Vanderbilt comes to Athens this Saturday after dropping its first game of the season, a 21-15 loss at Auburn. The Commodores actually outgained Auburn 311 to 279, but struggled on third down, converting just 4 of 17 attempts, and gave up a blocked punt for a touchdown. Falling behind 14-3 at halftime, they never quite caught up. Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis accounted for 245 total yards, while Junior Sherrill led the receivers with six catches for 95 yards. This version of Vanderbilt is not the automatic win Georgia fans remember from years past. More importantly, this game should help reveal whether Georgia’s performance against Oklahoma was a sign of things to come or simply the result of a few timely turnovers. Oklahoma showed that Georgia can win convincingly when the defense is in control.
Vanderbilt should help answer whether the Bulldogs can look just as convincing when the offense is asked to carry more of the load. Several areas are worth keeping an eye on as Georgia prepares for Vanderbilt.
1 – First, Georgia’s offense needs to show it can build its own cushion. Against Oklahoma, the Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime, but finished with just 12 first downs and 306 total yards. The defense set up short fields and even scored, but that is not a formula the offense can count on every week. Georgia converted only 3 of 11 third downs and had just 173 yards entering the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt just held Auburn to 279 yards, so this is another defense that can make Georgia work for every possession. Sustained drives, rather than waiting for the defense to flip the game, will be important here.
2 – Talyn Taylor’s big plays against Oklahoma – four catches for 110 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown and a 41-yarder in the fourth quarter—were exactly what Georgia has been searching for at receiver. The Bulldogs have spent September trying to find someone who can stretch the field and force defenses to cover more ground, and Taylor looks like that answer. The next step is seeing if he can become a steady presence, not just a highlight waiting to happen. Vanderbilt let Sherrill become Auburn’s main target last week, so this matchup should show whether Taylor can draw that kind of attention and still produce.
3 – Georgia’s running game got a late lift from Dwight Phillips Jr.’s 54-yard touchdown, but the Bulldogs still finished with just 129 rushing yards and never really took control of the line of scrimmage against Oklahoma. That is worth noting because Vanderbilt’s best shot in Athens is to slow the game down and make Georgia earn every possession. Chauncey Bowens found the end zone twice, but the backs need to be able to pick up steady four and five-yard gains before anyone worries about the big plays. Georgia has already shown it can run over weaker fronts; now comes another test to see if that holds up against a disciplined SEC defense.
4 – Vanderbilt’s freshman quarterback Jared Curtis threw for 199 yards and ran for another 46 at Auburn, doing enough to keep the Commodores within striking distance even though they only managed one touchdown. Georgia just finished making Oklahoma’s John Mateer uncomfortable, forcing three turnovers and disrupting drives throughout the game. Curtis brings a different challenge with his mobility, and Georgia’s defense cannot afford to let scrambles and broken plays become Vanderbilt’s best offense. The goal will be to keep him contained, force him to throw into tight coverage, and see if a freshman can handle that kind of pressure for four quarters in Sanford Stadium.
5 – Georgia’s defense took control of the Oklahoma game with four takeaways, which led to 17 points and 137 return yards, including Cole’s touchdown. Those were earned plays, but turnovers are tough to count on every week. The more telling numbers might be Oklahoma’s 65 rushing yards and their 2-for-12 showing on third down. Vanderbilt had even more trouble on third down at Auburn, converting just four of seventeen. If Georgia can control this game defensively without relying on turnovers, that will say more about the defense’s progress than another batch of highlight-reel plays.
