Here we are again, Vanderbilt at 2-0, Wake Forest at 1-0, meeting in Week 2 for the second straight season.
There's rain in the forecast again and as long as you're not a Spectrum customer, you can probably catch a snarky comment from Kirk Herbstreit about the atmosphere on GameDay again.
Each team even played a game against Elon — Vanderbilt last year, Wake Forest this season.
The Deacons play host to Vanderbilt on Saturday, wrapping up a home-and-home series in which Wake Forest won the first leg 45-25 last season. There aren’t any scheduled future meetings, though it seems unlikely it’ll be too long before the two like-minded private, academic-driven private schools from the southeast meet again after Saturday.
To get to know the Commodores, we’ve enlisted the help of Billy Derrick of Vandy Sports.
Here is our five-part Q&A:
1. I like to start these with a simple vibe check. What’s the feeling around this 2-0 start?
Answer: Honestly, the feeling isn't great. Yes, they're 2-0, but this team has been underwhelming thus far. Despite that, the Commodores are still 2-0 and that's where we expected them to be.
Hawaii is an improved team and gave Vandy a formidable fight. Meanwhile, Alabama A&M hung with Vandy through about 3 quarters until the Commodores turned it on in the 4th quarter.
So far, the offensive line and cornerbacks have been the most disappointing position groups. Coming into the season, most Vandy fans were excited about the improvement on the offensive line, but that hasn't panned out the way both fans and coaches had expected. They simply haven't been able to create enough push in the run game, specifically on the interior of the offensive line. That unit was more cohesive vs. Alabama A&M, but it's hard to take much from a game against an FCS team, as Wake Forest fans know.
In terms of the cornerbacks, there's no other way to say it other than: They've been awful. Tyson Russell and BJ Anderson started against Hawaii, but after some struggles (on one drive in particular), the coaching staff decided to start freshman Martel Hight instead of Russell last week vs. Alabama A&M. Hight played a few more snaps than Russell and looked okay, but the concerns haven't changed at that position.
Overall, the feeling isn't great within the fanbase, but coach Clark Lea has shown a knack for getting his team ready to play meaningful games on the road, so my tune could change after the Wake Forest game, depending on what happens. For now, I'm still concerned with the offensive line and cornerback play through three games.
2. Wake Forest fans got more than a glimpse of AJ Swann last season when he threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the early September matchup. Now that he’s the starter (and Mike Wright is at Mississippi State), what has impressed you about him and where can he improve?
Answer: AJ Swann has impressed me through his command of the offense.
Last year, he was a freshman, so the training wheels were still on. This season though, the training wheels have been taken off and he has played pretty well.
He played much better vs. Hawaii than he did vs. Alabama A&M. During the Hawaii game, he looked comfortable and confident, but during the Alabama A&M game, he looked rushed and hesitant. He threw his first interception of the season last week in the red zone that halted a long drive, a mistake that will haunt this team if that continues throughout the season.
Yes, he's young and he'll throw interceptions, but he's got to be smarter in the pocket, especially against a high-level opponent such as Wake Forest. Overall, he's been solid, but there is still room to improve in the RPO game.
Lea said he's made some mistakes in that area through two games and that he must improve for this team to get where they want to be, which is a bowl game after the season. He's been really good at avoiding the blitz and making off-schedule plays, but he must improve his decision-making and vocal leadership for the Commodores to upset Wake Forest on the road.
3. What has been the strength of the offense so far and how does that measure up with Vanderbilt having played a G5 team and an FCS team so far?
Answer: I'd say the strength of the offense so far has been their quick passing game. Whenever they've been able to get the ball in the hands of slot WR Jayden McGowan, good things have happened.
In the first half against Alabama A&M, they were trying to establish the run in the second half, rather than let Swann dish it out to his weapons in open space. Right out of the gate in the second half, they got the ball to McGowan on a few screen passes and just so happened to march down the field. McGowan is one of the fastest players on the team and one of the more underrated weapons in the SEC.
I don't think OC Joey Lynch has shown everything this offense can do, but against Wake Forest, I'm sure you'll see a heavy dose of McGowan.
On another note, this offense has also succeeded in the red zone. Will Sheppard, a projected NFL receiver, has four touchdowns this season and all of them have been in the red zone. His dominance has been fun to watch and I've noticed something within this Vandy scheme.
Any time Swann sees Sheppard 1-on-1, that's where he's going with the football. Neither Hawaii nor Alabama A&M had an answer for Sheppard and I think it will be a huge challenge for the Deacons as well.
With Vandy having played a G5 and an FCS team, I try not to overreact, but I believe Vandy's identity is built around those two receivers, McGowan and Sheppard. They'd love to establish more of a run game, but the offensive line struggles have not allowed this team to be able to do that.
4. The combined 13 QB pressures by Nate Clifton (seven) and Devin Lee (six) jump out on the Pro Football Focus perusal. It seems like both are in larger roles this season — how much of a surprise have they been, and are there any other breakout defenders?
Answer: Clifton has been a pleasant surprise for Vandy fans, but Lee hasn't been much of a surprise because of what he showed last season. Both players showed the capability to affect the QB last season, but Clifton's emergence has been huge for this defense.
They're both extremely sound in defending the run, but need to show even more pressure on the QB this week against Mitch Griffis if they want to stay competitive.
In terms of other breakout defenders, sophomore Darren Agu is a player to watch. He's been sidelined with an injury he suffered during fall camp, but he's expected to play vs. Wake Forest. He was a 4-star commit who was originally committed to Notre Dame before Lea took the Vandy job. He's easily their best edge rusher.
Linebackers Langston Patterson and Bryce Cowan are two other young guys who will see some time vs. Wake Forest and have flashed through two games.
In the secondary, De'Rickey Wright had two interceptions vs. Hawaii and looks to have a bright future in the NFL at his size. Hight will see significant time vs. Wake Forest and has great potential, but he's inexperienced, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against Wake's depth at receiver.
Other players to watch on defense include LB Kane Patterson, anchor CJ Taylor, safety Jaylen Mahoney, end Aeneas DiCosmo and edge Miles Capers.
5. Two games into Year 3 of Lea and things seem to be churning in the rebuild. What would a successful season look like — and would that have to include a win at Wake Forest?
Answer: A successful season may not show in the win column this season. Vandy could go 5-7 but look like a much improved team. Fans won't like that, but that's the fact of the matter, especially when you consider the conference teams Vandy has to go up against week in and week out.
In my opinion, a successful season would be 6 wins, because that's exactly what Lea said at SEC Media Days.
"We have our sights set on postseason football," Lea said.
Many other coaches on staff are also on record for saying the same thing. I think a bowl berth means Vandy would have beaten Wake Forest, simply because of the competition in the SEC. If Vandy finds a way to win this weekend, that's one less win they'll have to worry about later in the season.
