No. 9 Ole Miss has a chance at a 6-0 start.
But Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) stands in the Rebels’ way at 3 p.m. Saturday in Nashville.
The Daily Journal caught up with Billy Derrick of the The Dore Report podcast to see what he considers the keys to the Ole Miss-Vanderbilt matchup.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Mike Wright was the starter at QB when the season began, and he was kind of the unquestioned guy at media days. AJ Swann is now the guy, however. What has he done as a freshman to earn the spot?
Derrick: AJ Swann, a true freshman four-star who decommitted from Maryland to join Clark Lea’s program, enrolled early to build up as many repetitions as possible before the season started. As soon as Swann enrolled at Vanderbilt, I knew he had a chance to be special. In regards to this season, he first saw time in the fourth quarter of the Commodores’ season-opening rout at Hawaii in Week 0, completing three passes for 51 yards. That wasn’t the appearance that caught the coaching staff’s attention, though; it was his second-half performance vs. Wake Forest in Week 3. After Mike Wright, the starter, committed his third turnover of the game, Lea had seen enough. Swann entered the game late in the third quarter and engineered two touchdown drives. The true freshman finished the game 8 of 11 while passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Will Sheppard is among the national leaders in TD catches and near the top of the SEC in yards. What has caused his breakout and the Commodores’ offensive breakout in general?
Derrick: From my perspective, Lea’s decision to go with Swann at quarterback has helped Will Sheppard tremendously. The stats back me up on this. In the first three games with Mike Wright under center, Sheppard compiled 142 receiving yards. Meanwhile, with Swann under center, he’s already compiled 223 receiving yards in just two games. After catching 10 passes for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns against NIU, Sheppard showed the country his NFL potential. Former Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant even tweeted about his performance, “Sheppard from Vanderbilt going crazy right now…his X factor blinking…OMG he is killing ‘em.”
What is the strength of the Vandy offense? What makes the engine run?
Derrick: Despite the success fromSwann and the passing game in Vanderbilt’s Week 4 victory at NIU, the running game remains the strength of this offense. Ray Davis, a transfer from Temple a couple years ago, ranks fourth in the SEC in rushing yards with 402. Other than Davis, Wright also found success on the ground early in the season, but he’s been replaced by Swann, which essentially negates that aspect from the Commodores’ offense. For the rest of the running back room, they’ve been banged up at that position, but junior Rocko Griffin and sophomore Patrick Smith are listed on this week’s depth chart. Jayden McGowan, a talented freshman wideout with legitimate 4.4 speed, has also found success on the ground through sweeps and end-arounds. With Davis as the bell cow and a finally-healthy running back room behind him, the ground game remains the strength of this offense.
The Vandy defense is giving up a lot of points. What has been the issue?
Derrick: Injuries have been the main contributor to the early-season issues on defense but, from a broader perspective, Vandy simply doesn’t have the talent or depth to defend the modern style of offense. Coming from Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator, Lea obviously has a defensive background, but he hasn’t been able to field a defense that consistently stops high-powered RPO offenses. In regards to the injuries, senior DT Daevion Davis (6’2’’/285) hasn’t seen the field yet but, senior Christian James, senior Myles Cecil, and sophomore Devin Lee have also been banged up throughout the season. On top of that, talented sophomore EDGE Miles Capers (6’5’’/240) suffered a season-ending ACL tear during fall camp, which really hurt their depth on the defensive line. Capers was expected to contribute heavily this season and had received rave reviews from the coaching staff throughout fall camp. The defensive line, as a whole, has not been able to create consistent pressure, which has given opposing quarterbacks plenty of time to throw. An extreme lack of speed and physicality in the secondary has also contributed to defensive coordinator Nick Howell’s list of issues.
How good is Anfernee Orji? What makes him special?
Derrick: Anfernee Orji is as good as advertised. Leading the SEC with 52 total tackles, he is all over the field. At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, he looks all muscle. A converted safety, Orji plays with an attacking mindset and has been the unproven leader of the defense the past two seasons. On the field, he’s extremely instinctual and anticipates seemingly every play. Rarely out of position, he plays with great intelligence and rarely bites on play-fakes. The man is simply fun to watch. He’s finished with double-digit tackles in the last four games and seems to elevate his level of play against stronger competition. I have a feeling he’ll be excited to face off with Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans, the best RB duo in the SEC.
If Vanderbilt is going to pull off the upset, _____ has to happen.
Derrick: Ole Miss mistakes. (Yes, it’s that simple.)
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