Gameday Week One: Georgia Bulldogs

Five Keys To Vanderbilt Versus Georgia

Our wait is over, football season is finally here.

The Georgia Bulldogs invade Nashville and Vanderbilt Stadium tonight for a primetime SEC East matchup to kick off the season. Most people don't give the Commodores much of a chance of upseting the third ranked Bulldogs, but as we know in football, anything is possible. 

While the last week has been a whirlwind personally in getting this thing rolling, my research of this years Commodore squad has brought me to believe that Vanderbilt does have a chance, though it will be tough but defeating Georgia is not a forgone conclusion, if Vandy can do some things well tonight.

FIVE THINGS VANDY MUST DO TO PULL OFF THE UPSET

1) The Little Things: It's so cliche in football and might seem so obvious that it shouldn't top this list, but it does. Coach Derek Mason and his staff have likely been beating this into their players heads since the begining of camp, and probably much longer than that. 

The Commodores must value and protect the football. Winning the turnover battle against Kirby Smart & company will go a long way toward possibly getting a win. 

Vandy also must limit and even win the penalty game. Stupid penalties that put the Commodores behind the sitck on offense or dig Georgia out of holes on offense will make the hill even harder to climb.

2) Kailja Lipscomb: Lipscomb is not a secret, Dan Lanning and the Bulldogs defense know full well who he is. That's why I feel Lipscomb is key. He along with Ke'Shawn Vaugh and Jared Pinkney form a type of "big three" weapons for Vandy and whomever is under center when the game begins. One of those three is likely to be matched up one-on-one more often than the others.  

Pinkney will likely draw that double coverage from some combination of Bulldog defenders. Likewise I expect Lanning to stack the box to stop Vaughn and the Commodores from establishing a ground game early. Thus Lipscomb in particular and his fellow wide recievers must be able to win one-on-one versus the Georgia corners when given the opportunity. 

3) O-Line Tough:  (LT) Devin Cochran, (LG) Saige Young, (C) Grant Miller, (RG) Cole Clemens and (RT) Tyler Steen have the unenviable task of protecting an new starting quarterback and opening running lanes against a big, strong and agressive Bulldog front seven. How well they as a group stand up to the task and handle those Dogs should even be higher on my list, but in any football game with most any offensive line versus a defensive line, you will win some plays and lose some. 

I, nor anyone with a sane football mind should expect Vandy to win every single play, but they must be able to produce a draw tonight if the Dores are to pull this one out. 

4) Neal or Wallace: I said earlier this week on an appearance on The Dores Report Podcast that my source belives Mason and company will go with grad transfer Riley Neal to start the game, though Deuce Wallace is listed as the first name before the "-or-" designation on the most recent release of the cloudy depth chart. 

Regardless of which one is under center, and there's a chance both play anyway, it is imperitive that they make smart, and quick decisions with the football. Even if the offensive line wins some downs, the Dogs defense will get some too and that decision making by the COmmodores QB's will be crutial against a top level college defense.

5) Coaching The Win: Mason and his staff are breaking in a new quarterback- though Neal has experience, he is still new to his teammates and this system- and how offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig calls this game and the situations where he can put his signal callers in can help take some of the pressure off either Neal or Wallace. Of course if the Commodores can establish the run game early, that too would be a great help to the QB's. 

Georgia will likely be looking for Vandy to try to establish Vaughn and the run early, so perhaps some early, safe pass plays could be used to start to help open up the run. 

Either way, balance is a key and in the final stats, if Vanderbilt can't have a good balance- my personal numbers would be 200 or more passing yards and 150 or more rushing- then it could be a long night on West End. 

FINAL SCORE: I was asked to make a prediction earlier this week on the aforementioned podcast and I will take the same score here.  Georgia 34 Vanderbilt 17 in a game that Vandy is still in into the fourth quarter but the overall talent and depth of the Dogs is just too much.