Vanderbilt’s Defense Looks to Keep Things Going Against Texas

The Commodores look to put on another good performance against the Longhorns Saturday.

Oct 25, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Jamal Roberts (20) runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE – Can Vanderbilt’s defense keep it going?

That is one of the big questions heading into this weekend as No. 9 Vanderbilt heads to Austin, Texas for a date with the No. 20 Texas Longhorns in a game that is nothing short of big for both teams. Texas’ offense has been perhaps disappointing when looking back on preseason expectations, but last week it may have started to get going.

The Longhorns put 24 points on the board in the final quarter alone in their comeback against Mississippi State. It was the first time this season that Texas has scored more than 23 against a power conference opponent this season. But this weekend, Vanderbilt’s “bend, don’t break” defense will look to put a stop to that.

Vanderbilt ranks 31st in total defense and 24th in scoring defense. Texas’ offense, on the other hand, is 78th in total offense and 65th in scoring offense. These stats point to the notion that Vanderbilt’s defense should have a clear advantage when it goes up against the Texas offense.

But that does not mean Texas does not have the playmakers to potentially wreak havoc on Vanderbilt’s defense. The Longhorns skill players are still plenty talented, it is just their numbers this season may not show it on paper.

Forget the stats and all the numbers Texas has posted on offense this season and forget about the talk of how quarterback Arch Manning has not played like a Heisman candidate when he was the favorite in the preseason. The bottom line is the talent is still there, and Vanderbilt’s defense is not taking any chances in preparing for this weekend.

“They got athletes everywhere from front to bottom. They’re talented everywhere. I mean, they got a lot of five stars, too,” Vanderbilt safety Randon Fontenette said.

Outside of the quarterback, Fontenette also mentioned players he is especially keeping his eye on in film: Texas wide receivers Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. and running backs Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter.

Wingo could perhaps be the one Vanderbilt's defensive backs have to pay the most attention to. Last week against Mississippi State, Wingo had his best game of the season with five catches for 184 on 12 targets. Additionally, Moore Jr. came up with six receptions for 53 yards on seven targets.

With the calendar turning to November, everything is heightened: margin of error, attention to detail and playmaking. It is the time of year when broken tackles go for big games that decide the fate of games, which could effectively decide what happens for the postseason picture. Defensively, Vanderbilt knows it has to keep doing what it has been doing all fall.

“The key to stopping them is to stop the explosive plays and stop the run. I feel like we’ve been doing that well the past few weeks, and we just have to keep it going,” Fontenette said.

One other element to monitor throughout this week is the status of Arch Manning. It was reported Monday that the starting quarterback was undergoing concussion protocol this week for a hit he took on the first play of overtime against Mississippi State. His official status for Saturday is currently unknown.

If Manning is unable to go, Texas will turn to backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell. Caldwell has thrown 11 passes this season and completed eight of them for 85 yards. In relief of Manning Saturday, he threw one pass, which was a game-winning 10-yard touchdown. 

Caldwell is no stranger to college football action, though. He served as a quarterback for Gardner-Webb in 2023, where he threw for 928 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2024, Caldwell was the starting quarterback for Troy in which he threw for 1,608 yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 13-8.

Whoever it is at quarterback for Texas, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea will prepare for Manning and Caldwell.

“I was really impressed with Caldwell when he came in. I think that was a pretty good start for him, so we’ll be challenged no matter what. Obviously we’re going to pay attention to both knowing there’s a chance that we may see the backup, but we’ll be ready no matter what,” Lea said.

Vanderbilt and Texas take the field in a game that has massive implications for both teams’ chances to get into the College Football Playoff picture. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT Saturday.