SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Tennessee at Vanderbilt
By Jason Hall
Published:
Here’s everything you need to know about Tennessee at Vanderbilt:
When: Today
Where: Nashville, Tenn.,
Game Time: 4 p.m. EST
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Tennessee (-17)
Game Buzz: Tennessee (5-6, 2-5 SEC) and Vanderbilt (3-8, 0-7) will matchup Saturday for the 109th time in the annual rivalry. The Vols hold a 73-30-5 advantage all-time. The Commodores are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since 1926. Tennessee looks to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010. Vanderbilt would love nothing more than to play spoiler to the team coaches and players have refer to as the “team from the east.”
Saturday Down South previews
- Bold Predictions: Tennessee ends its season in Nashville against Vanderbilt
- Bowl berth a huge step for rebuilding Tennessee program
- Vanderbilt players refusing to say ‘Tennessee’ during rivalry week
- What does the Tennessee-Vanderbilt rivalry mean?
- Vandy can erase entire season with win over Tennessee
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Players to watch:
- QB Joshua Dobbs
- RB Jalen Hurd
- WR Von Pearson
- WR Alton “Pig” Howard
- DE Derek Barnett
- DE/LB Curt Maggitt
- LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- DB Cameron Sutton
- KR Evan Berry
Keys for Tennessee:
- Let Dobbs be Dobbs: Joshua Dobbs has emerged as a standout dual-threat quarterback. Dobbs has thrown for 985 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions on 85-of-136 passing, while rushing for 302 yards and four touchdown on 70 attempts. The Vols will rely on Dobbs elusiveness to take over Saturday’s game and provide a solid output passing and rushing.
- Feed the freshman: Jalen Hurd has developed into an elite SEC tailback and continues to prove validity to his five-star prospect rating. The freshman leads Tennessee with 756 rushing yards, the most yards by a Vols freshman back since Arian Foster rushed for 879 yards in 2005. Hurd could surpass that total with a strong performance against a Vanderbilt defense that could be without leading tackler Nigel Bowden for the second week in a row.
- Pressure the quarterback: Tennessee’s pass rush has excelled thanks to freshman Derek Barnett and redshirt junior DE/LB hybrid Curt Maggitt. Both players lead with 9.0 sacks each. Barnett also leads with 18.5 tackles for loss, while Maggitt has chipped in 12.0. The duo should bring constant pressure to whoever Derek Mason decides to put in at quarterback between Johnny McCrary, Patton Robinette or Stephen Rivers.
Most interesting part of the game: Can Tennessee snap its four-year bowl drought and two-year losing streak to Vanderbilt?
Team Buzz: Tennessee is a team on the rise. After facing a gauntlet of ranked teams, the Vols have won two of their last three games. Tennessee should earn bowl eligibility in a favorable matchup against Vanderbilt, despite losing back-to-back games to the Commodores in the annual rivalry.
VANDERBILT COMMODORES
Players to watch:
- QB Johnny McCrary
- RB Ralph Webb
- WR C.J. Duncan
- TE Steve Scheu
- LB Nigel Bowden (Questionable)
- LB Caleb Azubike
- DB Torren McGaster
Keys for Vanderbilt:
- Put faith into Johnny McCrary: Vanderbilt has made over 10 quarterback changes in 2014, which included all four players starting in different games. McCrary has been the most productive, tying Jay Cutler and Bill Wade’s single-game record of five passing touchdowns. Rather than continue the QB roulette, the Commodores should look toward the future and allow McCrary to work through his mistakes.
- Give Ralph Webb more carries: Webb holds the Vanderbilt freshman record with 852 yards in his first season. However, he’d have even more if he didn’t see a fluctuating amount of carries. With Vanderbilt falling behind early, head coach Derek Mason has given Webb less opportunities late into games. Vanderbilt needs to give its most consistent player enough attempts to pose a threat to its favored rival.
- Nigel Bowden must play: Joshua Dobbs has played outstanding since making his debut in Week 9. Jalen Hurd has added to his production in recent weeks, benefiting from sharing the backfield with a mobile quarterback. The Commodores will need their leading tackler to pose a threat to Tennessee’s talented offense.
Most interesting part of the game: Can Vanderbilt win its third consecutive game over its in-state foe?
Team Buzz: Vanderbilt was eliminated from bowl contention in Week 11. After experiencing a three-year run of success, the Commodores find themselves at the bottom of the SEC. But an upset of a Tennessee team looking to end its bowl drought could make up for a disappointing season and give Vanderbilt some momentum heading into 2015.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
