Thanks to a great suggestion, I just took about 30-45 minutes to race through Vanderbilt's game last Saturday against Alabama A&M (internet sure is a nice thing). This won't be nearly as in-depth as my K-State "Film Don't Lie" pieces, but I do hope it can give people a sense of what to expect from the Commodores.
First, Derek Young's "Stanford Lite" comparison is spot on. There's not a Big 12 team that shares really any similarities with Vanderbilt's style - so Wildcat fans would have to look at the Cardinal as a recent opponent to get a sense of what we'll see Saturday. Now, they aren't as talented as Stanford on either side of the ball - but they aren't without talent.
Now, for some notes - first big picture/schematically.
Offensively, Vandy is VERY pro-style. Saw hardly an shotgun use at all, and it's far more common to see one or two receiver sets than it is three or four. Tight ends and fullbacks will be used regularly, and you'll see a lot of pre-snap shifting and motion to try and expose the type of coverage the defense will be playing. The Commodores are content to run the ball and will even do so on third and short to third and medium in an era where teams love to throw on these downs. The tight end is going to be a factor - which concerns me some from a K-State perspective. It's really going to test the coverage abilities of the Wildcats linebackers and safeties as well as an ability to stay at home on play action. You'll very likely see K-State play 75% of this game in its base 4-3 defense as opposed to the nickel we see a lot in Big 12 play.
On defense, Vandy is a little more creative - for lack of a better term. You'll see a mix of 3-4 and 4-3 base defenses, and it will easily be the fastest and most athletic defense the Wildcats have seen this year. Derek said yesterday he thought it could be the best defense K-State plays all year. I initially blew the comment off (sorry Mr. Young) - but he's not crazy. I still think Oklahoma and TCU are better defensively, but it's not crazy to suggest Vandy is up there. Unlike K-State, Vandy did show some ability to get pressure with as few as three linemen rushinig the quarterback. They also are very willing to send blitzes from multiple angles and levels of their defense. Vandy was last in the SEC in sacks last year but had five in their opener and also was very active against Alabama A&M. I think this defense values speed over size (reminds me some of TCU) - so don't be shocked if K-State really features the ground game Saturday to pound away at this defense like it has against the Horned Frogs the last two years.
I think Kyle Shurmur is really what Bill Snyder described him to be. He's a composed, relatively accurate quarterback who is going to play within the offense and not make a bunch of mistakes. He's got great size (6-4, 230ish) and has a good (but not great) arm. He's not overly mobile and is somebody K-State should be able to pressure without having to be terribly concerned about him breaking containment. Shurmur is nowhere near the level of a Mason Rudolph - but maybe describing him as a poor man's Rudolph would give K-State fans a sense of what to expect from him.
Running back Ralph Webb is probably the most well-known Commodore, but he's going to split carries throughout the game most likely. Vandy likes to use a lot of reverse/sweep motion behind direct handoffs to try and keep opposing defenses from being able to focus in on isolation runs and really everything between the tackles. K-State did this a lot in the 2001 season with Joe Hall & Darren Sproles in Lincoln against Nebraska - you'll see similarities to that work.
Overall, after watching them more closely, I probably have a tad bit more respect for them. I already thought they were a good football team and would be a great test for the Wildcats - and that was only confirmed by watching them play. They're physical, well coached and appear to be disciplined. All of that said, K-State is still the better team (by a decent margin) and should be fine as long as it plays a B-level game or better.
First, Derek Young's "Stanford Lite" comparison is spot on. There's not a Big 12 team that shares really any similarities with Vanderbilt's style - so Wildcat fans would have to look at the Cardinal as a recent opponent to get a sense of what we'll see Saturday. Now, they aren't as talented as Stanford on either side of the ball - but they aren't without talent.
Now, for some notes - first big picture/schematically.
Offensively, Vandy is VERY pro-style. Saw hardly an shotgun use at all, and it's far more common to see one or two receiver sets than it is three or four. Tight ends and fullbacks will be used regularly, and you'll see a lot of pre-snap shifting and motion to try and expose the type of coverage the defense will be playing. The Commodores are content to run the ball and will even do so on third and short to third and medium in an era where teams love to throw on these downs. The tight end is going to be a factor - which concerns me some from a K-State perspective. It's really going to test the coverage abilities of the Wildcats linebackers and safeties as well as an ability to stay at home on play action. You'll very likely see K-State play 75% of this game in its base 4-3 defense as opposed to the nickel we see a lot in Big 12 play.
On defense, Vandy is a little more creative - for lack of a better term. You'll see a mix of 3-4 and 4-3 base defenses, and it will easily be the fastest and most athletic defense the Wildcats have seen this year. Derek said yesterday he thought it could be the best defense K-State plays all year. I initially blew the comment off (sorry Mr. Young) - but he's not crazy. I still think Oklahoma and TCU are better defensively, but it's not crazy to suggest Vandy is up there. Unlike K-State, Vandy did show some ability to get pressure with as few as three linemen rushinig the quarterback. They also are very willing to send blitzes from multiple angles and levels of their defense. Vandy was last in the SEC in sacks last year but had five in their opener and also was very active against Alabama A&M. I think this defense values speed over size (reminds me some of TCU) - so don't be shocked if K-State really features the ground game Saturday to pound away at this defense like it has against the Horned Frogs the last two years.
I think Kyle Shurmur is really what Bill Snyder described him to be. He's a composed, relatively accurate quarterback who is going to play within the offense and not make a bunch of mistakes. He's got great size (6-4, 230ish) and has a good (but not great) arm. He's not overly mobile and is somebody K-State should be able to pressure without having to be terribly concerned about him breaking containment. Shurmur is nowhere near the level of a Mason Rudolph - but maybe describing him as a poor man's Rudolph would give K-State fans a sense of what to expect from him.
Running back Ralph Webb is probably the most well-known Commodore, but he's going to split carries throughout the game most likely. Vandy likes to use a lot of reverse/sweep motion behind direct handoffs to try and keep opposing defenses from being able to focus in on isolation runs and really everything between the tackles. K-State did this a lot in the 2001 season with Joe Hall & Darren Sproles in Lincoln against Nebraska - you'll see similarities to that work.
Overall, after watching them more closely, I probably have a tad bit more respect for them. I already thought they were a good football team and would be a great test for the Wildcats - and that was only confirmed by watching them play. They're physical, well coached and appear to be disciplined. All of that said, K-State is still the better team (by a decent margin) and should be fine as long as it plays a B-level game or better.
