for the home date against Ole Miss – but the players might be there.
The offense can’t and won’t be any worse … maybe.
The skill parts have to emerge, a quarterback has to rise up, and the line has to be way, way better. Fortunately, the defense should help out.
Experience will count for something. This is a very big, very veteran group with all 11 starters and almost all the backups likely to return.
Set The Vanderbilt Commodores Regular Season Win Total At … 4.5
Bet at BetMGM Win Total Line: 3
The team should be better than the one that came up with three victories last season. Mercer should be a win, and two more need to come when Colorado State and Louisiana Tech make the trip to Nashville. There are the three.
There will be one SEC upset like last year’s victory over Missouri, and it’ll come down to whether or not there can be another over a South Carolina, Tennessee, and/or Ole Miss.
Five wins would be a good, improved season.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
