Vanderbilt Gets Ready for Another Tough Defense This Weekend

The Commodores travel to Austin against another top SEC defense in a game with high stakes.

Oct 25, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) hands off to running back Sedrick Alexander (28) in the end zone during the third quarter against the Missouri Tigers at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE – November football has arrived.

Vanderbilt goes to Austin, Texas this week to take on a Texas Longhorns team that is essentially playing with their backs against the wall, looking to salvage its odds to potentially make it to a SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. Texas is coming off a game against Mississippi State where it had an extraordinary comeback down 17 in the final quarter to win in overtime.

This week, Texas is playing its first game in its home stadium since Sep. 20, when the Longhorns defeated Sam Houston State. In fact, this is the SEC home opener for them in Austin. The Red River Rivalry game was denoted as a home game on their schedule, but was played at a neutral site. 

Regardless, Vanderbilt is going into yet another tough environment with its hands full when the Commodores’ offense takes the field this weekend. The Texas defense ranks top 20 in the nation in total defense and top 10 in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 14.6 points per game.

Despite giving up 38 to Mississippi State, the Longhorns gave up just 14 after halftime and no points after the 12-minute mark in the fourth quarter. In other words, when the Longhorns need their defense to step up in the big moments, it almost always comes through.

Even more so, the matchup to watch for this week could be how Texas’ rush defense stacks up against Vanderbilt’s rushing attack. The Longhorns are third in the country and best in the SEC in rush defense, allowing just 2.41 yards per rush and just 80.8 rush yards per game. Offensively, Vanderbilt’s system is built off getting the running game going. The Commodores are 24th in the country in rushing offense with 6.2 yards per rush and 203.4 yards per game on the ground.

“They’re big and physical through the middle and they make space hard to come by. This is a team where if you get into third and off schedule, they are hard to protect against,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said in his Tuesday press conference.

This past weekend against Missouri, Vanderbilt managed to muster up only 136 yards rushing on 26 attempts. It cannot afford to have a game like that again against a defense as stout as Texas is. Putting up an offensive performance similar to Saturday would spell trouble this weekend, especially in a hostile environment.

Against Missouri, Vanderbilt’s offense was nowhere near the numbers they are used to putting up against every other team. Not to mention, the offensive penalties made it feel like the Commodores were going two steps backward for every positive play. Vanderbilt offensive lineman Isaia Glass and the rest of the offensive would probably agree that there were areas they could have performed better Saturday. But he and others also believe that there is no need to worry about Saturday’s underwhelming performance.

It all comes down to buying into the plan and executing it, which Vanderbilt certainly has shown the capability to do so.

“It really comes down to execution. I think we have a really good game plan, it’s just about executing it. It’s more on us than who we’re going against,” Glass said.

At the end of the day, Vanderbilt has proven over the course of this season that it is capable of playing well against good defenses such as the win against LSU. Turnovers will certainly play a factor. If Vanderbilt is to give itself the best chance to win, it cannot turn over the ball like it did the last time the Commodores went on the road.

Vanderbilt also needs to keep its foot on the gas if it is to grab a lead. One of the things that makes the Texas defense so good is the ability to make stops in crucial times, which ultimately leads to the Texas offense having opportunities to come from behind. Lea and the coaching staff are fully aware of it.

“They know how to close the gap. They’re never out of a game. It’s going to take a four-quarter effort and we have to play well. So nothing extra, just focus and execution and showing up with the right attitude and energy,” Lea said.

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