Q&A on Vanderbilt: Five things to know about South Carolina’s opponent

Adam Sparks, the Vanderbilt beat writer for The Tennessean, took time this week to answer a few of our questions about the Commodores as they prepare for Saturday’s game with South Carolina.

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Vanderbilt Stadium.

1. Vanderbilt’s undefeated start to the season ended last week with a narrow defeat at eighth-ranked Notre Dame. What do you learn about the Commodores in South Bend that perhaps you didn’t know about them prior to that trip?

Not a lot in terms of schematics or personnel. QB Kyle Shurmur, WR Kalija Lipscomb and TE Jared Pinkney are weapons. The defense has some depth and athleticism. I knew those things before that game, but I learned it that they could perform at a higher level than I previously knew.

Vandy started badly, tackled poorly early on and squandered two TDs with miscues at the goal line. But it still went toe-to-toe with the Fighting Irish on the road. It showed that Vanderbilt’s ceiling perhaps is higher than once thought, but only time will tell if that’s the case.

2. Vandy’s been to one bowl game in four-plus seasons under Coach Derek Mason. How would you assess the Commodores’ performance under Mason? Is this his best team yet?

Mason’s record (20-32) is not very good, but Vanderbilt coaches are judged differently than at other SEC schools. Historically, almost every coach over the past century, aside from James Franklin, has faced tough odds at Vandy. There are just a lot of challenges to winning that would take a few days to go through.

That being said, Mason has had his ups and downs. He upset Georgia and beat No. 24 Tennessee in 2016 en route to a bowl, beat No. 18 Kansas State last season and owns a 2-2 record versus the rival Vols. But this is a year when the Commodores need to show progress. So far, so good.

This may be Mason’s most complete team, but that could look different after a few SEC games to better judge it. Two big differences from past seasons is that Vandy has more depth on defense and, most importantly, a very good, NFL-caliber, four-year starting quarterback in Kyle Shurmur. Those don’t grow on trees around Vanderbilt.

3. A four-year starter, Vandy quarterback Kyle Shurmur is as experienced as any at his position in the SEC. Where have you seen that experience pay off the most this season?

The obvious pluses on Shurmur are arm strength, competitive fire and experience. He’s got a good football pedigree (son of New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur and great-nephew of longtime NFL defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur; also, Kyle’s mom was a Big Ten champion swimmer at Michigan State).

But in terms of other intangibles, Shurmur has a great grasp of the offense. I think if offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig got stuck in traffic, he would feel comfortable letting Shurmur call all the plays for a game. Ludwig has often said that many of Vandy’s best running plays were those that Shurmur checked into at the line of scrimmage.

4. Shumur’s favorite target this season has been Kalija Lipscomb. The SEC’s leader in receptions was targeted 18 times in the Notre Dame game. Anyone else stick out among the Vandy receiving corps?

If you count tight ends, then Jared Pinkney is very notable. He leads all FBS tight ends in receiving yards (241 in 3 games). Pinkney will split out when Vandy is in a four-wide set, or he’ll run a route off the line. If South Carolina allows Pinkney to get a free release off the line, Shurmur will look for him on routes of 20 yards or more down the field.

In terms of wide receivers, there are a lot of contenders for the No. 2 spot. Donaven Tennyson is a deep threat, but he had a costly dropped pass on a short route last week. Sophomore Chris Pierce has some potential. True freshman Cam Johnson and C.J. Bolar have a lot of good football ahead of them, but can they do it against SEC competition this week? Not sure. We’ll see.

5. The Commodores are top 30 nationally in both scoring and total defense. They didn’t crack the top 60 in either of those categories at the end of last season. Big improvement there or just the nature of the early opponents?

Some of the improved numbers come from the early schedule. Keep in mind that Vanderbilt allowed only two TDs in its first three games last season (including one by No. 18 Kansas State), but then Alabama, Florida and Georgia rushed for a combined 1,137 yards in three straight brutal losses.

But, overall, yes, I believe this is a better defense. The scheme, although still a base 3-4 and sometimes multiple, has been freshened up by the arrival of defensive coordinator Jason Tarver (previously at Stanford with Derek Mason, and then with the 49ers and Raiders in the NFL). Tarver has shown some effective blitz packages so far. The secondary has locked down some pretty good receivers. And the pass rush has more teeth.

Maybe the biggest improvement is that Vandy has utilized more players on defense. Players have looked fresher, and Tarver has multiple options at each position.

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 10:29 AM.