Know the foe: An opposing look at Alabama's matchup with Vanderbilt
Tide Illustrated's Max Wolborsky caught up with VandySports publisher Chris Lee to discuss Alabama's game against Vanderbilt this weekend.
What is the main thing for Alabama fans to know about Steen going forward this season?
"I think everyone around the program was surprised that Steen transferred up to that level. The Commodores were a bad team the last few years and good players (and the 'Dores have had few of them) really popped, and Steen did not. That said, Steen went through some brutal years at Vanderbilt, not just with the losing but also a lack of administrative support, an in-season coaching change and three different offensive line coaches. In addition to that, Steen was recruited as a defensive lineman and switched to the offensive side as a stop-gap around September of his freshman year. He'll ultimately be judged based on what he does at Alabama and not at Vanderbilt, where he'll certainly have better coaching and support than he had most of his time at Vanderbilt."
What has Joseph Bulovas brought to Vanderbilt since arriving from Alabama?
"Big Leg Joe," as his teammates call him, has been important. Vanderbilt won two games last year, and each time, it won because Bulovas hit a game-winning kick in the final seconds. Bulovas has terrific leg strength but has been prone to struggles with consistency on shorter kicks, or at least that's what we've seen in past practices and games.
This year, Bulovas has been flawless, nailing all 21 point-afters and both field goals as the Commodores have been phenomenal at red zone execution."
Wide receiver Will Sheppard leads the conference in receiving yards so far this season, how do you feel he will fare against the Crimson Tide's secondary?
"Sheppard leads the country with seven touchdown catches and has been a real handful to cover. Certainly, Alabama will be his biggest challenge to date.
"The question to watch here is how much Alabama will play other receivers in order to account for Sheppard. Slot receiver Jayden McGowan is fast enough to score from anywhere on the field, and No. 2 wideout Quincy Skinner (who's missed almost all of the season) can't be ignored if he plays. I don't see Sheppard going off for 10-171-2 again this week, but he's good enough that I'm certain Alabama will make him a marked man."
What kind of things do you think the team learned after going up against a ranked team like Wake Forest?
"Primarily, that it can't turn the ball over. The 'Dores have been good at ball security but were minus-2 against Wake Forest in a 45-25 loss, and that included Mike Wright's pick-6. It also showed that an elite passing attack like Wake's can be problematic.
And on the whole, it showed Vanderbilt wasn't quite ready for a top-25-level team that day; how it does against a schedule chock-full of them going forward will tell how much Vandy is improved."
How do you think the rushing attack of Re’Mahn Davis and Mike Wright attack this Alabama defense?
"I don't think you'll see Wright play; he had a hand in costly turnovers against Wake Forest two weeks ago and then compounded his problems by reacting poorly to being benched. In the 51/2 quarters since, true freshman AJ Swann has thrown six touchdowns and no picks since replacing Wright. Swann was thought to be the program's future coming out of camp, and that future is now.
"Davis is a quality SEC back who can do a bit of everything--run between the tackles, run outside, catch passes and pass protect. However, he has been almost run into the ground at times as Vanderbilt has played without its No. 2, 3 and 4 backs almost all season. This week, Vandy will get its No. 3 back (Patrick Smith) and perhaps its No. 2 (Rocko Griffin) and each has shown to be capable. Just having some depth to carry the load should make Davis a better back."
What is the biggest improvement you have noticed from last year's Vandy team to this year?
"It's come against weak defenses, but still, the Commodores are tremendously improved on offense. Their 168 points scored is 21 off last year's total, though the defense gets credit for a pair of fumble-return TDs there. The offensive line, which has allowed just one sack, is tremendously improved and McGowan provides the type of game-breaking speed Vanderbilt rarely has. Defensively, Vandy's not been good, but it's got a little more depth and athleticism than it did a year ago, which provides some hope for the future."
While the Commodores are 40.5 underdogs this weekend at Bryant-Denny, do you believe that Vandy has a chance to keep it close?
"That's gonna be a tall order. Vandy's secondary has been porous, and though the pass rush has improved, it's still substandard for an SEC team. That's a bad recipe when you're facing a Heisman-trophy-winning QB and an abundance of athletes who can run in the open field.
Still, Vandy hasn't turned it over a lot and could be able to burn a little clock with a healthier backfield. Vandy's also got a supremely-talented punter in Matt Hayball, who when asked (and he hasn't been asked as much lately given a recent preference to rugby-style punting to help with coverage issues) can kick about as high and long as anyone. So field position could also help Vandy keep it a little closer than people think, though I'd be surprised if Vandy gets to halftime within striking distance.
When Alabama loses, it's usually do to stellar play at the quarterback position, do you think AJ Swann has enough to pull off the unthinkable?
"I covered Jay Cutler and Vandy and the similarities between him and Swann are striking. Cutler was a better athlete than Swann, but Swann's not a concrete-footed QB. Swann's arm strength is on par with Cutler's, and he's probably a more accurate thrower at this stage.
"The bottom line is that I don't think Vandy's going to beat Alabama with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, however, if Swann can avoid bad throws (those were a problem in fall camp but not as much in games. Swann said on Tuesday that he credits that to playing within himself and not trying to prove himself so much) and he'll certainly need to keep that up to make it interesting."
From an opponent's point of view, where do you think Vanderbilt could possibly have an edge on Alabama this weekend?
"Vanderbilt is always a tough rebuild and the rebuild that Clark Lea inherited last season was tougher than the one most Vanderbilt coaches faced. The biggest on-field issue associated with that was an almost complete lack of SEC speed and size. The 'Dores have started to improve on the first somewhat but still probably have less of it than anyone in the league, and still lack a physical-enough presence on the defensive line. I'm sure if you looked hard enough, you could find a small advantage somewhere for Vandy (my guess would be punting) but it's not going to be enough to make much of a difference given the state of each program."
How does one prepare for both Bryce Young and Will Anderson? Is anything different in practice?
"Summon Ryan Tannehill and Bud Dupree or Zach Cunningham from across town? Honestly, I don't think you can replicate what those guys do. Vandy can prepare, but I just don't think it's fair to expect it has answers for what might be the two best players in college football."