Vanderbilt Commodores Linebackers Are Focus of Star Tennessee Quarterback
The Vanderbilt Commodores head into rivalry week against the Tennessee Volunteers with more confidence than they have had in a while, but they will need to strap in for one of their toughest challenges yet.
In previewing the matchup, Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman put the spotlight on one particular area that could determine the game: the middle of the Commodores defense.
Star Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava has made a living this year by attacking the middle of the defense, putting the Vanderbilt linebackers on alert heading into the final week of the regular season.
As a whole, Iamaleava has completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,255 yards with 15 touchdowns to four interceptions.
He has done his best most between the numbers.
Not counting plays that happen behind the line of scrimmage, he is 63-for-102 with 1,004 for nine touchdowns and two interceptions when throwing over the middle.
Dont'e Thornton has been the big-play receiver for Tennessee this season, and he has been very efficient in making plays across the middle.
Thornton has seven catches between the numbers this season and has an absurd 250 yards and four touchdowns on them.
Defenses can not let him get going, because a linebacker is going to have a lot of trouble stopping him.
Tight end Miles Kitselman is also a headache for the middle of the defense with eight catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. He doesn't have as many big plays, but is a reliable red zone and first down threat.
Unfortunately for the Commodores, their linebackers have not been great in coverage this season, which is expected for a school that doesn't bring in the best athletes of the SEC.
This could be a big game for Nicholas Rinaldi.
He is the third linebacker on the depth chart, but is by far the most reliable in coverage.
Rinaldi has been targeted nine times this year and has allowed eight catches for 55 yards. He has only really been beat after the catch once this year, against the Auburn Tigers.
Bryan Longwell and Langston Patterson, the starting linebackers, have been beaten much worse on a consistent basis.
Longwell has allowed 17 catches for 274 yards, with 168 of that coming after the catch. Patterson has given up 22 completions for 253 yards, 112 after the catch.
Both teams have likely circled this area of the defense ahead of the crucial matchup, making it one of the more interesting parts of the field to watch on Saturday.
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders