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Coach: Bryan Lane
Team Name: Commodores
2008 Overall Record: 2-10
Returning Starters: 13
What to watch for on offense: Even more from the running backs. Warren Norman and Zac Stacy combined as true freshmen to give the Commodores a dangerous ground attack with plenty of promise and potential for the next few years. Throw in the veteran Kennard Reeves and the big-time talent and size of Wesley Tate, if he can get back from a foot problem, and the running game will be something offense should be able to count on game in and game out. The O line, as banged up as it might be, should be good enough to pave the way, and the backs should come through.
What to watch for on defense: A tremendous year from the outside linebackers. The Commodores lose Patrick Benoist and Brent Trice from the outside, and while they were great, the linebacking corps could be more dangerous and more disruptive without them. Chris Marve is an all-star in the middle who’ll be in the hunt for SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors allowing the outside defenders to be able to do whatever they want. John Stokes, Archibald Barnes, Dexter Daniels, and Tristan Strong are all athletic, they all have pass rushing potential, and they’ll all be turned loose by defensive coordinator Jamie Bryant to make more big plays in the backfield.
The team will be far better if … the passing game isn’t next-level bad. There might not be a Jay Cutler around to wing the ball all over the field, but the passing offense can’t be as completely and totally ineffective as it has been over the last two seasons. The running backs are talented enough to carry the offense as long as there’s a little bit of a threat of a deep ball, but Vandy’s inefficient passing hasn’t done anything to scare anyone’s defensive back seven. Even mediocre play from the quarterbacks will bring a huge change in the record.
The schedule: Eastern Michigan. That’s the one almost-certain win. Everything else will be a fight as the Commodores will likely be the underdog in the other 11 games including the home opener against Northwestern and the season ender against Wake Forest. The one game against someone they own size, Kentucky, is on the road, and missing Mississippi State from the West hurts. There are chances to make some noise with some big home games against LSU, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee, but if Vandy can win just one of those it would be a tremendous success. Three of the final four games are at home and the road trips are spread out.
Best offensive player: Sophomore RB Warren Norman. He stepped in as a true freshman and came up with an all-timer of a season setting the SEC record for all-purpose yards by a freshman (breaking Herschel Walker’s record) with 1,941 yards and kickoff return yards with 1,050. He’s not going to have to be a workhorse with other strong rushing options to take the pressure off, but there will be times when Norman makes the offense work.
Best defensive player: Junior LB Chris Marve. A hitting machine, Marve followed up a 105-tackle freshman campaign with 121 stops last year becoming the first SEC player to ever come up with 100 tackles or more in his first two years. He’s just now starting to generate a buzz outside of the world of the SEC die-hards, and he should be in the mix for All-America recognition as a do-it-all playmaker who’ll be a lock for another 100 tackle season if he stays healthy.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Larry Smith, or senior Jared Funk, or junior Jordan Rodgers. Funk and Rodgers are passers while Smith is supposed to be a dual-threat playmaker who can lead an offense with his athleticism. However, Funk hasn’t seen any real action, Rodgers is an unknown coming in from the JUCO ranks, and Smith has been awful throwing the ball and hasn’t done enough on the ground. The quarterbacks were better this offseason, but one of them has to step up and be the type of passer who can keep the chains moving. Two years without a passing game is enough.
The season will be a success if … the Commodores win five games. The team isn’t good enough to get to a bowl game without a ton of good breaks, and there aren’t any layups on the schedule except for the Eastern Michigan date. Even so, there’s enough athleticism and upside pull off an upset here and there over a Kentucky or a South Carolina, and with Tennessee and Wake Forest both beatable on the right day, getting to five wins would be a nice step forward.
Key game: Sept. 4 vs. Northwestern. The Wildcats are better than the Commodores, but they’re going to be the type of team that doesn’t pull away from anyone. This should be a close battle throughout, and Vandy has to take advantage at home in the must-win opener with LSU, at Ole Miss, and at Connecticut to follow. 0-4 is a possibility with an opening day loss.
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Platform: PS3
Length: Eight Minutes
Game: NCAA Football 11
Injuries: On
Fatigue: On
Recruiting: Only can sign number of seniors plus 3 more.
R. Difficulty: All American until I sign a 5 star, then it is Heisman
Difficulty: Heisman
Sliders: Matt10's
Dynasty Accelerators: Off
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