We break down who's got the edge at each position heading into Saturday's showdown at Vanderbilt Stadium between the Commodores and the 21st-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
Quarterback: Ole Miss
Jevan Snead has struggled so far this season but part of that is due to his lack of protection. He is still one of the best quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference when he is on, and Larry Smith has been inconsistent as he tries to lead the offense and get on the same page as his receivers.
Running Backs: Push
Brandon Bolden is a legit SEC running back, and at 5 feet 11 inches, 220 pounds, he is a load to bring down. Senior Codera Eason is solid and brings experience to the unit. Dexter McCluster is technically a wide receiver but lines up in the backfield at times as a running back and in the “wild rebel” formation. McCluster is by far the most dangerous offensive weapon the Rebels have. Vanderbilt’s strength is in its numbers. With the return of Jared Hawkins last weekend, this unit is talented and deep. Zac Stacy, Warren Norman and Kennard Reeves are all very talented and can break off big runs if given good blocking.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: Ole Miss
The aforementioned McCluster is a playmaker. He is small in stature, but he is a multi-faceted athlete who has speed to burn. As Vanderbilt’s coach Bobby Johnson stated on Monday, it seems like McCluster has been at Ole Miss for nine years. Shay Hodge is the other big threat for the Rebels and is Snead’s favorite target. Vanderbilt’s receiving corps is inexperienced and inconsistent, and the loss of John Cole doesn’t help matters. Vandy should utilize their tight ends more with the team’s lack of experience at wide receiver.Offensive Line: Push
Both offensive lines have been inconsistent this season. Both lines have talent, but I think the defensive lines are going to be winning the battles in the trenches this weekend. Vanderbilt’s offensive line has not looked the same since James Williams got hurt in the LSU game. With that said, if Vanderbilt wants to win on Saturday, this unit is going to be the key. It all starts with the offensive line for the Commodores.Defensive Line: Ole Miss
Ole Miss’s defensive line is talented, experienced and deep. Ole Miss’s star defensive end Greg Hardy has been banged up since getting clipped against Memphis. The infamous Jerrell Powe has four tackles for a loss this season. Vanderbilt is glad that Theron Kadri came back to the team as he already has three sacks on the season. T.J. Greenstone has also been huge this season but is questionable for this weekend.Linebackers: Vandy
Marve and Benoist are arguably two of the best in the league. Marve is second in the SEC with 35 tackles and first in the SEC with three forced fumbles. Basically, he is a stud. With the injuries in the secondary, Brent Trice will probably be playing more as safety, which hurts this unit’s depth, but John Stokes is more than capable of stepping in. Ole Miss will most likely be without freshman D.T. Shackelford, a Vanderbilt recruiting target last season, and Lamar Brumfield, which definitely hurts this unit’s depth especially going up against Vanderbilt’s no huddle offense.Defensive Backs: Vandy
Myron Lewis and Casey Hayward are shutdown corners. Hayward has five tackles for loss this season while Lewis already has two interceptions. Ole Miss’s Johnny Brown and Cassius Vaughn are playmakers as well; Brown is currently third in the SEC in tackles, averaging 8.7 a game, but is it a good thing for your safety to be your leading tackler? I will take the combination of Lewis and Hayward over most units in the SEC.Special Teams: Ole Miss
Joshua Shene is pretty much automatic under 40 yards. Ryan Fowler is improving every game but still has not been tested in a pressure situation. Brett Upson has been better lately, but can still do better, averaging only 40 yards a punt. The main reason that Ole Miss gets the edge here though is the return game. Vanderbilt is not a threat to return a kick and their kick coverage can be shaky at times. Ole Miss returned a kickoff against the Commodores last season.Coaching: Ole Miss
This could very well be a toss-up, but we are giving Ole Miss the edge because of Vanderbilt’s conservative play calling. When you get in the red zone, you have to score touchdowns in the SEC. Vanderbilt has squandered too many chances in the last three games. If the Commodores want to win on Saturday, Jimmy Kiser, Ted Cain or whoever is calling the plays needs to take some chances and throw the ball when they get close to the end zone. Stop being so predictable or we might as well not take the field!
As Bradley Vierling has stated time and time again, why bother to take the field if you don’t believe you can win? If the Commodores coach conservatively, it is a sign they don’t have faith in the players to win the game, simple as that. What do you have to lose, coaches? The status quo hasn’t exactly been working.
