Vanderbilt Football (6-5) enters its final game of the regular season hungry for its seventh win. However, one daunting task stands in its way: a date with No. 7 Tennessee (9-2) in FirstBank Stadium on Nov. 30. The Commodores fell to LSU 24-17 on Nov. 23 as they couldn’t stop a red-hot LSU passing game. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw for 332 yards and had no problem finding an array of open receivers. Vanderbilt’s offense also looked tired, led by a seemingly injured Diego Pavia. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native was consistently pressured in the pocket and threw for 186 yards — 63 of which came from a touchdown pass on the game’s first play.
The stars didn’t align in the heart of Death Valley for head coach Clark Lea and Co. However, they have one more opportunity to earn a signature win this season. An impressive Tennessee squad will march into Nashville on Nov. 30 hoping to reach 10 wins and secure itself a spot in the College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt will attempt to spoil those plans and reach seven wins for the first time since 2013.
The Commodores are on a two-game losing skid, but rivalry week can often bring new energy to a team. Nevertheless, Vanderbilt will need to have a few matchups go its way to knock off another top-10 opponent. Let’s take a look.
Vanderbilt’s pass rush vs. Nico Iamaleava
The Commodores struggled to get any pressure on Nussmeier in their clash with LSU. This lack of pressure gave LSU’s receivers time to get open downfield, and Nussmeier picked apart their secondary. Vanderbilt’s defensive line simply couldn’t compete with a veteran LSU offensive line. Even when Vanderbilt opted to blitz, Nussmeier made timely throws for solid gains. The Commodores slipped into some of their old, undisciplined habits against the Tigers, and they paid for it. Vanderbilt’s leading edge rusher Khordae Sydnor was ineffective all night as he was stifled by LSU and left tackle Will Campbell. Similarly, linebackers Bryan Longwell and Langston Patterson were consistently blocked near the line of scrimmage. Nussmeier found a great rhythm as the game progressed and made easy throws to open receivers. It was that simple for him.
While Tennessee’s rushing attack — led by star running back Dylan Sampson — is scary, quarterback Nico Iamaleava has held his own in the SEC. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 2,255 yards this season and boasts a 65% pass completion rate. Vanderbilt must lock him up and pressure him into making low-percentage, dangerous throws. If the Commodores can rattle Iamaleava early by getting a few sacks or pass deflections at the line of scrimmage, they’ll force the young quarterback out of rhythm. Placing pressure on Iamaleava will be critical to retaining momentum, giving Vanderbilt’s offense more opportunities to work its magic. Tennessee’s offensive line has given up 26 sacks this season — 10th in the SEC — so pass rush efficiency could be improved for Vanderbilt in this one.
Vanderbilt’s early-down running game vs. Tennessee’s defensive line
Vanderbilt’s offensive success is entirely dependent on its early-down running game. If running back Sedrick Alexander and quarterback Diego Pavia can consistently churn out gains of four or five yards, offensive coordinator Tim Beck can dig deep into his bag of tricks. They haven’t done that consistently over the past few games, and Beck’s playcalling has suffered because of it.
If the Commodores fall into 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long situations, however, they become predictable and easy to defend. Unfortunately for them, Tennessee’s defense is the sixth-best rushing defense in the country: Led by star defensive end James Pearce, the Volunteers allow just 98.8 yards per game and 2.78 yards per carry. For Vanderbilt to find offensive success against this stout Volunteer front, Beck and Co. must find a way to grind out consistent gains. This is a battle of strength against strength, so something has to give.
Tennessee’s high expectations vs. Vanderbilt’s “nothing to lose” mentality
The Volunteers are experiencing one of their most promising seasons in recent history. A win against Vanderbilt would most certainly clinch Tennessee’s spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Tennessee also has five consecutive wins against Vanderbilt by an average of 29.4 points dating back to 2019. This is head coach Josh Heupel’s most complete team yet, and the Knoxville faithful expect a straightforward and dominant win.
This is not a typical Vanderbilt team, though. A flurry of incredible wins earlier in the season saw the Commodores rapidly evolve from the SEC’s punching bag to a national darling. Since then, Vanderbilt has dropped three of its past four games, including an ugly 28-7 home loss to South Carolina. Newfound expectations for the Commodores have been quashed, making this team dangerous once again. Lea and Co. are no longer dealing with national media coverage and lofty expectations — they’re once again playing with nothing to lose.
Tennessee has everything to lose and is desperate to win its first national championship since 1998. On the other hand, the Commodores have already accomplished far more this season than anyone thought was possible. This team is beloved by the West End faithful regardless of its result against Tennessee. Thus, if Vanderbilt can remain in the game through halftime, Tennessee will have the weight of the world on its shoulders. Lea and Co. are most dangerous when the pressure is on the other team to respond, and they’ve shown that time and time again this year.
Vanderbilt will host No. 7 Tennessee at FirstBank Stadium on Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. CST.
