Vanderbilt didn’t need much imagination to see what might have changed Saturday against Auburn. A Miles Capers interception handed the Commodores a golden early chance at the Auburn 23-yard line, but a pre-snap penalty pushed the offense back and the possession fizzled into a field goal. It was points, yes, but not the kind that can grab control of a game.
That sequence fit a frustrating pattern for Vanderbilt. The Commodores did not score again until the opening drive of the third quarter, when Sedrick Alexander finished it off with a touchdown run.
By then, they were already chasing. The week before against NC State, Vanderbilt didn’t get on the board until 12 seconds remained in the first half, and it was already down 17-0.
With No. 2 Georgia up next, the issue is impossible to ignore. Vanderbilt cannot afford to keep opening games slowly against a team built to punish any early lapse.
At his weekly Tuesday press conference, Clark Lea said the answer starts on the ground.
“I think the momentum and the fast start is going to begin with an effective run gamer and a commitment to that. And then clean play at the line of scrimmage so that we don’t have the self-imposed negatives and set us back,” Lea said.
That commitment to the run has been part of the conversation for a while. Against NC State, when Vanderbilt fell behind 17-0, the Commodores barely leaned on the backs at all; Sedrick Alexander and MK Young combined for just 11 carries. The number climbed against Auburn, with Alexander and Young totaling 21 carries, while Curtis handled 18 on his own.
Lea’s point was clear: he does not want Alexander limited to 11 carries in a SEC game. And he’s right to zero in on that number.
He also pointed to the first drive of the second half against Auburn as the model.
“If you look at the touchdown drive coming out of halftime, we were able to move the ball running the ball. And I think that opens up so much in the pass game because they’re just things defenses have to do when you’re running effectively,” Lea said.
Of course, that only works if the offensive line does its part. Vanderbilt’s run game lives and dies with what happens up front, and there’s still plenty of room for growth there. The penalties against NC State were a problem, and while Auburn wasn’t defined by flags in the same way, the false start after the Capers interception undercut a prime opportunity.
The bigger concern is the production. Vanderbilt averaged just 2.7 yards per carry Saturday, and that’s not enough to hold up in conference play.
Lea knows it, too. He made it plain that the Commodores can’t keep digging themselves out of early holes every week.
“We need to get a faster start. Had we been able to use the early defensive momentum in that game, we could have really grabbed control and put some pressure on Auburn.
Unfortunately, we came away with three off the turnover and then surrendered a touchdown and then had the punt blocked,” Lea said. “ So yeah, we’re looking for a better start.”
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Has A Chance To Change How Fans See This Team
Vanderbilt comes into this matchup at 3-1 with a chance to do more than just hang around with one of the SECs heavyweights. After a loss to Auburn, the Commodores now get a shot at Georgia, which has opened the year 4-0 and climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings after taking care of Arkansas and Oklahoma in its first two league games. For Vanderbilt, the setting is about more than the scoreboard - it is another opportunity to show that this start is not a fluke and that the program can be taken seriously in a conference where credibility is earned quickly.
Georgia, though, brings the kind of pressure that has made these games so difficult to turn into statement wins. Raylen Wilson has been central to the Bulldogs defense, leading the team in tackles, sacks and forced fumbles, and the betting markets still lean toward the SEC power that has already looked the part of a contender. For Vanderbilt, the intrigue is whether this is the kind of night that changes the conversation around the Commodores, even if the final answer is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Faces Its Biggest Composure Test Yet At Georgia
Clark Lea and a pair of his players spent the buildup to Vanderbilts trip to No. 2 Georgia talking less about the noise around the matchup and more about the work it will take to survive it. Junior Sherrill and Bryan Longwell joined their coach in acknowledging the obvious edge Georgia brings, from the history between the programs to the challenge of playing in Sanford Stadium, while Vanderbilt continues trying to define its offensive identity and keep its focus on preparation and execution.
For the Commodores, this is as much a composure test as it is a football game. They know the setting will be unforgiving and the margin for error slim, but the message from inside the program has been consistent: stay grounded, trust the plan and avoid getting pulled into the outside expectations that come with facing one of the sports premier teams. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Heads To Georgia With Little Margin For Error
Vanderbilt heads to Sanford Stadium on October 3 knowing the margin is already thin in a season that has left little room for a setback. The matchup with No. 2 Georgia is only the next stop on a brutal stretch, one that underscores how difficult the Commodores closing run will be with seven of their remaining eight games coming against ranked opponents.
Still, there is enough individual production on the roster to give Vanderbilt a reason to keep showing up with confidence. Junior Sherrill, Nick Rinaldi, CJ Heard and Sedrick Alexander have all supplied meaningful pieces of the puzzle, and their work has helped the Commodores stay competitive even as the schedule stiffens. What matters now is whether those efforts can travel into one of the toughest venues in the SEC and keep Vanderbilt from losing ground before the hardest part of the calendar truly opens up. [Read more 🡒]