As we continue our weekly series previewing each opponent for Georgia, we pose five questions to Chris Lee, the publisher of our sister site, VandySports.com.
UGASports.com: Coach Smart and Georgia players talked about getting the chance to face a pro-style offense for the first time all year. Players say they're looking forward to it. What about Vanderbilt? Do the Commodores feel that seeing an offense similar to their own will be a big benefit to their preparation this week?
Lee: "It's funny, that never came up in Tuesday's Vanderbilt press conference, but I would have to think VU players have similar feelings. The 'Dores have faced wide-open, fast-paced spread offenses in Western Kentucky and MTSU, and the triple-option attack at Georgia Tech, and pro-style offenses in college football seem to be more the exception than the rule.
"Matchup-wise, perhaps it allows Vanderbilt to get more linebackers on the field, and though outside of Zach Cunningham and Oren Burks there aren't a lot of bona fide stars on that unit, I still think it's easily VU's most-talented position group, especially when you factor in depth.
"So yes, I would have to think that's not necessarily a bad thing, though perhaps the fact that VU hasn't seen three talented backs on one team like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Brian Herrien presents a different issue for a team that's not been great at stopping the run."
UGASports.com: Talk about the development of Kyle Shurmur. Obviously, as a coach's son, you figure him to be a very heady competitor, but what else is be bringing to the Commodore offense this year?
Lee: "I still like Shurmur and think there's a good Southeastern Conference quarterback in there somewhere, but the truth is, he's not developed the way most hoped. I think some of that has to fall on coaching and the talent around him. Shurmur was a four-star prospect out of high school and VU has more or less tried to make him a game manager.
"Shurmur is excelling in one thing, which is not turning the ball over, but that's about it. The Commodores' playbook seems to be short on long balls, easy throws over the middle, screens and dump-offs to running backs, and instead, long on intermediate throws that aren't necessarily the easiest throws to pull off.
"Compound that with the fact that, while Mason and players went on and on about Vanderbilt getting receivers open against Kentucky in Tuesday's press conference, the Commodores don't generally have a group of receivers that get a lot of separation, and you get the current mess that has VU ranked 126th of 128 teams in total offense, even though they have the SEC's second-leading rusher.
"The fact that Shurmur's not very mobile also hasn't helped things.
"That said, Shurmur has done very well in both game situations and practice when he gets in a rhythm and VU runs an up-tempo offense. Why the coaches haven't tried that more is a question that writers and fans following this team have asked all season.
"If it ever were to come together for Shurmur, I still think there's a player in there capable of completing over 60 percent of his throws and connecting on some deep balls, while maintaining a low interception rate. Whether we see that this year or not remains to be seen."
UGASports.com: Ralph Webb may be the best back in the SEC that the average fan knows nothing about. What makes this guy tick? Why has he been able to be so successful?
Lee: "If you make a list of the league's rushing leaders, I suspect most players on it run faster 40 times than Webb, and perhaps have better moves. With the exception of a run in which he leapt an MTSU defender for a first down earlier this year, he won't make a lot of highlight reels.
"Then again, that's the Ralph Webb way. Webb hails from Gainesville, Fla., but wasn't even recruited by the Gators. In the 2013 recruiting class, Vanderbilt targeted a good four or five running backs ahead of Webb, and after whiffing on all of them, settled on Webb. He's made a career of proving everyone wrong.
"What makes Webb successful? He's got great patience and good vision and waits an extra second for holes to develop, and so while he won't break many long runs, he also manages at least a yard or two on almost every carry. He's fairly strong and his motor never stops, so Webb will drag tacklers another yard or two--and note the plural usage, because you generally don't bring him down with one guy.
"Webb's also humble and though quiet, there's not a better lead-by-example guy on the team. It's a reason VU named him a permanent captain a few weeks ago in this, his junior season."
UGASports.com: What are most Vanderbilt fans' take on the job Coach Mason has done so far?
Lee: "Vanderbilt has won two SEC games in Mason's 2 1/2 years, and none of his other seven victories have come against Power Five opponents. Two of those other seven have been against FCS teams.
"Not that fans would have been thrilled about this in an era, but considering that James Franklin finished in the Top 25 in his final two seasons at VU, standards have risen for Vanderbilt fans, and since VU lost its opener to South Carolina (in Nashville, no less), the outcry for a coaching change started and has grown with each successive loss.
"It will take a remarkable second-half turn-around to change opinions."
UGASports.com: What's your take on the game Saturday?
Lee: "After a rough six-game stretch between the last two games of 2015 and the first four of '16, Vanderbilt's defense has gotten back to playing the way we expected in its last two games. Granted, Florida minus Luke Del Rio and Kentucky without Drew Barker aren't world-beating offenses, but they're still SEC teams, and, this defense does one thing last year's didn't, which is to force a few turnovers. The pass defense has also played especially well the last two games.
"Having watched Georgia a good bit this year and seen its offense struggle, that side of the ball presents an intriguing match-up. It still makes no sense to me that Georgia can't produce more points with all the talent on offense, but recent performances suggest that VU has a chance of hanging with the Bulldogs on this side of the ball. That said, the Commodores have also no-showed on defense a few times in the last few years as well, so that's also a possibility.
"The problem is offense.
"The Commodores present virtually no threat to anyone through the air until they absolutely are forced to in end-of-half situations, and again, they've been pretty good there. Even with Webb, VU averages just 3.9 yards per carry as teams stack the box daring Vandy to win through the air. Georgia's run defense, anchored by Trenton Thompson, isn't a particularly good match for Vanderbilt.
"The bottom line is that Vandy has scored one offensive touchdown in three SEC games (Carolina, Florida, Kentucky) and that came nearly 11 full quarters ago. Unless that changes, Vanderbilt's not going to win in Athens, period. But if the Commodores can somehow generate some offense, I could see this being interesting heading deep into the fourth quarter if the Georgia offense we've seen recently is what shows on Saturday."
