This will likely be the only time I reference Vanderbilt in-depth all season long, but like any other SEC program, there's money to be made on win bets for the over/under. As such, I'll break down their season (almost) as seriously as any other team. However, just know that good information on what Vandy might be this year isn't easy to find without scouring the corners of the internet best left to recruiting blogs and scholarship articles or IBM's Watson.
Vanderbilt's top QB Johnny McCrary transferred to Mercer this offseason. The fact there's a quarterback that transferred out of the SEC to Mercer rattles around in my brain like a metal screw in copper cup. I honestly don't know what motivated that particular move other than he sucked and was replaced by Kyle Shurmer in the latter half of the season. Still, Mercer? I mean I've played sports at a Texas high school with a bigger following than Mercer football. What the hell league are they in, the Sunshine conference? Hold please. Ok, I looked it up, they play in the Southern Conference with teams like VMI and The Citadel. Don't sleep on The Citadel, they beat South Carolina last season. Then again, who didn't? Oh that's right, UNC didn't somehow. That's a veiled shot since I'm a UGA grad.
Where was I? Oh right I'm previewing Vanderbilt. I doubt any of you are actually reading this but in case you are, the QB for Vandy this year will likely be Kyle Shurmer in my estimation, who had 503 yards passing and 5 TDs last year in limited games. Also, 3 picks but who's counting. It was fewer picks than McCrary's 12 on the season. So, the now sophomore Shurmer will be tasked to lead a Vanderbilt offense that faces off against the entire SEC East, plus GA Tech, Ole Miss, and Auburn. It's a rough road. But there's still a small QB CONTROVERSY in Vanderbilt with a guy like Wade Freebeck, who didn't really get a shot last year but still remains on the Vandy roles and is in a competition with Shurmer. In my mind he loses out, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it. After all, you follow me for up to the date Vanderbilt information.
A possible high point for Vandy next year will be Ralph Webb, the junior out of Gainesville, FL who shunned the Gators in favor of life as a Commodore. Anybody who shuns the Gators is a good man in my book. But more impressively than that, Webb ran for 1152 yards last year with an average of 4+ per carry, and 5 TDs. Now, you'd expect some of that was against crap opponents to pad the stats, and you'd be right. Webb did have 155 of those yards against Middle Tennessee and 100+ against Kentucky. However, he put up two 100+ yard games against Tennessee and Florida as well, so he was no slouch in big moments. If not for some bad luck, he would have been instrumental in a Florida upset for the ages, but alas the Gators pulled that one out of the fire, only to get destroyed by basically everyone else ranked late in the season.
I'll skip the Vandy offensive line because nobody cares. Just know that they suck when compared to everybody else of size in the SEC, so it's not an asset for the team. If you're looking for receivers on Vandy, look no further than Trent Sherfield, who amassed 659 yards with an average of 12+ yards a catch. If that doesn't sound impressive, it's because it sort of isn't. At best he's a deep play threat if the young QB can get enough time, but as I pointed out before this line won't give him much of that, and a QB with only 6 games of experience (with the toughest teams he faced Tennessee and A&M & he got shellacked in both) I'm not expecting a powerful passing game out of the Commodores this year. They will have to rely on rushing and defense.
And defense will be what holds this team together if anything. Vanderbilt has several top-tier defensive pieces like LB Zach Cunningham and Safety Oren Burks, along with defensive Tackles Adam Butler and Torey Agee. All of those player return to form a defense that should continue to wreck havoc on the opposing team's running game. Vandy was 33rd against the run last year in CFB, which is damned impressive for a team that lost 8 games. They were also in the top 50 in passing defense, and 22nd in point allowed.
You'd think that a team with 22nd in points allowed couldn't POSSIBLY lose 8 games and miss a bowl, but the offense was 124th in the nation. There are only 128 teams. Yeah. There's bad and then there's Vanderbilt bad. If it's any consolation Mizzou was worse, somehow. Wonder why the SEC East gets no respect still? Mizzou, South Carolina, Vandy, and Kentucky last year didn't help the situation. That and watching UGA and Tennessee poop their pants in big games. Florida won the division while scoring around 15 points a game in their last 5 games, including the bowl. It was the very definition of winning by default. Ugh.
Will Vandy be better this year? Honestly, it's hard to get worse, and yet somehow that might actually happen. The offensive line isn't going to improve, Webb will certainly get keyed on as the key threat in the offense, and they are really breaking in a new QB in a much tougher schedule with much improved SEC East teams. They won 4 games last year, narrowly missing some upsets. Honestly, I think they take a step back this year.
VANDERBILT PREDICTION: 3-9
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