Author Note: Before getting into the details below, I wish the Commodores good fortune. Not enough good fortune to challenge the Tide, but a better-than-average season nonetheless. The SEC benefits every rare season Vanderbilt has a good team.
Alabama Football Game Four – Vanderbilt Commodores
How bad was Vandy in Clark Lea’s first season as the Commodores’ head coach? The Dores were seven points away from going winless for a second straight season. A season, that began with a 20-point loss to East Tennessee State, was salvaged by a 24-21 win over Colorado State and a 30-28 win over a dreadfully bad Connecticut team.
Vanderbilt will be better in 2022. The Dores might win three games by winning in Hawaii, beating Elon, and upsetting Northern Illinois. The only chance of an SEC win is on the road against Missouri.
Like Derek Mason before him, Clark Lea will not deserve his Vanderbilt record. At SEC Media Days, Lea spoke about “eternal verities.” What Lea faces is one of those verities. While he could win at many places, he can’t win in Nashville.
Hopefully, Vanderbilt will be more competitive in 2022. The Dores played one competitive SEC game last season, losing 21-20 at South Carolina. Vanderbilt lost to Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State and Tennessee by a combined score of 194-27.
Lea’s probable quarterback starter is Mike Wright. Wright has the tools to lead an effective passing attack, but pass protection became a bigger challenge with the transfer of Tyler Steen to Alabama. The Dores need a stronger rushing attack in 2022.
There are reasons to expect improvement on defense. Lea is a solid defensive coach. Anfernee Orji is one of the SEC’s best defensive players. Transfer Kane Patterson, from Clemson, will help. Ethan Barr leads an iffy secondary that has a chance to be better. Defensive lineman Malik Langham was heavily recruited by Alabama in 2018, before signing with Florida. Vanderbilt fans are anticipating Langham will finally show the potential teams saw in him when he was a highly-rated recruit.
The first in our series of game previews predicts three easy wins over three teams whose only risk to the Crimson Tide is game injuries.