Colorado State Football: What Does Vanderbilt Bring To The Table?
The Rams face their third P5 matchup of the 2020 season
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Can the Rams take down a struggling Commodore team?
The Colorado State Rams head to Nashville in week four of the 2020 season to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. This will be their third Power 5 matchup of the non-conference schedule and will be a measuring point for Steve Addazio during his first season as the Rams head coach. The game is currently scheduled to take place Saturday, September 26th. No time or TV schedule has been set yet.
Location: Nashville, TN
Mascot: Commodores
Conference: Southeastern
2019 Record: 3–9 (1–7 SEC)
Head Coach: Derek Mason (Overall 27–47). Mason is heading into his seventh season as the Vanderbilt head coach and has never had a winning record. He has gone to two bowl games, but lost both of them. Every time Vanderbilt seems to turn a corner, progress seems to stall.
Mason replaced both of his coordinators this offseason. Todd Fitch and Ted Roof were hired as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Fitch has his work cut out for him as the offense loses a lot of production. Roof could have an easier time as the defense returns a lot of production.
Series: This will be the teams first ever meeting.
2019 Vanderbilt Season Review:
The Commodores had a rough 2019 season. Finishing the season 3-9 is always rough, but Vanderbilt wasn’t a competitive team last season. All of their losses came by 17 or more points. One of these losses was a 34-10 home loss to UNLV. And their only win by more than 7 points was a 38-0 shut out of FCS East Tennessee State.
The Commodores shuffled quarterbacks throughout the year with poor results. The only bright spot being a surprising 21-14 win over #22 ranked Missouri. The Vanderbilt offense fell off a cliff from 2018. The Commodores went from 28.5 points and 411 yards per game in 2018 to 16.5 points and 296.7 yards per game in 2019.
The defense was the best part of this Vanderbilt team, but still finished a dismal 99th in SP+. The Commodores defense was a young team and it showed at times. They were able to succeed at stuffing the run and shutting down 3rd down and long, but teams moved the ball a lot on 1st and 2nd down. The only bright spot for this team was special teams, which finished ranked 26th in SP+ rankings.
2020 Vanderbilt Offense:
Vanderbilt’s offense in 2020 has very few pieces returning and is basically starting over with walk-on QB Jack Bowen being the only returning quarterback. The QB position is expected to be a competition between former Hawaii QB Jeremy Moussa (went to a junior college last season) and three star rated, true freshman Ken Seals.
The returning stars for Vanderbilt are RB Keyon Brooks and WR Cam Johnson. Brooks is the returning leading rusher, with 252 yards and a touchdown on 56 carries in 2019. Johnson is Vanderbilt’s returning leading receiver with 30 receptions, 316 yards, and three touchdowns.
The Commodores offensive line only returns one lineman who started all 12 games last season. Tyler Steen started all 12 games at right tackle as a redshirt freshman after beginning his Vanderbilt career as a defensive tackle. Center Grant Miller is another name to watch out for on the offensive line.
2020 Vanderbilt Defense:
Vanderbilt returns most of their production from the 2019 season with their linebackers and defensive backs being the units to watch in 2020. Dayo Odeyingbo, a 3-4 defensive end, will make sure you don’t ignore the defensive line. Odeyingbo accounted for 45 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and one and a half sacks.
The Commodores return a potent linebacker duo in Dimitri Moore and Andre Mintze. ILB Moore was the teams leading tackler finishing with 99 tackles can usually be found near the ball when the whistle blows. OLB Mintze was Vanderbilt’s disruptive force last season, finishing with four and a half sacks. Expect Mintze’s totals to increase this year.
The secondary returns a wealth of experience, but the name to watch for is Tae Daley. The senior safety recorded 57 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. After playing on their back foot all of last season, the experience gained last year should help the secondary improve this season.
Final Thoughts and Game Prediction:
Steve Addazio will be looking to make an early impression on the Colorado State fans. A win against an SEC team, even a lower tier team like Vanderbilt, will help. The Rams struggle against P5 competition (24.5% historical win rate), but this is a chance to get the new coaching staff off on the right foot.
Vanderbilt OC Todd Fitch could either be a thorn the Rams have to watch out for or he could offer a potential look at the Commodores offense. Fitch was an assistant from 2013-2015 under Steve Addazio at Boston College. How much inside knowledge either side has could show up at points during this game.
This game should be a matchup of strong vs strong and weak vs weak. CSU’s offense vs Vanderilt’s defense and CSU’s defense vs Vanderbilt’s offense. This game is most likely going to come down to who blinks first. Vanderbilt will be looking for revenge against the MW after losing to UNLV. If they don’t let it blind them, the Rams could be headed home with a loss.
If the Rams offense can get going, especially the running game, they can usually dictate how the game goes. Warren Jackson will have that connection with Patrick O’Brien, but the real question will come down to how has the running game improved. The defense will need to continue their growth and the offense has to come together if CSU wants to head home with a win.
Final Score Prediction: Colorado State 24, Vanderbilt 20
