Scouting USC’s first opponent: the Vanderbilt Commodores

Game info

When: 8 p.m., Thursday

Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

TV: ESPN

Line: Vanderbilt by 3 1/2

Three story lines

1. Some pundits are expecting Vanderbilt to make a jump to being a middle-tier SEC East program, powered by a strong defense and coaching staff with pedigree.

2. Vanderbilt is putting a lot on former four-star quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who struggled mightily after being named starter last season.

3. Both squads are in a cluster of four teams projected to be fighting out of the bottom of the division, and each win will go a long way to a successful season in 2016.

Three players to watch

1. Sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur, son of ex-Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur, was moved ahead of Johnny McCrary late in 2015 and completed 42.7 percent of his passes.

2. Junior running back Ralph Webb was a bell cow for the Commodores’ anemic attack, posting 1,152 rushing yards and five scores, plus 188 yards through the air.

3. Junior linebacker Zach Cunningham wasn’t only a top tackler, but a playmaker with 16 1/2 tackles for loss, 4 1/2 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Scouting report

Despite his production, Webb was far from efficient. He failed to reach 4 yards per carry in nine games and was boom-or-bust ... Vanderbilt’s defense does some weird things to confuse offenses, including stacking its top pass rushers on the same side of the field ... Against looks with extra tight ends or backs, the Commodores stick with their 3-4 base defense, but against extra receivers, they often pull their nose tackle for an extra cornerback, leaving only two linemen on the field. ... Despite playing an inside spot, Cunningham tends to play more in space.

This story was originally published August 28, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Scouting USC’s first opponent: the Vanderbilt Commodores."