Everything you need to know about the Vanderbilt Commodores football team [VIDEO]

This Saturday, the Texas Longhorns will look to bounce back from their loss to Georgia last weekend with a win over Vanderbilt. Today our Devon Messinger and Dylan DeRaud discuss their scouting report on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the YouTube video above.

Messinger’s reconnaissance report on the Vanderbilt Offensive:

Leading the Vanderbilt offense is quarterback Diego Pavia. The graduate student has thrown for 1,391 yards with an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio of 11:1. Additionally, Pavia is a threat on the ground, using his legs to rack up 470 yards and three touchdowns.

So far this season, 6-foot-1 tight end Eli Stowers has been Pavia’s favorite target with 463 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Otherwise, 5-foot-10 sophomore junior Sherill and 6-foot-10 senior Quincy Skinner Jr. combined for over 400 yards and three touchdowns as wide receivers. Overall, Vanderbilt’s passing game was just okay. The Commodores averaged around 201 yards through the air per game, good enough for 94th in college football.

Now the team’s strength lies in its ground game. As mentioned, Pavia is a real threat on the floor and leads his team in rushing. However, the 1.75 meter tall second-year running back Sedrick Alexander, the pride of Austin LBJ, also provided a little more impact. This season, Alexander has rushed for 380 yards and five touchdowns.

Finally, the Vanderbilts offensive line has been pretty solid so far this season. As a unit, the Commodores have allowed just 1.57 sacks per game, making them the 53rd best team in the country.

DeRaud’s scouting report of the Vanderbilt defense:

Vanderbilt’s defense, led by defensive coordinator Nick Howell, is a strong unit that allows 22.1 points per game and ranks 50th nationally. Their pass defense is giving up 215.1 yards per game, while their rush defense has been stronger, allowing 116.3 yards per game.

Obviously, the Commodores don’t have the same talent as the top teams in the SEC. However, this team is a fierce bunch that will put in the extra effort. First off, second-year linebacker Bryan Longwell was an impressive player, leading the team with 45 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss. Additionally, TCU transfer Randon Fontenette, a linebacker-safety hybrid, added another 36 tackles and had a pick-six against Alabama. Finally, pass rusher Nick Rinaldi leads the team with three sacks, including one in each of his last three games.