The Vanderbilt Commodores did what they needed to do against Arkansas. Now comes the challenge of winning two of their final three games to make a bowl in 2018 and give coach Derek Mason convincing proof that this ship is moving in the right direction.
By Matt Zemek
A reasonable person could conclude that for all of Vanderbilt’s weaknesses and limitations, it should be able to beat Ole Miss and Tennessee at home. Those games are not layups by any means. VU is not good enough to be considered a clear or heavy favorite against any SEC team. However, the Dores should certainly like their odds in those two contests. Those are favorable situations for Vanderbilt, akin to the 2016 stretch run when VU won those same two games to nab a bowl bid at the wire.
This game against Missouri? It’s not a favorable matchup. However, it shouldn’t be viewed as a longshot, either.
Missouri showed against Florida how good it can be, but the Tigers have shown in other instances this season how frail they can be. Vanderbilt led Florida 21-3 before losing. It was tied at Kentucky midway through the fourth quarter and had the ball in scoring territory. VU can certainly win this game; it’s just that Missouri has shown more upside to this point in the season. Let’s examine the foremost keys for Vanderbilt in Columbia:
1 – KEEP ON FEEDING VAUGHN
The week of rest VU just received should make it that much easier for offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig to feed Ke’Shawn Vaughn this week. He is fresh. He is dynamic. He needs to get the rock a lot in these final few games. It was reasonable to limit his touches earlier in the season, akin to a pitch count on a pitcher, but now VU needs to use its best weapon a lot more liberally. If Vaughn has a huge day, VU figures to score a lot of points. Is there any game key bigger than this one? I highly doubt it.
2 – THE WRINKLE
The need to get Vaughn involved in the offense is obvious, but it also means that Ludwig needs to think about the ways in which Vaughn gets the ball, plus the ways in which Vaughn can become a decoy at times.
Example: With Missouri likely to shadow Vaughn whenever – and wherever – he is on the field, Vanderbilt is in position to draw the Mizzou defense to one side of the field but use a reverse or play action to completely fool the Tigers. Misdirection plays or deep passes which sell the run to Vaughn but then unleash a different line of attack can be very successful in this game.
Another nuance: VU’s screen game destroyed Arkansas. Missouri will likely be waiting for a second-and-long screen. Ludwig will need to come up with variations that can catch the Tigers cheating to guard against that play and other looks it expects from the Vanderbilt offense.
3 – GIMME THE GOOD STUFF
Drew Lock gets the headlines for Missouri’s offense, but he does well when the Tigers establish the run as they did in solid offensive performances against South Carolina and Florida. VU has to stuff the run to put Lock in predictable passing downs.
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