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Ole Miss Football 2013 Season Countdown: Four Important Vanderbilt Commodores

Four days remain until Ole Miss football kicks off. To celebrate this, here are four of the most important Vanderbilt Commodore footballers.

By The Ghost of Jay Cutler
Mark Zerof-US PRESSWIRE

Wide Receiver Jordan Matthews - As one of the best receivers in the SEC, and therefore the country, Jordan Matthews is the most important component of the Commodore offense. Last season, the 6'3" receiver caught 94 balls for 1323 yards and eight scores. One of this best performances was against - of course - our Ole Miss Rebels last season, when he caught nine passes for 153 yards and a score. Like fellow all-SEC receivers Amari Cooper, Mike Evans, and Donte Moncrief, Matthews is long, quick, and sure-handed, making him a player that demands air tight coverage.

Cornerback Andre Hal - Like Matthews, Andre Hal is a guy who will have a legitimate career in the NFL if he keeps playing as well as he did last season. Starting every game at corner for the 'Dores, Hal had 48 total tackles, 14 passes broken up, and a pair of picks. He had a huge game against Tennessee, where he notched both of his picks setting up two Vandy touchdowns.

Kicker Carey Spear - As with Matthews and Hal, Spear all made the Southeastern Conference's coaches' all-conferece first team. He has made 20 of his 24 field goal attempts, good for 83.3%. That's good for the best such mark in the conference. He was perfect on PATs, and took on Vandy's kickoff where he has earned a reputation for being a pretty heavy hitter.

Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels - Austyn - with a "Y" - Carta-Samuels played primarily as a backup to Jordan "Aaron Rodgers' little brother" Rodgers last year, completing 14-of-24 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. He did, for some reason, get the start against the Presbyterian Blue Hose in the third game of last season, but outside of that his action was limited. Before that, he was sitting out a season per NCAA transfer years after leaving the Wyoming Cowboys program. At Wyoming, he started for two seasons at quarterback, amassing 3,655 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 picks in those years. In 2009, he earned Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year honors. It's of little doubt that the Vandy offense has the skill players and protection to be competitive in the Southeastern Conference, but what Carta-Samuels is capable of remains yet to be seen. If he can perform well, then Vanderbilt will again be a tough out for most opponents.