Many thanks to Anchor of Gold's Christian D'Andrea this week.
1. What would you pinpoint as the biggest problem you had against Temple?
Just one thing? That's going to be tough. The quarterback play was bad, the blocking was even worse, and the playcalling was unimaginative. This team had three sustained drives all night and none of those ended in points. Can I just say the entire offense? Does that count as a pinpoint?
2. If Vanderbilt manages to beat Ole Miss, it will because of production at the ___ unit. Fill in the blank with something that's likely to succeed.
Quarterback unit. Last week's game with Temple made me sufficiently pleased with Vandy's defensive effort. Seven turnovers and several short field situations made the Commodore D work overtime, and much of Temple's success came against a tired unit. I think that this defense, if given a legitimate chance, can limit Ole Miss's scoring opportunities.
That means that they'll need the offense to step up, and that starts with ...whoever is playing quarterback this week. Ralph Webb showed that he can be an effective tailback and this team has a number of contributors who can get open and make plays, but Vandy has yet to show that there's a quarterback who can reliably get the ball to them. If Stephen Rivers, who seems like the probably pick at QB, can settle down and access the talent that helped him extend plays and find opportunities in brief stretches against the Owls, then he can lead this team to an upset against Ole Miss.
That's a very big "if," though.
3. I realize it's incredibly early, but does Derek Mason have detractors yet? What has he done well so far in his tenure?
Yes, there are already people calling for Derek Mason's head after one week of NCAA football. On the plus side, that makes us feel like a real SEC program.
Mason did a solid job of pulling together a recruiting class in limited time, despite all of James Franklin's decommits. Vandy fans were feeling pretty good about the staff he pulled together as well, but after Karl Dorrell's offense sputtered against Temple...well, we're not as sure about that one now. Otherwise, Commodore fans are complaining about everything from his game management to his demeanor on the sideline.
4. Despite limited statistical effect in the Boise State game, Robert Nkemdiche was in the Broncos' backfield all day. Talk about the interior of your offensive line and how they will likely deal with him.
The interior of Vandy's offensive line should be the team's strength. Joe Townsend is one of the best centers in the league, but he played like hot garbage on Thursday. Spencer Pulley and Jake Bernstein are two juniors with starting experience who can get upfield and make blocks on running plays, but they got beat plenty of times against Temple. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about facing an All-Conference caliber defensive lineman, but this unit's shaky play against the Owls makes me think that Vandy's QBs will have to deal with some pressure on Saturday.
Do they have someone good enough to regularly take him one-on-one?
After last week, I honestly don't have an answer for this one.
5. What is your score prediction for the game? How does it get there?
Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 14. Vandy hangs tough early, but a lack of offense and a long list of three-and-out drives wears the Commodore defense down and allows Ole Miss to pull away late. As much as I'd like to see a VU win, I can't rightfully pick them after last week's debacle.