Vanderbilt's Strategic Play Against Texas: A Game Analysis

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00:00They've quietly put together about a 6-2 record,

00:02kind of climbed back into the rankings.

00:04Offensively looked a little bit better.

00:06Defensively still playing pretty well,

00:08but they're going against Diego Pavia,

00:09who at this point, Ben, I don't foresee a scenario

00:13outside of just a monumental meltdown or injury by him

00:16or he's not in New York the way he's leading the Commonwealth.

00:19Yeah, Bobby, this is a really interesting game

00:21because as of this moment, can we get a last check?

00:24Is Texas still a one-and-a-half-point favorite?

00:26Arch is back at practice,

00:27but we're not entirely sure if in concussion protocol,

00:31Arch is going to play.

00:32Is that better or worse?

00:34Where does the line move if he plays or not, Ben?

00:36I think if Arch does not play,

00:38Vandy becomes a slight road favorite, I think,

00:41but I do believe the uncertainty around it

00:44is baked into this number,

00:45but I'm not so sure that Arch Manning is a needle mover.

00:48I'm not sure the quarterback position right now

00:50for the Longhorns really changes that betting market

00:53all that much.

00:54Matthew Caldwell is a guy that's a fifth-year senior

00:56in his first year in Austin

00:58with plenty of experience through his travels

01:00last year at Troy,

01:01the previous few years at Gardner-Webb,

01:04and of course,

01:04through the touchdown in a tough spot in overtime

01:06to escape last week against Mississippi State.

01:10Bobby, I think Texas has been a really disappointing

01:12football team this year.

01:14Yes, still at six-and-two,

01:15somehow, someway,

01:16still ranked in the AP poll,

01:18but the offense is atrocious.

01:19What they brought back alongside Arch Manning

01:22in terms of their running back room,

01:24Contravion Wisner,

01:25CJ Baxter,

01:26it just hasn't been there.

01:27They have not been able to run the football,

01:29which is key against Vanderbilt,

01:31because that's what Vandy does better than most.

01:33They run the football so well,

01:35third-best rushing yards per attempt average

01:38in college football,

01:39despite being the 24th-best rushing offense

01:42in this sport.

01:43They are explosive on the ground

01:45by their quarterback, Diego Pavia,

01:46or anybody else like Cedric Alexander

01:49in the backfield alongside him.

01:51I really believe in this Commodores team.

01:54Cortley has told us,

01:55we might not be the most elite defense.

01:57We're probably not going to keep you

01:58in your backfield

01:59or behind the 50-yard line

02:00for the entirety of the game.

02:02We will bend,

02:03but we will try our darndest not to break.

02:05And Vandy, I thought,

02:06did that exceptionally last week

02:08at home against Missouri.

02:10There is a chance

02:11that if Vandy closes

02:13as the favorite in this game,

02:14Arch Manning News

02:15or otherwise betting market moves

02:17or otherwise,

02:19that the Commodores will be favored

02:20in three consecutive SEC games.

02:23They would be favored

02:24in three consecutive SEC games.

02:26That is more than Vanderbilt

02:28had been favored in SEC games

02:30since 2017.

02:33That had only happened twice.

02:34And Vandy has a chance to do something

02:36that Alabama did earlier this year.

02:39That's when three consecutive games

02:40in three straight weeks

02:42against a ranked conference foe,

02:44only six teams

02:45if Vandy pulls it off

02:46in the history

02:47of the Southeastern Conference

02:48will have accomplished that feat.

02:50And the 2025 Vanderbilt Commodores

02:52will etch their name

02:53in the history books.

02:55Again, even if Arch Manning

02:56plays in this game,

02:57Texas's defense has been so good.

03:00But Vanderbilt has also been released out.

03:02And I'm not so sure

03:02the Longhorns offense

03:03can generate enough

03:04to keep up with Vandy.

03:05Crazy words to say.

03:07And that's an undefeated Navy

03:08going on the road

03:09to a Texas team,

03:11a North Texas team,

03:12the Screaming Eagles,

03:14the Mean Green Machine,

03:15whatever,

03:16because they were up in den.

03:16I used to go watch them.

03:17Yeah.

03:17They're like six and one

03:19or something like that.

03:19Guys are up for 120 yards.

03:21Who's winning this game?

03:23I mean,

03:23Navy's down like double digits.

03:25This is an awesome game.

03:26It will impact

03:27the American title race.

03:28It will impact

03:29who takes the group of five

03:30college football playoff spot.

03:32We've got two teams

03:33in the country.

03:33I believe if I saw

03:35this stat correctly,

03:36I believe it's the only matchup

03:37in college football this weekend

03:39that features two teams

03:40squaring off

03:41that each have already reached

03:42the seven win mark this year.

03:44Navy undefeated

03:45at the seven and oh mark

03:46for the first time

03:47since the late 70s.

03:48Despite UNT's

03:50faltering performance

03:51on a Friday night

03:52in Denton against USF,

03:54they are still

03:54a very quality team.

03:55And we saw Drew Mestemaker

03:56last week throw

03:57for more than 600 yards

03:59and four touchdowns.

04:00The thing that I think

04:01is going to be fascinating

04:02in this game is points

04:04because what the Naval Academy

04:05does well

04:06as the nation's

04:07best rushing offense

04:08in the tune of well more

04:09than 300 yards

04:10per game this year

04:11is obviously running.

04:12The Mids are led

04:13by their veteran quarterback

04:14in play, Corvath.

04:16UNT does not

04:17defend the ground game

04:18of their opposition

04:19very well.

04:20On the other side,

04:21North Texas,

04:22as we shared

04:22in the brilliant offensive scheme

04:24of Chad Morris

04:25and his quarterback

04:26Drew Mestemaker

04:26throw the ball better

04:28than most teams

04:28in the country.

04:30In fact,

04:30I believe after last week's total,

04:32they are now

04:32the best passing offense

04:34in all of college football.

04:36Navy doesn't

04:36defend that

04:37all that well.

04:39I think we see

04:39some points ultimately.

04:41It just becomes

04:42whose defense

04:43can make one stop

04:44probably late

04:44in the fourth quarter

04:45to slow down the scoring.

04:47But I do think

04:48it's a high scoring affair

04:49between UNT

04:50and Navy

04:50this upcoming weekend.

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