Running game woes could doom Vanderbilt against Georgia – Dawn of the Dawg

The Vanderbilt Commodores haven’t been able to run the ball that well this year. That isn’t ideal when you’re about to go into Sanford Stadium to face the No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Vanderbilt is averaging 3.8 yards per carry as a team and just 132.5 rushing yards per game. Both are the fourth-lowest totals in the SEC. The Commodores have lacked explosiveness in the running game as well with their longest run of just 20 yards being tied for the shortest in the conference.
In their Week 4 loss to Auburn, the Commodores rushed for 135 yards on 37 carries (3.6 yards per attempt) with sacks taken out of the equation. 152 of those yards came after contact, meaning the Tigers were hitting them in the backfield on just about every play.
The inability to run the ball made it tough for them to get going in The Plains. Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said Tuesday he wants to see some faster starts from his offense, and that begins with running the ball much better.
“I think the momentum and the fast start is going to begin with an effective run game and a commitment to that,” Lea said. “And then clean play at the line of scrimmage so that we don’t have the self-imposed negatives and set us back.” 
Vanderbilt does enter this game 3-1 after staving off a Delaware comeback and beating NC State on a last-second miracle play, but Georgia is a uniquely nightmarish matchup for the Commodores.
The Bulldogs have been shutting down the run game so far this season. They’ve allowed just 50.5 rushing yards per game which is second-best in the SEC and third-best in the nation. Georgia is one of five teams in the country, and the only team in the SEC, to have not allowed a rush over 20 yards this season which is not good news when you’ve had a hard time breaking off long runs as it is.
Vanderbilt has a running back tandem of seniors Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young. Young has been a bit more effective between the tackles while Alexander looks to get to the perimeter better.
If they want to get anything going against Georgia it’s probably going to have to come up the gut. The Bulldogs have freakishly athletic linebackers who have flown to the ball all year and shut down outside run concepts. Then again, running through the teeth of this defense isn’t the best idea either since runs against this defense tend to die near the line of scrimmage.
Vanderbilt’s best shot at a running game is potentially on the legs of true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis, who Georgia fans know quite well.
The true freshman, No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 class and former Georgia commit has outstanding athleticism as he brings speed, power and elusiveness as a runner.
“If you can separate the rush, he's going to find an escape lane and he can run the ball and he can make the tough runs in the moment where we need the tough runs too,” Lea said of Curtis. “But all of that is going to be set in motion by our performance up front.”
“And just like we're building chemistry around Jared right now, I think that that unit's also building chemistry. I thought they strengthened as the game went last Saturday.”
Curtis doesn’t have the best ground stats this year as he’s only rushed for 133 yards on 41 carries with two touchdowns. He however can scramble well and make a play if and when the protection breaks down. Expect Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole to be keyed in as spies.
“Tremendous talent,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Curtis. “Way better athletically than people give him credit for. I don’t know if anybody’s tackled him, with one person, tackled him yet. He’s strong. He’s quick. He’s powerful. He’s got great arm talent. Everything everybody thought has been true.”
Georgia linebacker Quintavius Johnson said containing Curtis will be a team effort where they’ll have to cover for each other’s potential missteps.
“It starts throughout the week just running to the ball and knowing that you're running for your teammates,” he said. “Knowing if your teammate doesn't make the tackle that you're running and screaming to the ball to make that tackle, if anything was to go wrong.”
The spotlight will be on Curtis this week going up against the school he was committed to for almost seven months. If he has to take on the Bulldogs by himself, with little to no help from Vandy’s run game, then it might be a long Saturday for Vanderbilt between the hedges.
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