Vanderbilt’s trip to Starkville suddenly feels a lot more playable than it did a week ago.
Mississippi State entered the matchup looking like the tougher side on paper, but the Bulldogs have lost star quarterback Kamario Taylor for the season. That shifts the spotlight to former Vanderbilt starter AJ Swann, who will now run the offense for Mississippi State on Saturday. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, comes out of its bye week still stuck on a five-game losing streak, though Clark Lea believes his staff made good use of the break.
That’s why the staff predictions around this one split into a familiar debate: is this the spot where Vanderbilt finally turns things around, or does the skid stretch to six?
One prediction lands on Vanderbilt, and does so with the idea that this game is a real test of Lea’s entire operation. The thinking is simple: if the Commodores used the bye week to make the needed changes on both sides of the ball, they can leave with a low-scoring win. If not, the staff rebuild talk gets louder.
Another pick also leans Vanderbilt, pointing to the chance for the Commodores’ veteran defenders to show up in a game where Mississippi State may struggle to be dangerous without Taylor. The expectation there is that Bothwell will still get yards and help Mississippi State put together a couple of scoring drives, but Vanderbilt’s defense has enough talent to matter if its leaders finally reappear.
There’s also the argument that this is the best shot Vanderbilt has left to get a win, especially with the bye week behind it and the team desperate for something to feel good about. That view hinges on Vanderbilt taking pressure off Jared Curtis by getting the run game going, then getting off the field more consistently on defense. If that happens, the Commodores can steal one on the road.
Not every prediction goes that way, though. One staff pick has Mississippi State pulling away late and handing Vanderbilt its sixth straight loss, even while acknowledging that the Commodores should be able to compete after the bye. Another sees a game where the ball moves plenty but drives stall because of uneven quarterback play on both sides, with Vanderbilt’s offense projected to be more explosive than Mississippi State’s version with Swann under center.
The common thread is clear: Saturday feels like a prove-it game for Vanderbilt. If the Commodores hold up on the line of scrimmage and get the most out of the talent already on the roster, they have a real chance to end the losing streak.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Showed Fight Vs. Vanderbilt But One Stretch Changed Everything
Mississippi State had enough fight to make the afternoon feel more competitive than the scoreboard first suggested, but the damage was done early. Vanderbilt built a 16-0 halftime lead, then had to weather a much better second-half effort from the Bulldogs, who found some life on both sides of the ball after the break. AJ Swann finished 23 of 36 for 254 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense even supplied a spark with a forced fumble returned for a score.
Still, the game turned on a stretch Mississippi State could never fully erase, and the issues that surfaced in the first half were hard to ignore. The run defense had trouble holding up, and an interception helped put Vanderbilt in control before the Bulldogs settled in. Jeff Lebby came away acknowledging the need for better coaching, a reminder that for Mississippi State, the frustration was not just about one bad quarter but about getting more consistent results from a team that keeps showing flashes without enough payoff. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Is Giving Fans A Reason To Believe Early
Two wins to open the season have given Vanderbilt mens basketball an early lift, and the first week has looked the part of a team trying to back up its preseason buzz. The Commodores handled Bellarmine and Wake Forest to start 2-0, and the early results have already shown the kind of defense and depth that can travel well once the schedule tightens.
Freshman guard Ant Brown Jr. and transfer Berke Buyuktuncel have both given the lineup a useful spark, which matters for a team trying to build something sturdier than a hot start. The bigger question now is whether Vanderbilt can keep stacking those kinds of performances while carrying the expectations that come with being one of the SECs highest-regarded teams. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Just Delivered The SEC Road Breakthrough Fans Needed
Vanderbilt walked out of Starkville with a 25-23 win over Mississippi State, a result that carried a little extra weight because it ended a long drought in that building. For a program looking for a road breakthrough in the SEC, getting one in a tight, low-margin game made the trip feel like more than just another Saturday result.
Brock Taylor was central to it all, repeatedly delivering points when the Commodores needed them most and giving the offense a steadier path through a game that stayed tight into the final minutes. Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby also pointed to the late two-point conversion try that came up short, a sequence that left the Bulldogs chasing the finish and Vanderbilt celebrating a road win it had not found there in years. [Read more 🡒]