Game Prep: Vanderbilt's Questionable Defense

Vanderbilt's defense doesn't look so hot when purely looking at the numbers, but the Commodores play with a clear plan and as a collective unit.

South Carolina's upcoming opponent has been doing well on one side of the ball up to this point in the season, but it's not the side many would have suspected. The Commodores have an impressive offense powered by freshman quarterback AJ Swann; however, their defense is one of the worst in college football.

Vanderbilt's head coach Clark Lea was previously the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, which would lead many to assume that's where the Commodores' strengths lie, but surprisingly, that's not the case.

Bottom Of The Barrel

When looking at the stats for Vanderbilt's defense, the numbers are eye-popping for all the wrong reasons, as the Commodores are giving up on average 36.6 points per game, the worst mark in the SEC and the eighth worst mark in all of college football. Constantly allowing long extended drives will prototypically lead to such high point totals. Vanderbilt has given up an average of 470.5 yards per game, once again the worst mark in the conference and ninth worst in the country.

The two things that can't happen when on defense often occur with Vanderbilt's unit: efficient drives by their opponents, which usually lead to points in bunches.

Doing The Little Things

While Vanderbilt might not wow people in terms of the product they put on the field the way their SEC counterparts do, for football purists, they are specific components to like about Nick Howell's defense.

For one, you rarely see one Commodore chasing after a ball carrier, as Vanderbilt almost always has at least three or four defenders in pursuit. Another underrated facet of this defense is the pursuit angles taken, which can play a massive role in losing the hidden yards battle when on defense.

Vanderbilt performs both of these tasks quite well, which can help them accomplish their end goal defensively.

A Bend-But-Don't-Break Style

When watching back the Commodores' defensive performance against Northern Illinois, a few key tendencies stood out.

Vanderbilt is willing to sell out on the run depending on the down, distance, and formation, primarily if their opponent uses tempo. They also run a lot of soft zone coverage with defensive backs playing with seven to ten yards of cushion while rarely bringing extra defenders in pass rush.

Essentially, the Commodores like to keep everything in front of them as much as possible, trying to force their opponent to earn the yards they get in hopes that they can win the day in terms of their third down and red zone play.

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