When Vanderbilt heads to Georgia on Oct. 3, the spotlight may land on a storyline that already has some extra juice: freshman quarterback Jared Curtis potentially making his first trip back to the campus where he was originally committed.
Of course, that only matters if Curtis is the starter by then. Vanderbilt is still sorting out its quarterback battle, and Blaze Berlowitz is also in the mix. But if Curtis is the guy, Sanford Stadium figures to be a brutal place for him and the Commodores to walk into.
Either way, this is the game on Vanderbilt’s regular-season schedule that looks the steepest. Georgia is the kind of road environment where wins are rare, and the matchup only gets tougher when you stack Vanderbilt’s roster turnover against what the Bulldogs are bringing back.
Georgia is coming off being knocked out of the College Football Playoff by Ole Miss in the quarterfinal round, and the defending SEC champion is clearly not treating last season as good enough. Gunner Stockton returns at quarterback, though he’ll be working with a new group of wide receivers.
Up front, Georgia brings back three of its five starting offensive linemen. On defense, eight starters are back, and the Bulldogs also add five-star freshman defensive lineman Valdin Stone.
That’s the backdrop for Vanderbilt’s biggest challenge of the regular season. If the Commodores are going to make this interesting, the offense has to be sharp from the start. The communication and chemistry built over the first four games will need to carry into October, because Georgia will punish mistakes in a hurry.
Protecting the quarterback is a must. If Vanderbilt can hold up up front, it can string together longer possessions, chew clock, and keep Georgia’s defense on the field.
But that’s a lot easier to say than to do. Whether Curtis or Berlowitz is under center, Vanderbilt needs him settled quickly.
Simple throws early could help, but the bigger reality is that points are likely to be hard to come by, so the Commodores have to squeeze value out of every chance they get.
Defensively, Vanderbilt has to find a way into Georgia’s backfield. There may be a little more room to attack early in the season if Georgia’s offense is still working through some growing pains, especially with new pieces on the offensive line and in the receiver group. That gives Vanderbilt at least a path to probe for weaknesses.
Still, this looks like a massive ask. Vanderbilt would need almost everything to go right to leave with a win, and that’s a tough sell against a Georgia team with national title hopes. The Commodores might hang around for a half, but the projection here is that Georgia pulls away and wins by multiple scores, dropping Vanderbilt to 3-2.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Sees A Real October Opening Against Arkansas
October gives Vanderbilt a chance to turn a tricky SEC stretch into something more manageable, and the opener against Arkansas looks like the place to start. The Razorbacks are adjusting to a new head coach in Ryan Silverfield, and with Taylent Green gone, there is still uncertainty at quarterback as the Commodores get ready for the Oct. 17 meeting.
From Vanderbilts side, the matchup sets up with some clear opportunities on both offense and defense. Arkansas struggled badly on that side of the ball a year ago, and the Commodores should see room to lean on their running game while also making life difficult for a young quarterback situation that has yet to settle in. The bigger question is whether Vanderbilt can use that first October game to build momentum before Kentucky and Mississippi State follow in quick succession. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Faces A Brutal SEC Opener With Ole Miss Looming
Conference play does not exactly ease Vanderbilt in gently, and the opener brings a formidable Ole Miss team to town. The Rebels reached the College Football Playoff semifinals a season ago and arrive with a reputation for stressing defenses, while Pete Goldings group also brings back enough on that side of the ball to avoid being a one-dimensional challenge.
For Vanderbilt, the path to making this interesting starts with the basics: win enough at the line of scrimmage to stay on schedule and create a few extra possessions along the way. Against an Ole Miss offense that can score in bunches, the Commodores will need those turnovers and a steadier run game early if they want to give themselves a real shot into the second half. [Read more 🡒]