Defensive Line
After Georgia lost their starting running
back, Vanderbilt will need to take advantage of Georgia’s weaker running game.
The defensive line, anchored by Steven Stone and Curtis Gatewood will have to
stop all Georgia running backs, in particular Knowshon Moreno, who averages 77
yards per game. If Vanderbilt can stop the run this week, they will have a
shot at beating the 24th ranked Bulldogs. Matthew Stafford has
been fairly solid, but is still somewhat vulnerable. The defensive line can
help get pressure on Stafford, which will hopefully help the Commodore defense
get off the field. The line will be important to stop Georgia’s offense, as
will linebackers Jonathan Goff and Marcus Buggs. If Vanderbilt can give the
offense good field position, Vanderbilt could pull off another big upset over
Georgia.
Offensive Line
Vanderbilt’s offensive line must
improve. It has been sub-par against Auburn, Alabama, among
others. Vanderbilt’s line must give the quarterback, be it Chris Nickson or
Mackenzie Adams, time to look downfield and make a good read and throw. The
line also must give tailbacks Cassen Jackson-Garrison, Jeff Jennings, and Jared Hawkins room to run, unlike the game against Auburn where the Dores could not
find any running room. This line needs to improve and live up to the
preseason hype. Vanderbilt needs to take pressure off of the quarterback by
getting a good running attack against Georgia, which gave up 190 yards on the
ground to Tennessee, but is averaging giving up 130 yards per game.
D.J. Moore
D.J. Moore has three interceptions this
year, and has kick returns that were almost returned for touchdowns. Moore
will need to continue his ruthless coverage of Georgia receivers and his strong
special teams play. If Moore can return a kick return and give the offense
great field position, Vandy can get momentum rolling their way early. Moore
will need to continue strong coverage against the Georgia air attack that
averages 200 yards per game.
It’ll be interesting to see…
How well Chris Williams plays on
Saturday. After some poor blocking in the first five games, these seniors
should be playing with urgency, knowing that few games remain for them in their
college careers. Williams needs to block well and allow the running game to
run to the left, like what happened against Ole Miss. Williams should be
playing to keep his all-SEC recognition as well as a hopefully high pick in the
draft. Obviously, these players know that they must step up in order for
this team to be successful, which is the ultimate goal for these
guys. These guys may only have seven games of college football left to be
played; they will be playing with urgency these last few games.
Last Meeting: VU 24 UGA 22 (2006 in Athens)