By Brant Daughtry
The House of Horrors
Vanderbilt is a very weird program coached by Clark Lea. He comes from Notre Dame, where he was a pretty good defensive coordinator, a job title that many coaches would prefer over the head job at Vanderbilt. But, Lea is a Vandy graduate, and wants to test himself at maybe the hardest job in the country.
In year one, he did better than most expected, going 5-7 and actually beating Kentucky and Florida. This year has not been the best follow up though, as the Commodores are currently sitting at 2-7, having lost seven in a row. Their offense is 103rd in the country, and their defense is 114th. They are not good.
The most interesting thing about Vandy is the state of their stadium. Over the off-season, they began doing some major renovations to most of that complex, and when it’s completed, it will almost definitely be for the better. Vandy needed and upgrade, and this is an excellent way to invest in a program that needs it. Unfortunately, the current state allows a crowd of less than 30,000 people, and has the scoreboard hanging from a crane. It’s in shambles right now, hoping to rise up and be better next year, which is kind of fitting for the state of the team.
The quarterback situation is odd for the ‘Dores. Ken Seals has been the main starter for them, but injury and poor play has afforded major playing time to AJ Swann as well. It’s tough to say if Seals will start, but they play similar styles of football either way.
Players to Watch For:
Wide Receiver Will Sheppard, #14- Much like Mississippi State last week, Vandy is dealing with injuries at the quarterback position, but regardless of who is throwing the ball, Sheppard is by far the favorite target. He’s a big body on the outside, standing at 6′ 3″ 198 lbs, and he’s the leading scorer for Vandy on the season with eight touchdowns.
Linebacker CJ Taylor, #1- I list Taylor as a linebacker for the sake of simplicity, but he’s actually a linebacker/safety hybrid that Vanderbilt designates as an “Anchor.” He lines up everywhere and does everything, currently leading the team in tackles with 52, and also tallying up three sacks and two interceptions. He can do it all, and Clark Lea uses his versatility to his advantage.
For weeks we’ve been talking about how Auburn’s offense desperately needed to show something. No one was asking for a 50 point offensive explosion or a consistently elite offense, but something to show a vision for the future. Against Mississippi State, an admittedly bad team, Auburn showed that. It wasn’t just the defense they were playing though. Auburn did different things offensively, things that make it easier on a quarterback and an offensive line by making a quick decision and getting the ball out. That scheme also helps the wide receivers who are having trouble getting separation. It’s not enough to win a title, but for the pieces it has, Auburn finally showed an ability to adjust to what it has and put together a pretty spectacular first half.
There are complaints to be had, specifically the lack of production in the second half when it felt like your offense was in rhythm for the first time in a while, preferring to sit on a lead rather than expand it. But, Auburn won the game, and that’s really all that matters.
The next step is to do it again. Show that it’s not just a flash in the pan, and you can actually overcome other defenses. Vanderbilt is the perfect opportunity to build on a great performance, and this time, hopefully put together a full four quarters.
