Vanderbilt Football Preseason Game Prediction: Georgia

When the SEC released the days and times for this year’s nine-game conference slate, there was one thing that stuck out more than most on Vanderbilt’s schedule.

While there is still an ongoing quarterback battle going on at Vanderbilt, there is a potential for one of the most intriguing storylines to happen when the Commodores visit Georgia on Oct. 3. Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis (potentially) leading his team onto the campus of the place he was originally committed to.

If Curtis is the starting quarterback that day, it certainly would not be a welcoming crowd at Sanford Stadium for Curtis and the Commodores.

What also is essentially a certainty is that Vanderbilt’s trip to Georgia will be its hardest game it will play during the regular season. Georgia is a place that very few visitors leave as victors. Combine that with the new faces Vanderbilt has on its roster this season and you have a matchup that feels like a mountainous climb to a win.

Georgia is out for blood this season after being eliminated from the College Football Playoff by Ole Miss in the quarterfinal round. The defending SEC Champion knows it fell short of its goal last season and has brought back a lot of its talent into this fall.

The most notable is quarterback Gunner Stockton, who will be throwing to a new group of wide receivers. Georgia, however, does have three of its five starting offensive lineman back for this season as well.

Defensively, Georgia is returning eight defensive starters on top of five-star freshman defensive lineman Valdin Stone joining the team.

In short, Vanderbilt is going to need to bring its A+-game if it wants to pull off a shocker in one of the hardest places to play in the country.

Keys to the Game

For Vanderbilt to pull off a stunner against Georgia, it will first and foremost need to be communicating at high level offensively. The chemistry and communication the Commodores’ offense develops over the first four games will no doubt have to take another step when the month of October begins.

If Vanderbilt is able to communicate well up front and protect its quarterback, it could lead to longer drives that bleed the clock and wear down the Georgia defensive line. But that is much easier said than done. Whether Curtis or Blaze Berlowitz is the starting quarterback that day, he is going to need to get settled into the game quickly. Maybe starting the game with some simple throws to calm the nerves can help, but Vanderbilt has to realize points may be at a premium against the Bulldogs defense, so taking advantage any way it can find offensively is a must.

Defensively, Vanderbilt is going to need to find a way to get into the Georgia backfield. The positive of the game being in early October is that Georgia’s chemistry and development may not be at its peak, meaning there is more room for Vanderbilt’s defense to find vulnerabilities in Georgia’s offense. That could look like taking advantage of an offensive line that has a couple news pieces, or a receiving corps that could still have some kinks to work through.

Prediction

This game seems too tall of a task for Vanderbilt to go on the road and win. Vanderbilt will have to play as close to perfect as possible to come out victorious in this game. With an inexperienced starting quarterback against a national title hopeful, that does not seem realistic of a possibility.

Vanderbilt could keep it close for about a half, but Georgia is going to run away with the game and win by multiple scores. Vandy On SI projects Vanderbilt to fall to 3-2 on this day.

Score Prediction: Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 17

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