Football: Three Matchups to Watch: Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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After three straight losses — especially the 35-point trailing deficit at last week’s home game — Vanderbilt is looking to beat the only team that stands below them in the SEC.  
Both teams will come in with something to prove. Currently in the SEC, Arkansas ranks last in offense, and Vanderbilt ranks last in defense; more specifically, the Razorbacks went 2-for-11 in third downs last Saturday, and the Commodores’ defense allowed four touchdowns in the second quarter alone. In a battle to prove who is the stronger opponent, the question is which team will be able to put last week’s loss behind them and focus on improving their weaknesses to put points on the board Saturday.  
Vandy last hosted Arkansas back in 2011, but the most recent matchup was in 2018 with the ‘Dores winning a high-scoring game of 45-31 in Fayetteville.  
Here’s what to watch for this upcoming game. 
Other than the games versus Austin Peay and Georgia, Vanderbilt has been having a heavy scoring second half compared to the first. While Vanderbilt allowed 42 points in the first half against Ole Miss, they only allowed 10 in the second and even found the end zone twice. Quarterback Jared Curtis threw three turnovers in the first half, allowing the Rebels to convert all three touchdowns. This first-half sloppiness, caused by a myriad of mistakes, forces Vanderbilt to do damage control coming out of halftime.  
Arkansas — while not quite as dramatic —  has also scored more points in the third and fourth quarters than the first two in most of its games. The Razorbacks are also dealing with mistakes that shouldn’t be happening this far into the season, such as dropping balls, missing a block or throwing too late.  
If either team wants to break this pattern, this will be the game to do it. Being able to recover and make fewer mistakes in the first half is going to allow both teams to come in more confident for the second half. Whether it’s quicker execution on the Razorbacks’ offense or fewer penalties by Vanderbilt, both need to figure it out by Saturday.  
If there is one word for what went wrong for Vanderbilt against Ole Miss, it is penalties. Want to know just how bad it’s been? Coach Lea has the team doing up-downs — similar to burpees — every time the offense loses an operational penalty in practice. Vanderbilt has been going 9.33 penalties per game- ranked 6th worst nationally but plainly the worst in the SEC. Against Ole Miss, Vandy went 11 penalties for 92 yards. Now, read that sentence again because it’s that bad. Two of its penalties were from personal fouls AFTER the plays were over, and three were from false starts alone. The two personal foul penalties cost potential points — one resulting in a field goal instead of finishing in the endzone and the other allowing Ole Miss to get a new set of downs after third down, which ended in a touchdown. The lack of discipline is catching up to the Commodores. Clearly, it hasn’t improved as much in practice as Coach Lea wanted since he has resorted to workout-drills punishment.   
The Razorbacks are averaging around six penalties per game and are ranked third in fewest penalties in the SEC. Vanderbilt is going to need to tighten up its play if they want to have a strong comeback against Arkansas. However, one of the penalties caused by the Razorbacks was because there were 12 men on the field inside the red zone during a field goal attempt at the Texas A&M game. So, there is room for improvement.  
Both teams need to fix these mistakes that honestly shouldn’t be happening in the first place. While Vanderbilt is still adjusting to the significant turnover in the roster this season, it seriously needs to direct its focus on finishing a clean drive all the way through.  
A big question coming into this game is if captain and center Caden Kitler will actually play. He’s currently listed to start on the depth chart but played through the first half against Tennessee with an undisclosed foot injury last week. Sophomore Kash Courtney came in for the second half, which sparked better momentum and a stronger run game for the offense. In terms of rushing yards — when Kitler was under center, Arkansas gained 4 yards on 13 carries. Courtney, however, managed 129 yards on 21 carries. He definitely proved himself as a viable starting contender in the last game. Furthermore, Kitler had some low snaps, allowing Tennessee to generate pocket pressure on quarterback KJ Jackson, but again improved in the second half when Arkansas started the sophomore. Both Vanderbilt and Arkansas rank quite low in rushing yards per game — ranking nationally 118th and 131st, respectively. Really, Arkansas can’t afford for the Vanderbilt defense to easily find Jackson. Will Courtney play center again, and if so, how much will it change the play calling from the Offensive Coordinator?  
The ’Dores will host Arkansas for Homecoming Weekend this Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff will be at 6:00 p.m. CDT at FirstBank Stadium.  
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