Is Vanderbilt football ready for SEC play? Three concerns after beating NC State – tennessean.com

Clark Lea had a message as the Vanderbilt football coach readied to take questions at his postgame news conference after an improbable win over NC State.
“I do not like how we played the game,” he said. “I’m sure that you guys want to talk less about the celebration and more about the sloppiness.”
Vanderbilt had one of the most stunning comebacks in recent college football history, given a 0.1% chance to win when NC State had the ball up three points with six seconds to go. Ultimately, the Commodores (3-0) won 35-31 on Sept. 19 after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown while the Wolfpack (1-2) were attempting to run the clock out.
Vanderbilt left FirstBank Stadium with a win, and that’s the most important part. It could matter when it comes to getting the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. But if the Commodores can’t clean things up, they might struggle to get to that point.
Vanderbilt next plays at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) on Sept. 26 (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) for its first SEC matchup of the season.
Here are the main concerns that need to be addressed before beginning SEC play.
The penalties were by far the biggest issue against NC State.
Vanderbilt performed better offensively than the Wolfpack in many ways, recording more yards per play (7.1 to 5.6), a higher offensive success rate and a better average starting field position.
But all of that is nullified when you consider that the Commodores took 116 penalty yards on 13 total flags. That doesn’t even include the 34 nullified yards on five separate plays that resulted in holding calls.
In addition to the five offensive holding calls and one more on a punt, the Commodores also had two false starts, an ineligible receiver downfield, an illegal formation, a pass interference, a roughing the passer and a face mask penalty that was declined.
The majority of the penalties came on the offensive line, where Vanderbilt shook up its starting lineup. Previously playing Orion Irving at tackle and Kevo Wesley at guard, the Commodores moved Irving to guard and Beau Johnson to tackle.
“It’s frustrating,” Lea said. ” . . . We’ve got to move our feet and cover people up. I’ve got to see the film, and that’s a fundamental technical issue.”
Upon being told exactly how many penalties Vanderbilt had incurred, Lea said: “That’s a slop fest, and we cannot win games that way. We found a way today. We’ll clean it up.”
Vanderbilt’s leading rusher in the game was quarterback Jared Curtis, who ran 12 times for 64 yards. While he has some physicality, he isn’t a true dual-threat the way that Diego Pavia was, and with the talent the Commodores have at running back, having Curtis as the leading rusher isn’t ideal.
Besides Curtis, Sedrick Alexander ran seven times for 53 yards; Makhilyn Young ran four times for 16 yards and Jamezell Lassiter ran one time for minus-1 yard.
Lea wasn’t particularly concerned; he explained that Vanderbilt went away from the run game after going down by three scores early, which necessitated a heavier passing game.
That does explain some of it, but elite rushing teams aren’t necessarily forced to pass when facing a deficit. For teams that trust their ability to be explosive in the run game, it’s possible to rip off runs for large gains when the defense is expecting a pass. That could be an indication that the Commodores don’t trust their ability to get explosive runs — and they may well be right, considering that Vanderbilt has had just five rush plays gain 15 or more yards in its first three games.
Vanderbilt’s defense also showed some of the same issues it had against Delaware the previous week. It did a decent job disrupting NC State and keeping it behind schedule, but also gave up too many big plays, especially on its own side of the field.
The Wolfpack scored three of four touchdowns off plays of at least 20 yards. They also had a 17-yard pass in the red zone on a drive that ultimately resulted in a field goal.
Against SEC teams with explosive offenses, that will need to be fixed.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

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