Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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124 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason built a name for himself running the Stanford defense from 2011-13. During that stretch, the Cardinal ranked 13th, 10th and 11th in defensive efficiency ac- cording to the Fremeau Ef- ficiency Index. In his second year at Vanderbilt, Mason led a defense that climbed from 96th in defensive ef- ficiency to 16th. His 2016 defense was a respectable 42nd in efficiency, helping lead the Commodores to a 6-6 regular-season record, highlighted by a road win over Georgia. That season, Vanderbilt finished 35th nationally in scoring defense. Despite the return of seven defen- sive starters, the Commodores took a gigantic step back on that side of the ball in 2017. Vanderbilt gave up 43.3 points per game dur- ing SEC play and lost seven defensive starters. "The Commodores got pushed around at the line of scrimmage, missed tackles, didn't get to the quarterback in SEC play and made noth- ing happen on the back end," VandySports.com publisher Chris Lee said. Mason made the deci- sion to give up defensive play-calling duties, hiring former Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator Ja- son Tarver for that job. "Mason always talked about bringing pressure and creating turnovers, but in his first four years his teams never really did that," Lee explained. "Sack totals, from 2014-17 re- spectively, were 18, 26, 15 and 27, while the Commodores gained 13, 17, 19 and nine turnovers. "Last year, Vanderbilt got just eight [sacks] and forced two turnovers in eight SEC games." Tarver has yet to call a game for Vanderbilt, but there were positive signs during the spring. "Tarver was more aggressive with send- ing guys off the edge," Lee said of the spring changes. "You could see a lot of linebackers … standing up on the line of scrimmage and trying to get to the quarterback." Improved spring pressure resulted in more production on the back end. "Vanderbilt's defensive backs made a num- ber of interceptions," Lee said. "The entire unit was quite aggressive in trying to strip the ball all spring. Also, Mason's defenses have primar- ily been 3-4 units, but the Commodores have been incorporating more 4-3 looks." The Commodores return one of its most pro- lific all-time quarterbacks and all five offensive line starters. If the defense can bounce back from a brutal season, another trip to a bowl game could be in the cards. ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Sept. 1 Middle Tennessee W, 28-6 Sept. 8 Nevada — Sept. 15 at Notre Dame — Sept. 22 South Carolina L, 34-27 Sept. 29 Tennessee State — Oct. 6 at Georgia L, 45-14 Oct. 13 Florida L, 38-24 Oct. 20 at Kentucky L, 44-21 Oct. 27 at Arkansas — Nov. 10 at Missouri L, 45-17 Nov. 17 Ole Miss L, 57-35 Nov. 24 Tennessee W, 42-24 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 2-0 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 14, Vanderbilt 7 (Sept. 5, 1996; Nashville, Tenn.) Head Coach: Derek Mason, 18-31 at Vander- bilt and overall (5th year) 2017 Results: 5-7 overall, 1-7 SEC East (6th) Returning Starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 68 by Lindy's, No. 70 by Athlon and No. 76 by ESPN Football Power Index Did You Know?: Quarterback Kyle Shurmur's 5,735 career passing yards rank fifth all time at Vanderbilt and his 40 touchdowns rank fourth … Shurmur's 26 passing touchdowns in 2017 were a program record, and his 2,823 passing yards were the third-best single-season mark … Senior Charles Wright was ranked the No. 5 draft-eligible outside linebacker by Lindy's Sports … Wright was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2017, the lone player to earn such honors. Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Vanderbilt 13 STRENGTH: Quarterback Through his first two seasons with the Commo- dores, quarterback Kyle Shurmur barely completed half of his passes (51.9 percent) and threw just 14 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Shurmur took significant steps forward as a junior in 2017, completing 57.9 percent of his passes while passing for 2,823 yards and 26 touchdowns. The drop-back passer showed improved accuracy and a better feel for the offense, posting almost a three- to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio (10 picks). It wasn't always pretty for Shurmur, who threw seven interceptions in back-to-back losses to Ken- tucky and Missouri, but the son of New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur showed he is capable of becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the South- eastern Conference. Shurmur threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in a tough road loss to South Carolina, and he ended the 2017 season with 283 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-24 road win over Tennessee. It was one of three games in which he tossed four touchdown passes. The Philadelphia native was sacked only 19 times last season, the third-best mark in the league, due to his maturity and poise. Vanderbilt needs Shurmur to become even more of a playmaker and leader as a senior. The Commo- dores lose three of their top four wide receivers, and running back Ralph Webb — the program's all-time leading rusher — is also gone. CONCERN: Run Defense Vanderbilt had the 12th-worst run defense in the SEC last season, giving up 198.5 yards per game. Div- ing into the numbers paints an even uglier picture. Against Power Five opponents, the Commodores yielded 253.3 yards per game on the ground. That number grew to 259.9 yards per game against SEC foes. Alabama rushed for 496 yards against the Commo- dores, and Georgia racked up 423 rushing yards. Six of Vanderbilt's SEC opponents rushed for at least 212 yards, and seven of its eight conference foes racked up at least 191 yards on the ground. Vanderbilt will have a hard time improving upon its 5-7 record if it doesn't make significant strides with the run defense, a task made more challenging by the loss of two of its three starting defensive linemen and two linebackers, including Oren Burks, a third-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers. Senior outside linebacker Charles Wright and senior end Dare Odeyingbo are a good foundation to build around, but the issue for first-year coordinator Jason Tarver is that potential replacements lack experience. Up front, Vanderbilt's projected new starters have combined for just 36 tackles and 5.5 stops for loss. Dayo Odeyingbo — the younger brother of Dare — was solid last season as a freshman, and his emer- gence could be vital to the Commodores. VANDERBILT COMMODORES SEPT. 15 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Khari Blasingame (147 yards, 0 TD) Passing: QB Kyle Shurmur (2,823 yards, 26 TD) Receiving: WR Kalija Lipscomb (610 yards, 8 TD) Tackles: S LaDarius Wiley (88) Sacks: LB Charles Wright (9) Interceptions: Wiley, DE Dayo Odeyingbo and S Bryce Lewis (1) X-FACTOR: Senior Dare Odeyingbo is the top returning defensive lineman and must become a more effective player. He has shown flashes of big-play ability, but needs to take his game to a higher level. PHOTO COURTESY VANDERBILT ATHLETICS