Ep. 231: Vanderbilt Football 2023 Season Preview

thank you welcome back into the door report episode 231 on August 17th a lovely Thursday evening nine days away Trevor from kickoff as always or recently always we are presented by Corey Perkins of parks Realty you can contact Corey at c-a-p-y25 gmail.com or you can reach out to him via call or text at 615-459-4040 or you can visit his website at www.parksathome.com agent slash Cory Dash Perkins forward slash and that's for any first time home buyers or anyone looking to move in this current market reach out to Corey and he will help you navigate those unsettled Waters but Trevor you just finished a little special addition of the door report just finished an interview with Tommy Eccles and who else Jack Barton and Jack Barton I was unfortunately unable to be a part of that interview because I was prepping for this season preview but give the give the viewers a little preview of what they can expect to hear on Saturday when that special EP drops I know special episode dropping this Saturday that'll be August I'm looking at my watch 19th will be a week out from August 26th and we'll have a special episode with Tommy Eccles and Jack Barton dropping former Vanderbilt football players also a little a little metric for you Jack Barton last year the highest rated special teamer by Pro Football Focus Tommy Eccles second highest rated special team or by Pro Football Focus so two metrics two metric Legends will be joining for a special episode so they're all time they're all-time great guys they're nothing but nice things to say about those dudes like I said I was unable to join that interview but we did sit here and and swap some stories with Old Tommy Eccles for a little bit afterwards and that was absolutely incredible to hear some of his old War Stories uh being a former Vanderbilt football player but we have a beefy locked and loaded episode 231 we have the season preview and predictions for the Vanderbilt Commodores in year three under Clark Lee but before we get to that don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram at the door report like us on Facebook subscribe to our YouTube channel our podcast is available on iTunes Spotify and Google podcasts and while you're at it give our podcast five stars and review on iTunes it's now time for breaking news all right Trevor we know what's ahead of us on episode 231 a beefy preview I've spent a while kind of gathering some stats for Vanderbilt's matchups here in 2023 but before we get into the beef of the episode we have to talk about a topic that has been discussed a few times already on the door report and it's been discussed a little bit too much for my liking across all of social media and that is the Vanderbilt Commodore Stadium renovations to First Bank there is one particular man who is employed by a former Vanderbilt law graduate in clay Travis his name is Chad Withrow and he decided to quote tweet some photos from the current state of Vanderbilt's Stadium First Bank Stadium he says in his quote tweet clarkley is a good coach with the right plan for the program it's stuff like this from his administration that makes that job one of the hardest in the nation this is high school level he then went on to say after he had a lot of blowback and pushback from Vanderbilt fans of Vanderbilt Twitter to say Tennessee is currently putting 288 million dollars into Neyland Stadium over multiple off Seasons without any major inconveniences or construction issues for fans in season and then there was more to the Tweet that's basically the summarizing of it is he was comparing Stadium renovations to Kneeland in Knoxville Tennessee to Stadium complete redo renovations to First Bank Stadium in Nashville Tennessee first off driver I know I know you want to get into this a little bit but I just have to get get off my mind what's on my mind first off comparing anything Vanderbilt is doing to their athletic facilities to any other SEC program is idiotic to begin with you are an absolute [ __ ] if you think the obstacles and roadblocks in place are even comparable to Vanderbilt at any other SEC program in any other City you are not in a major metropolitan area in any other city in the conference Knoxville is not even comparable to the amount of competition you have for construction companies just to begin with the amount of city regulations you're dealing with the cost to do anything in a major metropolitan area you can't just buy up a piece of shitty land like you can in Knoxville it's about 5x more expensive to do anything that doesn't even get into the fact that what about investing 300 million dollars into your athletic facilities is high school level what about having a major construction renovation project going on during the season like multiple programs across the country have had and currently do have going on Hawaii wasn't even able to play at their Stadium last season because of the renovations they were doing to their Stadium are at Goldfinger on Twitter if you don't follow them definitely give him the follow has a great thread pointing out the hypocrisy and stupidity of sports media and specifically within the SEC just taking any chance they can to [ __ ] on Vanderbilt even when Vanderbilt is doing exactly exactly what they've complained about Vanderbilt not doing for the past 40 years now Vanderbilt's actually renovating their facilities that they like to constantly [ __ ] on and they're still finding new things to crap on Vanderbilt about yeah so if you are listening to this in an audio format not the visual format I've just sort of been having the thousand yard stair ever since we said the name Chad Withrow um I have nothing positive to say about Chad Withrow his show got canceled on 104.5 The Zone and he got picked up by outkick the coverage which is a failing Media Group their tailgate presented by fresh limes I'm not even sure if that is a real business um nobody showed up to the tailgate it's the worst tailgate I've ever seen um him and Chad Hutton it's quite literally makes my ears bleed I have nothing positive to say about Chad Withrow and the fact that he got absolutely nuclear Hakeem Olajuwon Phi slamma Jamma Dunked On by Vandy Twitter is quite literally hilarious how are you going to get Dunked On by Vandy Twitter baby and you know you've made a bad tweet and and I like and Vanderbilt fans if you've attributed to spreading awareness about the stupidity of sports media just trying to get clicks and Impressions and engagement for making stupid posts across Twitter if you've been a part of that thank you but you know you've screwed up when Tennessee fans are defending Vanderbilt in your comments as well saying all right hold on a second they're renovating their football stadium that needs to be renovated badly and somehow that's a bad thing he's trying to find anything that Vanderbilt's doing he also looks like an AI generated cuck uh if you if you use one of the new AI Technologies and type in clay Travis's cuck it generates it it generates Chad withrow's profile picture on Twitter it's crazy I tested it out you guys can go test it out he's clay Travis's pet without him he'd be unemployed and probably filing uh and in touch with you working working for the state government here in Tennessee uh needing needing public assistance because thank God that he uh allowed clay Travis to sleep with his wife otherwise otherwise he would not have a job this is going off the rails all right Chad Withrow truly truly infuriates me he was given a platform gifted a platform in the old school media silver spooned silver spoon to platform and radio and still wasn't good enough to keep his show going after being silver spooned and then picked up by his old buddy who was the only reason that his show was successful in the first place and moved on and then his show is failing at his buddy's company in clay Travis he's clay Travis's pet absolute [ __ ] that's enough about Chad Withrow it's well and another thing too is dude he got absolutely disemboweled by Vandy Twitter just it was this is this is what we say when we when we say the revolution will be televised Vandy Twitter Loki some goons on the internet if you were a part of Vandy Twitter hashtag thank you for your service and disemboweling Chad with or it's so crazy when your show is so bad that in order to farm engagement you have to go after Vanderbilt now that's kind of like he's like they literally looked at their quota like their monthly quota at the end of July and they were like dude this is really bad we're not getting nearly in the engagement we're not getting nearly the listenership we need to get some low hanging fruit for engagement and Chad Withrow goes First Bank Stadium I'll make a tweet the revolution is here I quoted it with that with that all right I sent out a separate tweet that said accounts are using Vanderbilt's Renovations and construction to farm Impressions and engagement the revolution's officially here it is into you it's such a bad take like as such it's such a lazy take to like into like this just goes to show that these dudes who are in I don't want to call it a powerful media position but he does have a lot of influence with his followers with with with the uh with the um God what am I even trying to say the outlet that he is with yes platform he has some clout to his name I mean dear God can you not just like do a quick Google search but here's the thing here's the thing he is a manipulator of of the narrative and so he he actually probably knows everything that is going on right now and blatantly chose to lie because like this is going to get clicks Chad Withrow also works out at Planet Fitness so do with that information what you will but that's enough about the stadium renovation bench press chat hit the bench press not the Smith machine um but Trevor we have the beef of this episode to get into and that is the schedule preview and our predictions so we're gonna go game by game beautiful one by one just trickle down the list Brick by Brick as some would say break my brick some would say there we go but I'm gonna go ahead and read off Vanderbilt stats from 2022 and where they ranked nationally just to give a little bit of context for everybody listening so last year Vanderbilt went 5-7 as we all remember if you're listening to this podcast I would hope so they average 24.6 points per game on offense ranking 89th in the country 187.3 passing yards per game ranking 112th in the country they averaged 159.9 yards per game 4.3 yards per carry ranking 59th in the country and on defense The Commodores gave up an astounding 36 points per game ranking 125th in the country and a majority of that horrific defense was because of the secondary Vanderbilt gave up almost 291 yards per game through the air ranking 128th in the country and on defense they gave up 171 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry ranking 96th in the country nothing I read off is good no not at all not at all not at all but the win loss record is good the win loss record was the best part pretty much of every single stat that I just read off which is astounding to think that Vanderbilt went 5-7 in the SEC not ranking above 96th or 89th in any statistical category outside of the Russian game which still only ranked 59th in the country but the Outlook is still brighter this season a lot of returning talent and even though the data from 2022 doesn't play it out I think a lot of Vanderbilt fans are feeling positive about possibly going bowling oh absolutely absolutely so we're gonna go game by game here and start out week zero game one for the Vanderbilt Commodores so soon August 26th nine days away 6 30 p.m night kick against Hawaii at home in the construction zone of First Bank Stadium as we remember clearly because we will not forget Vanderbilt disemboweled Hawaii last season in 2022 in Hawaii on the road winning 63 to 10. the outlook for Hawaii this season is not much better head coach Timmy Chang heading into his second season former Hawaii player kind of similar to Clark Lee yeah a lot of facets you could say there were a lot of comparisons drawn between those two former player coming back trying to build the program back to what it was and one stat I did read kind of previewing Hawaii was crazy enough Hawaii was in the Mountain West Championship just five years ago yeah just five years ago and then last year they were probably the last couple Seasons they've been the worst if not one of the worst teams in all of FBS football I mean just terrible that Vanderbilt team had no business beating anybody 63-10 last season I think they followed it up with an 11 Point victory over Elon an FCS program next week at home so I'm feeling good about this Hawaii game and for each of these uh I kind of messed up here forgot to do this at the beginning but each of these before we get into the breakdown of before I send it to you Trevor uh I'm going to read off the stats for each of these teams what they did in 2022 to kind of set the stage for each match up so Hawaii during 2022 went 3 and 10 which I'm a little confused by they played 13 games uh probably didn't take an extra bye week since they played week zero instead of two bye weeks they probably just I'm not probably they definitely just slammed another game it was very odd I was a little confused they went two and six in conference they definitely got better throughout the season they actually beat UNLV last year uh who's an opponent on Vanderbilt scheduled this season but they went three and ten two and six in the Mountain West Conference they rank this season 116th in ESPN's football power index for whatever that's worth uh last season they averaged 19.8 points per game on offense ranking 115th in the country they ranked 100th in the country in passing yards per game they ranked 86th and rushing yards per game their defense was awful they ranked 123rd in points per game on defense last year giving up almost 35 points per game uh their past defense was near the bottom as well ranking 126th and no that was the rushing defense ranked 126th in the country giving up 212 yards per game Five Points six yards for carry everything about this matchup whether it's just looking at the roster looking at what happened last season this is going to be another bloodbath I think the doors absolutely roll Hawaii week zero I think you you don't know before I get my prediction I want to I want to bring something up a couple days ago maybe maybe about a week a week or so ago me and Will are just sitting on our lovely couch in our apartment just watching television and will goes how crazy would the Pod be if Vanderbilt lost to Hawaii week zero and I I cannot believe that you even put that into The Ether I'm not I'm not like one of these dudes who like like does weird stuff with rocks and like is all about Vibes and my chakra but you definitely threw something off in the universe whenever you said that with that being said Vanderbilt is absolutely going to bludgeon Hawaii it is going to be a hundred and nothing Doors by Infinity um CJ Taylor I'm going to predict three picks AJ throws Adrian throws 400 yards in the first half and then we see conceals third quarter Drew Dickey fourth quarter doors win 72-nothing 72 nothing's a bold prediction but I kind of agree with after last year's in this team is better I don't know if that's actually that bold to be quite Frank I think it's more that Timmy Chang is a is a pretty solid head coach that dude we're gonna dust them maybe not 72 nothing doors are going to dust them we also the line is what 17 and a half points we also need to make a note that I said on Twitter um if Vanderbilt is up by four touchdowns at the half I'm gonna hot wire one of the bulldozers that's sitting in the end zone and me and my dad are going to take a little Joyride at halftime so I'm making sure I'm right on that 17 and a half point line but I think I'm correct on that yep Vanderbilt's currently 17 and a half Point favorites you Hammer that FanDuel yeah I'm gonna hit that it might not hammer it I don't ever like taking lines and absolutely hammering lines that are that big you also I don't know that's that's a pretty low line I think still for this game I'm kind of surprised it's not more honestly you should probably stay away from that because anytime you bet on Vanderbilt games it doesn't go Vanderbilt's way so you should actually probably stay away from that to be quite frankly lest we forget the LSU game lest we forget we forget the 750 failure you got absolutely roasted on bandyssports.com they had an entire thread dedicated they were like this dude's a financial advisor and he does this I didn't even address that I'm not a financial advisor first off that's I did address it a little bit when it happened financial advisor and what I do are very different things uh I respect on it I do something a little more complicated than just being a Salesman so there you go but I'm not even gonna get into the vandysports.com stuff and some things said by the owner of that website uh about the stadium construction Jesus Christ that made me mad very stupid but um because just blaming the Vanderbilt Administration for local sports media not being able to do a Google search is a pretty hot take and if and I'll say this too I don't care if you're a Vanderbilt fan I don't care if you're a player I don't care if you're Administration I don't care if you're Alum uh a journalist I really don't care if you want to complain about this about the way the stadium looks right now you're a bozo and I'm not going to take that back well it does look ugly I literally don't care I'm 26 years old most you guys are way older than me and have seen way worse Vanderbilt football than I have and I'm thrilled by this you should be triple the amount of thrilled I am I don't want to hear any excuses I don't want to hear any whining in any moaning it makes me so incredibly frustrated it it legitimate it shouldn't bother me this much like it's actually embarrassing how much it bothers me whenever I see people whining and moaning about how it looks who the hell cares who cares the players aren't going to care you just don't sound gritty enough yeah you got that dogging you don't sound gritty sounds like you don't have grits yeah a lot of these people lack Grit but I mean to write these down as we go so Hawaii I think we both have penciled in as a dub weak one absolute fat diet me too nothing I didn't go score prediction you went score prediction I'll try and give scorpion 72-nothing is Trevor's first score prediction so we're we're uh very heavily weighted in reality here doors are hot doors are hot baby next up Vanderbilt's FCS opponent for the season Alabama a m at home on September 2nd has there been a time release for that yeah six six pm it's six pm oh 6 PM dude yep long time to tailgate high five yes sir but I did not do the stats because they're an FCS program they don't have ranks are they even available uh I have no idea because I didn't dig into it but uh Alabama a m went four and seven last season four and four in conference uh I think the days like Clark Lee's first game of potentially losing to an FCS program are over this is not ETSU who ended up being a top 10 FC s program during the 2021 season this is Alabama a m not a traditional Powerhouse I think they're in the swac conference this is another dub for the boys yeah easy pick for me I don't know about you didn't wasn't Larry Smith an assistant coach on Alabama a m he was he was an assistant coach for some time for some smaller Alabama college I think it's Alabama a m will is going to Google search this for us real quick but while he's doing that I'm also going to predict the double I'm going to take a bold stance and predict a Vanderbilt dub UAB UAB really University of Alabama Birmingham really I mean that's not a small school really they did shut down their football program they did that they did they did shut it down at one point but it's back up running under uh Trent Dilfer local National High School football coach legend or um douchebag as some might feel about him um but yeah this is gonna be an absolute Slaughter Fest Vanderbilt I'm gonna go I think they call the dogs off early in this one I think I'm gonna go Vanderbilt 57 3 57-3 yeah you're very very confident and the door is offense early you've got a 57-3 in week two 72 nothing you're saying the boys well let's say this too if I mean if they don't put up big numbers against these guys then something's really wrong am I crazy to think that 139 to 3 is where you've got it's where you've got it's insane am I being crazy right now I don't know if that's insane also I really hope I'm looking at the right Larry Smith that's definitely Larry yeah he's currently the Memphis Tigers wide receiver coach oh that's awesome dude Jacksonville State before that maybe I was thinking of Jacksonville State because they're an HBC right oh oh is Jacksonville I don't know we're just this is another time in which we should just have the producer to just fact check I'm trying to understand on on possible misinformation that we just spew on the Pod yes Jax Jackson state is an HP that's Jackson State I don't know if that's the same who knows I don't know who knows does not fact check us on Twitter No Jacksonville State is not considered on HBCU I was looking at Jackson stage Jackson stage where um Dion came from that's in Mississippi yeah that's right all right now we get into some tougher predictions Trevor we're in week three both of us have Vanderbilt at 2-0 wins against Hawaii and Alabama a m at home then you go to Wake Forest Wake Forest last season this is on September 9th the time has been announced a hellacious kickoff time of 10 a.m so gross dude 10 a.m so gross 10 a.m our time 11 their time it doesn't make a difference that's a gross disgusting that's a disgusting kickoff time but last year Wake Forest of course we remember Vanderbilt lost at home 45 to 25 Mike right was benched during that game uh but Wake Forest last year and I'll preface all these stats by saying their quarterback Sam Hartman transferred to Notre Dame so this will be a very different looking uh Wake Forest team even though they'll still be running that stupid slow-mesh offense Wake Forest went eight and five last year three and five in conference in the ACC uh they averaged 36.1 points per game ranking 17th in the country they averaged almost 312 yards passing per game ranking the top 10 at number nine in the country uh they only ran for 130 yards per game 93rd in the country only 3.4 yards for carry not a strong running game their defense was not great last season they gave up 28.3 points for game 81st in the country 270 yards passing per game 115th in the country and 137 yards rushing per game 3.8 yards for carry 46th in the country so Trevor how do you see this one playing out well I would also like to know that they just lost their number one wide receiver and they also just lost I believe they're starting linebacker if I'm correct both are out for the season unfortunately I hope they have speedy recoveries um with that being said I also before I give my prediction now tell me if this is a hot take I think this might be the most important game of the season this this is The X Factor game am I so okay so I'm not crazy for thinking that I think this is the most important game of the season for Vanderbilt because I think if you win this game then you're definitely going bowling I wouldn't say definitely but this is this is one of the building block you said Brick by Brick earlier jokingly yeah this is a Brick by Brick game this is it and it's not you said it might be the most important game I don't even think it's just because it obviously is when you're Vanderbilt you have to win the games that you can win yeah because you're in the SEC but also where it lands on the schedule third game of the season you're playing another Power five program in Wake Forest if you start out as Vanderbilt 3-0 and beat Wake Forest there's going to be a little buzz there's gonna be there's gonna be quite a bit of Buzz because you have UNLV and we'll get into that game next but you have UNLV the following week and you could be staring for an O straight in the face and it all hinges on that Wake Forest game week three yeah I think this is the most important game of the season I and and maybe I'll change my mind I'll definitely probably change my mind as the actual season progresses and maybe even as this podcast progresses um but my opinion as of right now this has kind of been my opinion for a little bit now this is the biggest game on the Vanderbilt schedule I think if you win this game I think you're going bowling um now could you possibly drop and somehow squeak out a bowl of course like I'm not Nostradamus like I don't I can't see the future but just me thinking logically this seems like the most important game uh as will said no Sam Hartman thank god um they still run that Dave Clawson slow mesh concept which oh my God it's frustrating as hell to watch last year but oh my God this is a dub big dub door start 3-0 um no Sam Hartman Vanderbilt's defense is going to be much improved uh Vanderbilt's offense is gonna be much improved hot take if AJ Swan started that game last year I think Vanderbilt wins um so with that being said AJ started last year what if Vanderbilt beat them I think so uh AJ will be starting against them this year God forbid any injuries don't even want to put that out there um I think this is a Vanderbilt win I think Vanderbilt is more talented than them offensively defensively and I think Wake Forest yeah is that Mitch Griffin kid at quarterback good yeah he's good is Dave Clawson a great coach yeah he's a good coach but losing your number one offensive weapon in your wide receiver and then losing your middle linebacker of the Season those are huge blows um and that really bodes well for a Vanderbilt secondary that looks a little makes makes fans a little queasy so to lose your star at that position group is huge for this Vanderbilt team I'm going to go Vanderbilt starting out the season 3-0 with a 10 a.m kickoff and where is Wake Forest as of Winston-Salem that's I believe Winston-Salem Carolina North Carolina absolutely gross kickoff I honestly I think I might go to that game I didn't realize I'm also geographically challenged very actually a pretty long drive it's like an eight nine ten hour drive and I would have to leave that Friday night am I thinking about it yes I absolutely am because tickets right now are like 20 bucks um dude you want them [Music] um yeah doorstep on 3-0 I think we're a much better team I think Clark Lee has a lot more juice going into the season I'm going to go Vanderbilt oh oh better about 27 weight 4 or 17. 27-17 the door slowed down a little bit on offense but I'm going to predict the reason they slow down is because it's gonna be a sloppy game I'm gonna predict a weather I'm gonna predictions all right he's not Nostradamus but he's predicting the weather I think we're gonna get a slot September 9th predicting weather three weeks out the weather channel should I hire you so my prediction this is this is the most important game of the year and here comes making an introduction this is so you've done two pods here she's been really good and and does not interrupt if you're listening audio version uh Trevor's cat has decided to join the video straight by jumping on the table directly in front of us and laying down so she's so if you're watching this she's here now this is this is my beautiful cat Phoebe so now she's going to she's going to find her spot she's just gonna Meander hopefully doesn't knock over any beer bottles she says this she goes this Miller smells really good um what was I even saying I don't remember she's coming over to will now I was actually talking yes you were I was talking uh but Phoebe interrupted us so last year the change of quarterback how else am I trying to felt a little bit the change of quarterback is always even though fans don't think they do this having a good quarterback is so the key to a successful team in a successful season Sam Hartman was legit and he's gone and that slow-mesh offense is kind of similar to another team on Vanderbilt's schedule in Tennessee it's not just plug and play so simply a lot of times a very efficient offense will look completely out of sorts from just the quarterback change you saw that with Vanderbilt in 2019 when Kyle Schirmer left they returned all the talent that they had from the previous season pretty much and the offense was horrendous that's a really good point Mitch Griffis is 5 foot 11 192 pounds I think he's going to have a real problem seeing over Vanderbilt's defensive line and I think Vanderbilt's going to be able to create a good amount of pressure also Wake Forest defense a horrendous pass defense yeah and that's going to be Vanderbilt's that's going to be Vanderbilt's calling card this year is going to be the passing game so number one looking at that number two Wake Forest did not force a lot of turnovers last year in 2021 Wake Forest Force 29 turnovers last year they only for 16 and at a four game stretch where they forced zero turnovers I think the only way that Wake Forest beats Vanderbilt is if they create turnovers they have not shown that they are able to do that with the injury that they had that you mentioned to a key part of their defense I'm going to predict a Vanderbilt dub Vanderbilt moves to 3-0 I'm not I haven't been doing score predictions I think it's going to be a relatively tight game but pretty much what you had Trevor I think Vanderbilt wins the game by seven to ten points I do want to start trying to give line predictions now because I'm going to try to predict what the line is not what based on my prediction is but I think that I think Vanderbilt might be an underdog I think Vanderbilt will be an underdog I think that they'll probably be a six and a half Point dog that big no just Wake Forest being at home is already going to give a three three four three points basically and always Vegas does not respect Vanderbilt I was thinking like two and a half she's gonna Stomp all over your keyboard by the way Phoebe's she just wants to hang out right now um I was thinking like two and a half maybe you said six and a half who does Wake Forest open up with I'm looking forward that's a great question um six and a half or six feels huge it doesn't feel right okay because Wake Forest only has one game prior to Vanderbilt and it's Elon and I think they're going to beat Elon even though it's a pretty solid program the Vanderbilt actually faced last year uh I just see it being a I'm not saying I agree with it I but I think it's going to be between four and a half and six and a half I don't think you'll see Vander will be a full touchdown underdog but the four and a half to six and a half is the cheapest points in all of sports that's a very cheap three-point three-point range but I would say four and a half to six and a half it might start out at about five and a half maybe but I could see it shifting out so if it's so if it starts out at five and a half realistically you take away that three-point home field advantage they're what two and a half I would I would say two and a half okay two and a half Point favorite on a neutral site is is probably what Vegas would set Wake Forest as that's just a guess however I am predicting a dub I'm hoping that's what the line is because I'm gonna bet the money line hopefully get Vanderbilt about plus 200 and it should be a beautiful beautiful payout but after Vanderbilt obviously goes 3-0 effortlessly as we've laid out Clark you just got to follow the path we just laid out for you you're Serena listen to us Clark then you've got an interesting Road matchup at UNLV out in Vegas thanks Derek Mason September 16th 6 p.m UNLV last season went five and seven three and five in conference I'll go ahead and read through their stats like I've done before they average 26 points per game 76th in the country 215 yards passing per game 19th in the country 137 yards rushing 4.1 yards per carry 87th in the country on defense also not not a great team average 28 and a half points per game given up on defense 85th in the country gave up 225 yards passing per game 70th in the country and gave up 157 yards rushing per game 77th in the country the only thing that gives me a little bit of pause is Vanderbilt fans should remember the most recent matchup against UNLV at home in that 2019 season that I already referenced the doors got curb stomped it was bad by UNLV absolutely dominated 34-10 I was at that game I was so angry and yelling so much that I had to move away from my dad in section J and had to go sit alone and just yell into Oblivion because that was probably that was and I don't say this lightly one of the most embarrassing games that I've witnessed in person as a Vanderbilt family yeah I was in a I was in Los Angeles watching that game on my phone screen and it completely ruined my trip to Los Angeles I was miserable the rest of the time there uh that really was an embarrassing loss because even though that 2019 team was bad they should have they should have beaten that UNLV team I do not think we will have that issue this year I saw some people saying that UNLV is um they're predicted I think I believe second to last in their conference um they're not going to be good this year um I think they probably do head coach yeah I think they probably take it was the head coach's name Barry Odom no way former Missouri okay interesting I did not know that Vegas Berry okay I see you brother um with that being said I think Vanderbilt does a a easy little road to 4-0 I'm gonna go also the CR the fact that we're playing at Vegas which is nice because you're playing at the new Raiders stadium so I guess that'll be really cool for them almost maybe seem like a little bowl thing but still I don't how that how did we schedule that everybody likes to criticize Vanderbilt by saying act like an SEC program you can't be playing away games against non-power five opponents no unless it's a specific team like Boise State or something like along those lines you just can't I don't care if if the opponent if the non-conference opponents won't work with you you figure something out then you don't match up I don't know it's not that simple I know there's a lot more to it but that just can't happen and all this stuff is done three four five six years in advance this wasn't Clark Lee's scheduling this is Derek Mason scheduling well you know what it was it was Derek Mason being like Oh I I think I'm still going to be here in 2023. why don't I schedule a game out west coast so I can recruit all those West Coast kids that came to Vanderbilt that absolutely sucked Polynesian pipeline yeah that was um that was another new head coach for UNLV did you give a prediction yes uh Vanderbilt win I'm gonna go 4210 42-10 demons will be exercising oh we will exercise some demons but this UNLV team was not good last year they went five and seven but you saw that Hawaii team that Vanderbilt played granted it was week one you're not seeing the best version it was the first year head coach in Tommy Chang week zero week zero but this UNLV team lost to that Hawaii team last year yeah the talent level on that Hawaii team was so different from Vanderbilt that there's no doubt whatever setting or situation that they were matched up Vanderbilt would have dominated Hawaii it wasn't even competitive no and this UNLV team lost to that Hawaii team 31-25 they have a new head coach Barry Odom former Missouri head coach SEC pedigree but they lost a lot to the transfer portal they lost their starting running back Vincent Davis to Pitt they lost their best cornerback Noel Williams to Cal to California and he's going to be starting for the Golden Bears more than likely they also lost their Center they're starting center to Arizona State so there's a lot there's a lot of issues within that program and this is because of the coaching job they got pillage I mean it's it's the modern era it is what it is you have a coaching change you're going to lose a lot of your top taxes it just is what it is I'm it's not anything on UNLV it's just the state of that program Vanderbilt I'm very confident is going to fly out to Las Vegas and curb stomp UNLV I'm gonna predict 34 to 10 just because of what they did to the Commodores inside of Vanderbilt stadium in 2019 but I think the door started 4-0 do you think that there could maybe be a little bit of distraction going into that game given this in Vegas it's a fun town they'll probably do some team building activities or maybe not no you're not worried about it I think that there are two two things number one clarkley doesn't seem like the kind of Coach that's going to allow any Shenanigans going on no it doesn't seem to be much of a gray area type of coach and number two this Vanderbilt program got dominated by UNLV just four years ago do you think they referenced that at all there's no doubt that even if they don't reference it players can look up Vanderbilt versus UNLV football and it's the most recent thing that pops up they are aware of it and they are human beings they're on the pro some are aware of it I don't know if the coaching staff will reference it necessarily you see that's what I'm thinking it's a different staff yeah the players are aware and they're not going to take this team lightly because they just lost and got didn't just lose got dominated it was four years ago it really was embarrassing it's the same reason that I'm feeling very okay about this glazing over Alabama a m week two this team will be focused for the entire rest of Clark Lee's head coaching career on FCS opponents there will never be any lack of focus because he can always reference back to that so I don't see this team taking any wins for granted and don't see them getting distracted by Vegas I think also now that I think about it with the distraction thing Clark Lee did a great job with them uh last year in Hawaii talk about a place you can get distracted they were there for an entire week they did team building exercises they did a lot of Tourism stuff and then seemed distracted at all so now that I think about it they were in Hawaii probably longer than they're going to be in Vegas not probably will be in Vegas this year and he did him and that staff did a great job uh minus the two um two players that got kicked off but yeah minus that minus that minus the guys getting kicked off the team due to Shenanigans um yeah that's why Clark's not a gray area guy I don't see anybody getting into any issues nobody's gonna push his limits no because he's set the precedent pretty early on that it doesn't matter where you are inside of that program if you get caught doing something you're not supposed to you will be gone Trevor that's the end of the non-conference schedule after UNLV it is eight straight SEC opponents The Gauntlet begins and we're about to get into that Gauntlet but before we do get into the gauntlet and the last eight games of the season for the Vanderbilt Commodores we're going to take a little break so put a pause on it grab yourself a beverage alcoholic non-alcoholic whatever you prefer and we will be right back all right Trevor we're back feeling good oh feeling great ready to rock all right let's get into the SEC meet of this beefy beefy schedule an episode next up we have Kentucky at home a highly anticipated matchup against Mark Stoops and Company will Levis is gone Devin Leary transfer from NC State looking to take over that role the offense from Kentucky wasn't statistically very good last year even though they had will Levis Tennessee Titans pick 33rd overall read through Kentucky stats they went seven and six last season three and five in conference one of those losses coming to the boys uh they currently rank 28th in ESPN's football power index going into 2023. [ __ ] uh on offense Kentucky scored 20.4 points per game 112th in the country 208.5 yards passing per game 95th in the country 116 yards rushing per game 3.3 yards per carry 108th in the country now here's where Kentucky was pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball they only gave up 19.2 points per game 13th in the country only gave up 170 yards passing per game seventh in the country the best passing defense Vanderbilt faced last season and they gave up 157 yards rushing per game 3.9 yards per carry uh that's wrong they gave up 140 yards rushing per game 4.2 yards per carry 49th in the country and the most recent matchup against Kentucky I think all Vanderbilt fans and me and you remember vividly last season demons were exercised dub 2421 at Kroger field screw that stupid corporate field the boys got the dub we own Kentucky and everything is there is there is there anything that they're better than us at I don't think there is nothing there's nothing there but not basketball football baseball there's nothing they're better at than us we even hired the younger Calipari all we did we took his son away his son loves us more than he loves his father that's a tough dude talk about a uh um oh what was that one Julius Caesar two Brutus yeah but that wasn't his son but same thing um yeah we own these guys maybe the most not the not the most anticipated game well it might be my person my personally my most anticipated game outside of the Tennessee game because Tennessee every year is my most anticipated game this is probably the most after what Ray Davis said the most highly anticipated game all season I didn't even touch on the ray Davis transfer yeah Kentucky's also trying to replace their star running back and Chris Rodriguez Jr with Ray Davis you'll remember that name might sound a little familiar to you Vanderbilt's running back the last two seasons injured in 2021 was the starting running back last year and played a key role in Vanderbilt's victory over Kentucky he had some interesting comments oh God yeah interesting comments about the Vanderbilt program completely unnecessary yeah unwarranted for transferring in conference I feel like he got a pretty easy Road Vanderbilt fans were not all that over the top critical as other SEC fan bases would have been if you would have transferred within conference to a team that he lost to last season [ __ ] um and then showed back up to the Vanderbilt spring game that was weird was there because Lexington blows that much that he had to come and visit Nashville and then had the audacity and Gall to be interviewed and say I like it here in Lexington it's better than my last spot yeah it's all about football here yeah it's not as much about Broadway and aldeans and Kid Rocks it's more about football here in Lexington because we all know yeah Big Blue Nation loves their football they love their football I mean that's number one in the minds of Kentucky Wildcats fans is football yep that's all they care about they yeah this Ray Davis I I cannot wait to just Boo the hell out of Ray Davis come come this Kentucky game does he have a kid I don't think he does oh damn will I don't think he does um then again he might I don't know um with that being said we've said it on a previous pod Ray Davis might leave in a body bag CJ Taylor might decapitate him it's going to be a really rough game for him where can Kentucky sort of scares me a little bit is Devin Leary really good quarterback um I God and with Vanderbilt secondary he does it does make me kind of nervy this is his first season back from a torn Peck yeah but he returned back for spring practice and looked pretty good yeah so he has been healthy yes he has been healthy um is he an upgrade over will Levis I don't know I don't think so but then again time will tell um so Vanderbilt beat a Kentucky team with a better quarterback last year even though he did have her on the road yeah on the road even though he didn't have a really raw game this I so okay honestly just truth serum time I've actually really been flipping back and forth in this game between a win and a loss I I really have because I look at it and I think Vanderbilt could win but I also do see a scenario which Vanderbilt does lose um and I hate to say that because I I am very excited about this Vanderbilt season but I don't want to go off and like be totally biased in this I want to be pretty objective and give like my honest truth on it uh with that being said I can't say we're losing to Kentucky we're beating these guys Big Blue Nation you're going down Vanderbilt starts 5-0 Ray Davis goes back to Lexington sad you were uh you're a transfer portal Merchant uh you have no soul Vanderbilt wins Vanderbilt 5-0 Vanderbilt not ranked because the NCAA and the coaches poll and the AP writers don't respect us they should be ranked I'm going to go Vanderbilt 24 23 tight one one point game this is when the one by one scheduled breakdown gets tough because I think in my head it's hard to predict what's going to be going on by game five what's going to be the vibe of Kentucky what's going to be the vibe of Vanderbilt so much so much can happen this game the following week Missouri at home and then on the road against Florida and then later in the season you have Auburn at home I think those four games in my head are kind of all lumped together that you need to win two out of those four I absolutely agree that's totally where I stand I don't want to spoil it but that's absolutely where I so I would love to predict I do think Vanderbilt's gonna win two of those four okay I do predict that which two of those four I'm not sure you can even expand that out add the Wake Forest game I think they win three of those five this Kentucky game when you look at who they lost and will Levis and Chris Rodriguez Jr they have talented receivers coming back and barryon brown and Dane key they combined for almost a lot one almost 1200 yards last season Brown local kid Pearl cone very talented but they do lose their running back and Chris Rodriguez Jr who is very very talented very talented Ray Davis does not have the same burst or play making abilities Chris Rodriguez you're getting a great value brand Chris Rodriguez and Ray Davis and you have a great value brand will Levis uh in Devon Leary coming in every rational part of my brain thinks a Vanderbilt team that beat Kentucky last year should beat them again this year at home Vanderbilt's going to be better and Kentucky's going to be worse but there is the irrational part of my brand that usually picks Vanderbilt that wants to say you're not going to be Kentucky two times and two times in two seasons there's something about it that back-to-back years it's irrational it makes no sense all the stats point to me wanting to predict the Vanderbilt Victory but there's something holding me back I think that's I think that's why you've been flipping back and forth all of that said I'm gonna also predict a Vanderbilt win here high five let's go I don't like that I'm predicting the Vanderbilt win here because I in my heart of hearts I feel an egg ready to be laid after starting 4-0 having a winnable conference game at home on the schedule followed by another winnable conference game an egg has to be laid somewhere it's my black and gold mind but I'm just gonna predict it's gonna be beautiful the doors are going to beat Kentucky CJ Taylor is going to get a teardrop tattooed under his eye after killing Ray Davis you know what you know what we should do instead of tailgating a lot too why don't we tailgate by the visitors gays to where Kentucky gets off the bus to enter First Bank Stadium look hey breaking news what is this game September uh sept uh September 23rd September 23rd we will not be tailgating in Lot 2 will be tailgating outside the visitors gate waiting for Ray David he's the type of guy it's kind of like when Vanderbilt played Mississippi Valley State Delta and Lindsey Hunter was their head coach and I got into a verbal altercation with them during the game Ray Davis is the kind of guy that I know if I Heckle I can get in his head there's not a doubt in mine yeah he's he's not gritty no not a great guy it's actually really good that he transferred because this is 2023 team three is the team of grit the year of grit and Ray Davis doesn't have that grit in him so it's good that he left because there cannot be one position group that does not have grit on this team might not be and not have a ton of talent but good God they got some Grit next up the doors are 5-0 easy as that snap at the finger they're 5-0 next up September 30th at home against Missouri Eli drinkowicz Brady cook expected to be the starter could be getting pushed for that spot but Brady cook returning as the starter new offensive coordinator and Kirby Moore uh their defense improved quite a bit last season Missouri reading through their stats went six and seven three and five in the SEC uh 24.8 points per game on defense 86th in the OR on offense 86th in the country almost 215 yards passing per game 91st in the country 155 yards rushing per game 66th in the country uh 20 and on defense Missouri gave up 25 points a game 56th in the country gave up 215 yards passing per game 48th in the country and gave up 125 yards rushing per game ranking 32nd in the country so Missouri returns a defense that should improve returns their quarterback however the talent level overall on this Missouri roster it's a game that Vanderbilt has a good opportunity to win I don't really know if there's a full that's a full great reason behind it I just know Missouri's Talent level is lesser than a lot of other SEC opponents that they'll face and also Eli drinkowitz is a dork um so they've got that going for them as their head coach um with that being said I think Vanderbilt gets their first loss of the season um why I don't know I just I'm with you I just I feel like an egg is good and that's just like the Vandy fan and me just that's been through so many bad moments this feels like a loss I I just I cannot I cannot explain it there is no reason or reasoning there's no logic behind this take that's just how I feel right now um also quick story time do you remember back when James Franklin in order to get people to come to Vanderbilt games would actually call them so do you remember that so you wouldn't know one of the people he called he called my mother I kid you not story time we it me and my dad are trying so hard two of all games get my mom to go to the 2013 Missouri game my mom had not been to a football game in so long probably since the 90s and we're begging and we're like Mom please go to this game please go to this game please go to this game and she's like no no no and so I think I tweet out I'm like I need James Franklin to call my mom I get a DM from James Franklin he's like what's your mother's phone number and I go there's no way this is happening I give him my mom's number we're at my grandmother's house um and all of a sudden my mom's phone rings and we don't know the number and she picks up and by God Almighty James Franklin call my mom telling her to come to the game called my mom from his personal cell phone to get my mom to come to the game she comes to that game Vanderbilt gets their brain speed in um with that being said I'm trying me and my dad are trying to get my mom to go to that game um we want my mom to go to some games this year she she uh she hasn't been to a football game that was a lot of football game she was at uh mom I know you're listening I actually don't know if you're listening I know dad's listening but Mom I think you're listening to uh but Mom please come to this game with us I think you're going to turn the ship around I think you're going to bring good Juju to this club I think we're going Phoebe is biting my XLR cable on my mic right now Phoebe stop [Laughter] uh yeah I think Vanderbilt I just I think they somehow lose I'm going to unfortunately agree with you I and this is why the schedule game by game prediction is tough as Phoebe is once again attacking Trevor's cable why are you doing that please now she's biting me she's biting me on pod off the wrist I don't know if it will be this game or if it will be the Kentucky game but Vanderbilt's not going to win both of those games so on the little graphic or whatever you would have a win next to Kentucky and a loss next to Missouri on my prediction really I'm just saying one and one in those two games I don't know which one it's going to be one of those games Vanderbilt's going to come out and lay an absolute egg so on this prediction pod I'm gonna agree with you again we're gonna go off well you know what I think Vanderbilt fans were listening to this who think I think most of them will actually probably agree and that they might not agree this is the game they lay an egg but they agree that it'll be a game in which they do lay an egg there's no logical reasoning to it it's just like the Vanderbilt fan and you thinks that like something bad is inevitably going to happen um and I just I think this is the game I think so too I think Mizzou also has some weird Juju against us there's going to be some unexplainable loss in this season and I think that's going to be the Missouri game it's going to be everything is rolling how did you lose to that team that was ripe for the taking to start out 6-0 and you somehow laid an egg shades of that 2008 Mississippi State game where Vanderbilt started 5-0 come off a big win against Auburn drop to Mississippi State that game was a really tough one to watch when I was 11 years old that was a bad one also the what scares me about Missouri last season their defense got a lot better uh from 2021 to 2022 they gave up almost nine points less per game under their new defensive coordinator Blake Baker this is just stat stuff for me is I expect Missouri's defense to be very good statistically this season I don't have any logic behind that except for my understanding of how locker rooms operate in year two in a defensive system the guys are going to have a little more understanding of it and pick it up no I think that's a fair take two and they still have Luther burden and wide receiver is that correct he didn't transfer he's a dog he's he's a dog he's a game wrecker he's a real I think he's probably the second best receiver in the East behind will Shepard that was the name I could not remember and I have it written down here but that's the guy that I see running up the sideline against our second nightmares it's gonna be a Mingo Ole Miss type game anytime I see an explosive playmaker on the outside it makes me a little bit worried worried for this Vanderbilt defense so far we're pretty like we're pretty in step we want another we're on the same wavelength right now I would say so next up we have at Florida we're in October now October 7th it's officially fall weather and you're in the swamp beat Florida last year the Gators lost their quarterback Anthony Richardson to the NFL Indianapolis Colt they also lost their best offensive lineman in Osiris Torrance uh they were okay last season underperformed underperformed is definitely a good word six and seven last year three and five in conference uh they on offense averaged 29.5 points per game 58th in the country 223.8 yards per game passing 77th 200 yards per game rushing 24th in the country on defense they ranked 88th in the country in points per game given up giving up almost 29 ranked 84th in the country in passing yards given up per game almost 236 per game and ranked 100th in Rush defense giving up 175.2 yards per game 4.5 yards per carry obviously last year the doors beat the Gators the good guys won Billy Napier all-time douchebag lost Sunbelt Billy as I like to call them yep absolute douchebag uh the doors won 31-24 are you in the swamp absolutely is Florida probably the worst team in the SEC this season absolutely yeah this is the advantage there's going to be a Vanderbilt bloodbath I don't I literally don't care that they're in the swamp this is not 2007 anymore Vanderbilt plays at big time uh SEC schools every single year is it the swamp yeah I but you know what I literally don't care Graham Mertz stinks um they're going to be the worst team in the SEC East Vanderbilt is absolutely going through bludgeon them I legitimately believe that I don't care that it's Florida I don't care the Gators I don't care that they're a story program Vanderbilt is going to beat the hell out of these guys this year in the swamp a score prediction I'm gonna go 27-7 27 7. I can see that Florida just to give everybody a little context has some tough matchups before Vanderbilt their schedule is bad overall not bad like it's it for them it is a very tough schedule Florida opens up at Utah number 14. and then they also have Tennessee on September 16th that they're going to get absolutely bludgeoned by yeah that'll be a that'll be a bloodbath and Florida actually plays at Kentucky the week before they play Vanderbilt so that's a key game for them and then they have Vanderbilt coming in I just think Florida is going to stink this year I'm right there with you they were not good last year Vanderbilt beat them last year they lost their starting quarterback very very similar to Kentucky I don't see Vanderbilt losing I don't think the swamp is going to be an intimidating environment as it normally is I think Florida has two losses guaranteed already on their schedule if everything goes perfectly they're still going to have two losses prior to that Vanderbilt game the swamp is not going to be rocking no it's not going to be a Prime Time game and I think Vanderbilt is going to do better in that environment than Florida oh my God could you imagine if it's an 11 A.M kickoff that would be awesome that not almost ideal would be ideal an 11 A.M kickoff in the swamp also too is their homecoming if any Vanderbilt players listen to this I have no idea if you guys listen to this um but if you do this is Florida's homecoming game the disrespect is real they think of you as not even a group of five team to think of you an FCS team as Phoebe takes a big stretch come on over here sweetheart um this the disrespect is real you guys are better than them they suck uh Vanderbilt wins Big I think the doors one as well so we've got them at six and one when was the last time Vanderbilt had back-to-back wins over Florida I couldn't even tell does that ever happened I'm not even sure if that's ever happened I don't even know how to look that stat up I that's um which then again Chad Bishop no longer with Vanderbilt with Georgia Tech I believe um congrats to him Chad Bishop a very very nice guy I wish him nothing with the best he's awesome um he he would know that yeah I I don't blame him but he's a really good guy I have nothing negative to say about him um we're gonna try I don't know if this has ever happened I'm looking back uh there was a tie oh it's been since 1952 and 1955. for the last time so this would be historic my dad wasn't even born here shout out to my dad and my grandmother my dad's birthday was uh August 16th which is yesterday uh and then my grandmother's birthday was August 14th so shout out to Granny Hulen shout out to Tommy Hulen granny Hulen actually the reason Tommy and I are Vanderbilt uh fans her father actually put the oak leaf V's all over campus his his iron company was hired out his Iron and Steel company was hired out to put those all over campus so that's how he became Vanderbilt and so Vanderbilt runs deep with Hulen household now the schedule gets a little less favorable no it gets guys this is this is where if you're listening so far you're like these guys are absolute homers how in the world do you have Vanderbilt at six and one well the schedule is a little backloaded with the difficulty I don't know if I would say a little I would say a lot a lot a lot of back loaded with the difficulty the first seven games every single game is very winnable the doors could start 7-0 I would not be shocked they could also start four and three would not be shocked if they lost to one two out of the three of Kentucky Missouri and Florida and then lost a Wake Forest I would not be shocked uh if they lost three of the four to Wake Forest Kentucky Missouri and Florida I wouldn't be shocked I wouldn't be happy I think I would be I wouldn't be shocked really I've been a Vanderbilt fan a long time I mean we both have but this I mean I this team that would be hyper disappointing I really in my brain this team truly has like a ceiling of a nine and three and a floor of a three and nine and I truly believe that that this team could go three and nine this team could go nine and three see I think our I think our floors are different I think our ceilings are different as well but nonetheless this next game is we'll just go ahead and chunks nonetheless I won't even waste time yeah we won't even uh Georgia stats next up is the Georgia Bulldogs reigning undefeated national champions the doors have them at home on October 14th no need to read through these stats they rank top 10 top 20 in basically every statistical category you can think of uh the doors are going to get the brain speed in by Georgia that is my prediction uh at least a 28 point Victory or more uh from the Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby Smart that's about all I have on that game last year the doors lost 55 nothing I think this year will be more like 48 to 10 or something on those lines I'll say this could you imagine The Vibes of Vanderbilt if they're 7-0 with Georgia coming to town I just like like I don't even want us to say anything in the mics real quick I just want us to ponder on that thought man would that feel good balls get a little tight the the the excitement is uh my I'm a little I'm a little tingly right now will I'm thinking about that I think a college game day coming back on Alumni Lawn I'm just bark gaming and a bunch of Georgia fans faces I'm I'm a big dog off a leash I'm a rabid dog give me my vaccine all right so you're also predicting a loss uh yes that being said I do predict a loss um score prediction I don't know with this game I just hope there's no injuries um that's sort of my mentality going into games like this whenever Vander plays George Alabama so on and so forth I just hope for no injuries um I'll go Georgia 42 Vanderbilt 17. which that's not a terrible loss I'd take that loss right now with no injuries not a doubt in my mind next up after a bye week The Commodores go on the road to Face Lane kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels on October 28th for the last well not the last time it won't be happening next year it won't be happening next year the grandest Rivalry in the south is coming to an end unfortunately Ole Miss an interesting part of the schedule an interesting past with Ole Miss I see this not being great uh might be a little different I'll actually go through the Ole Miss stats uh even though we didn't go through them with Georgia Ole Miss went eight and five last year uh averaged 33 and a half points per game 29th in the country 240 yards passing per game 59th uh 256 yards rushing per game 5.4 yards per carry ranking third in the country their defense was man it was okay not good I gave up 25 and a half points per game 57th in the country almost 220 yards passing per game 55th and gave up 168 yards rushing per game 90th in the country and last season the doors lost 52-28 Jackson Dart and a little bit of a quarterback competition uh at Ole Miss um he'll likely be the starter but they've got some transfers in from Oklahoma State in Spencer Sanders and LSU and Walker Howard they also have to replace their top two wide receivers from last year in Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo who Vanderbilt fans will vividly remember however they did pick up some transfers out of the transfer plural Market Louisiana Tech's Trey Harris All Conference USA in 2022 and Chris Marshall a Texas A M transfer they also have quench on Judkins who is coming back after having single season record setting performance of 1 567 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns however This Ole Miss team started out 7-0 started out hot and then slid pretty heavily yeah going one in five in the last six games the defense gave up 35 points per game in the last seven games of 2022. do the doors have a shot on the road at Ole mess deep into the SEC grind so this game in this game intrigues me a lot and we're not going to sit here and act like we're Ole Miss insiders by any means um but sort of the buzz around it is like you said um Jackson Dart in a little bit of a quarterback battle I've seen some reports in some insiders suggest that he might not be the starter towards the end of the season I don't know um with that being said uh quenchon Judkins maybe the best running back in the SEC probably um he's very very good um as I breathe heavily into the mic I don't think this is a blowout does Vanderbilt win I don't think so just because Lane kiffin is is such an offensive genius I think Vanderbilt does lose this game but I actually think it's a I think it's kind of close um I'm gonna go Ole Miss oh God I'm gonna go Ole Miss 37 Vanderbilt 27. so two possession game respectable I can see that I'm also gonna go a loss I think that Jackson Dart will be the starter I think the devil you do better than the devil you don't yeah and I think that's what will end up happening and quarterbacks with an ability to run are clarkley's Achilles seal and have always been Vanderbilt's Achilles seal I think Vanderbilt gets boat raced Oh by Ole Miss um I don't really have a ton of logic behind it but it's a gut feeling Lane kiffin brilliant offensive mind in my opinion brilliant offensive Minds always beat out brilliant defensive minds and I think the doors get dominated so I just think it's a nightmare matchup I think they have a lot of talent and I think quench on Judkins is going to run rampant across a talented Vanderbilt front seven I hope I'm wrong everything I'm saying about this I hope I'm wrong I say the doors losing by at least three scores oh wow yeah I think this I think this is the ultimate letdown game even though they have two weeks to prepare reality has set into the minds of the players after that Georgia game that they're going to be dominated in and that kind of Riding High superhero feeling is gone even though they knew it was going to happen there's something about it in my mind that's just a tough game to follow up with Georgia loss if you don't mind who does Ole Miss play after Vanderbilt that's a good question because that might I don't know maybe a trap game I don't know Vanderbilt always has that trap game vibe to him that they never seem to capitalize on which is unfortunate please tell me they're playing like LSU or somebody after Vanderbilt uh they play Texas A M oh oh Maybe they they're at Auburn the week before as well maybe I don't know but we're both predicting a loss yeah I'll say a loss right so we're we're completely in sync so far yeah we are win versus Hawaii win versus Alabama a m win against Wake Forest win against UNLV win against Kentucky yep then you have a loss against Mizzou Mizzou and then win against Florida lost to Georgia lost Ole Miss and then you come back home to Auburn yeah we're in November November 4th the Auburn Tigers come to town not a common matchup for Vanderbilt but a winnable matchup from an SEC West opponent in Auburn so I'll go through last year Auburn Mr Bull did not make a bowl game went five and seven two and six in the SEC very similar to Vanderbilt uh average 24.8 points per game on offense 88th in the country passing game was horrendous 172 yards per game 119th in the country uh ran for 205 yards per game 51st in the country their defense was also not good uh 29 and a half points per game given up 98th in the country gave up almost 223 yards passing per game 61st in the country and gave up 173 yards rushing per game 4.6 yards per carry 97th in the country the last match up between Vanderbilt and Auburn the doors lost in 2016-23 to 16. I could see it in your eyes you were thinking about asking that the Zach Cunningham game the Zach Cunningham game oh yeah the Zach Cunningham game yeah and also an interesting storyline here is Hugh freeze taking over just bad guy Hugh freeze I'll stand by that bad guy Hugh freeze is taking over this program how do you feel about that I hate you freeze former Ole Miss I have nothing positive to say about you freeze um I will keep my real opinion to myself because I can go down a rabbit hole and I actually do have some deeply um deeply held gripes against him that just are kind of personal to me I so I will keep that off the Pod um DM me if you want to know my real opinion on him uh Hugh freeze I think he's a bad person great football coach um I think Auburn is a terrible program for ousting for creating a fake narrative that their previous head coach had slept with an assistant just to get him out of town um I think you're giggling I think that's a legitimately horrible thing to do with somebody and to justify it by bringing in somebody like you freeze I think that's a real Dirtbag move um they're not in a good place right now now they might be in a good place next year because they're gonna have a lot they're gonna have a really good recruiting class probably bring us some transfers I know they have some transfers this year with that being said I think this is a Vanderbilt win this Auburn team is not good this year the great equalizer is Hugh freeze he's a very good football coach um I I don't know if they have the talent which then again we're saying compared to Vanderbilt but I think Vanderbilt has a has a a pretty talented roster this year um I think Vanderbilt is going to view this as a winnable game which they should view all games as winnable games because you got to have that dog in you um but I think if you really truth serum to all of them that they're they think this is going to be a win going into that week um I really like Vanderbilt's chances against Auburn homecoming also homecoming um so that that may be a little bit of added boost I don't know um I'm going to chalk this up to a Vanderbilt win I think Vanderbilt beats Auburn this is a game another one that when you look at the state of the Auburn program you look at the consistency Vanderbilt has had of improvement under Clark Lee you look at the fact that they don't have a lot of stable head coaching because obviously Hugh freeze brought into different staff Ron Roberts is the defensive coordinator spent the last three years at Baylor known good guy program yeah um talk about a bunch of dirt bags this this is a game that Vanderbilt needs to win this is probably if Florida is not the worst team in the SEC than auburn is the worst team in the SEC or Vanderbilt is the worst team in the SEC that's about how I view it I was going to say Mississippi State but Will Rogers is really good I think they'll be they'll be better than those those I just named off I might agree yeah this game's very winnable I'm gonna predict a win but there's something in my heart of hearts that could see this game for whatever reason going badly I just feel like I'm predicting too many wins and feeling too positive that's it that's the only reason I don't have any other logical reason I think Vanderbilt wins this game so I'm gonna stick to it Vanderbilt wins they move to seven wins seven wins yeah already that's so they're seven at seven three three seven and three that's what I got about seven and three uh score prediction I'm gonna go [Music] 31 21. I like it I think that they'll I don't think that Auburn offense is going to be able to put up very many points so I'm gonna be pretty similar but I'm gonna say 31 to I think Vanderbilt dominates him and my I think Auburn's gonna be I think people have been consistently saying Vanderbilt or Florida I don't think Auburn's getting enough attention first year head coaches are typically going to struggle even if they do have previous head coaching experience you freeze was not a great head coach at Ole Miss 11 and 14. he's trying to build a new culture I don't see that going great for him with a not very talented Auburn team coming off missing a bowl game I see him missing a bowl game again this year so right now we have him at seven and three last two games of the year both on the road first up at South Carolina on November 11th Spencer rattler a potent passing offense coming into town in South Carolina a nightmare for Vanderbilt to face on the road last year South Carolina went eight and five four and four in conference uh scored 32.2 points per game 38th in the country 260 yards passing per game 41st in the country 100 almost 120 yards rushing per game not great 105th in the country on defense the South Carolina team pretty pretty solid I think a little bit better and than some it maybe thought but gave up 28.8 points per game 87th in the country they're passing defense was either statistically skewed or pretty solid 206 yards per game given up 34th in the country but they gave up 198 yards rushing per game 4.9 yards per carry 117th in the country their Rush defense last year was awful unfortunately that is the weakness this year of this Vanderbilt offense so I don't know about you Trevor but I don't have high hopes for the South Carolina game well no and also too this is where once again I'm going to take the road that is not filled with logic and reason and that South Carolina just has weird Juju against Vanderbilt I legitimately believe that Vanderbilt could field the greatest football team of all time would not even dudes that went to Vanderbilt just you could have Cam Newton back there you could have uh Reggie White at defense which now Reggie White go Birds but he forsook my birds yeah we could have the 2000 Miami team with Ed Reed and all those guys and and and and and South Carolina could field a team of Uber drivers and we would somehow lose um they just have they just have some weird Juju against Vanderbilt I'm gonna go a loss simply because I don't know if I'll ever see us meet then again the weird part about this is Vanderbilt had a very close game against South Carolina last year 38-27 and you should have beaten them the previous year it should have honestly been a little bit closer last year too don't you agree yep I think this is the only game on the schedule that I'm going to predict a broader margin of loss than they had last year I think Vanderbilt's going to get dominated by South Carolina I think Spencer Rottler is going to have a day against Vanderbilt I think he's going to be a breakout player in the SEC could be wrong but I think Spencer Rattler barring injury because we're in game 11 of the season so that can always happen I mean we're predicting way down the road now yeah but I think Vanderbilt loses this game I think it's at least a 17-point game probably more I just don't think Vanderbilt has the horses in the secondary to stop this South Carolina offense I I'm probably right there with you because I mean juice Wells I think is a name that sticks out uh he's a guy I don't see anyone being able to cover him on the outside from Vanderbilt even though Martel height was named a preseason freshman All-American by 24 7 Sports just had to throw that in there yeah shout out to Martell height baby then Vanderbilt has a bye week and then they face the team outings at Neyland Stadium the doors face the Vols November 25th final game of the season rivalry week how are you feeling I will be at that game I will I will be at that game I will be raising hell there will be boots on the ground violence will be enacted you cannot stop me I'm an uncontainable Force I'm an immovable object there's nothing you can do to stop me Tennessee fans I own you on Twitter and I own you in real life Nashville is my throne and Knoxville is my footstool that town sucks it smells like piss and vomit your campus is ugly with that being said I think Vanderbilt probably does lose I think Vanderbilt loses too uh this is another nightmare matchup just the scheme Josh eipel runs it's a nightmare matchup for Vanderbilt spreads out the field really exposes the lack of speed and depth in Vanderbilt secondary they the Vols did lose a lot of Talent on offense they lost tendon hooker supposedly Heisman candidate Joe Milton after one good bowl game uh after getting benched after one good bowl game he's gonna win the Heisman and just step right into the shoes of Indian hooker and there's gonna not miss a beat they're they're both black quarterbacks so Tennessee fans see them and they're just like they're the same guy right oh God but uh you know are we going to cut that no I think that was referencing Tennessee fans so that's perfect Knoxville where the BMI is higher than the IQ oh but the other part of this Tennessee team that's not getting enough attention and we talked about this before the podcast there's just an assumption that Jalen Hyatt the injury to Cedric Tillman but that those two guys are just going to be effortlessly replaced Yeah by squirrel White and Blue McCoy They're just gonna be just plug and play another two dominant receivers on the outside in hypo system I don't see that happening I think Tennessee is going to take a step back significantly on offense this year I think their offensive line is going to struggle I don't think Joe Milton is the second coming of Jesus Christ like Tennessee fans think I'm right there with you I think he's going to be okay and the moment that he has an okay game there's going to be calls for Nico the five-star quarterback they recruited to replace him on the field and I think that's going to create some tension within the team for the first time you're actually going to see Josh heipel and his family guy looking ass have to do a coaching job and I don't see I don't see this team being as good as they were last year with that set I think Vanderbilt gets absolutely dominated I don't see it being that close I hope from the bottom of my heart I am so wrong about that I see this being at least a 20-point game yeah I'm probably I'm probably right there with you yeah I think yeah then then again it is so far out and I hate even saying like even like putting Into The Ether that we're going to lose to Tennessee but yeah we'll yeah we'll go ahead and we'll chalk that up to a loss final score prediction for that one though I'm gonna go oh God I'm gonna go 52 34. and just keep in mind this Tennessee offense last year was unbelievable I don't like giving them credit but my God they were first in the country in points per game 46.1 per game fourth in the country in passing yards per game 326 per game fifth in the no yes oh no 26th in the country in rushing yards per game almost 200 per game five yards per carry on defense this is where they struggled they were 127th in the country in past defense it's the only thing that gives me a little hope and their secondary is going to be probably worse Gabe Judy Lawley also we have to talk about his comments whenever he's like oh the giggling about the irony of playing Vanderbilt on on senior night what you need to be giggling at is your tape because you are burnt toast in the secondary Dave Judy Ollie really needs to be giggling at being a part of literally one of the bottom four or five secondaries in the whole country thunderbolt's right there with you everything you touch turns to [ __ ] Gabe because Tennessee's 127th in the country last year in 2022 Vanderbilt was 128th yep those are going to be two bad passing defenses going at it I just think Tennessee's passing attack is still going to be a little bit of a step up above Vanderbilt even though I do have high hopes for this year so me and you are completely in agreement that's what that's weird that's kind of I don't like that at all do I we need to change something but we can't hold on I might change that we both have Vanderbilt at seven and five we have to change something hold on it's too late no we have to chase it no stop no we have to I'm not no I haven't locked it in there you have to lock it in we haven't locked in anything yet I'm gonna go ask my cat just cleans herself on camera Phoebe be a lady stop we can go we can go a unified TDR prediction I think that'll be good it's too late nope nope nope nope nope we lose to Kentucky win Missouri okay so you're flipping we both have Vanderbilt going seven and five in 2023 which would absolutely be a massive success absolutely continue the trajectory of success under Clark Lee so give a little bit of recap Hawaii week one me and Trevor both have a win big dog Alabama a m at home week two both have them big dub at Wake Forest week three we both have a win at UNLV week four both predict a win week five at home against Kentucky I have a win Trevor Has retroactively predicted a loss and just just to flip the potential bad juju we had by matching everything absolutely then at home first Missouri Trevor Has a loss retroactively I have a no I have a win I got confused there I have a loss against Missouri Trevor Has a win week seven at Florida me and Trevor both predict wins against Georgia at home loss at Ole Miss both have losses and then at home against Auburn both predicted dubs at South Carolina both predicted losses and at Tennessee both predicted losses so me and Trevor both have the doors going seven and five that would be an A plus plus plus plus season I mean you go from 0-9 not being able to finish out the season to two and ten losing to an FCS program to five and seven to seven and five and going to a bowl game with a guaranteed winning record would be one of the best three-year turnaround coaching jobs in the entire country yes I mean in where Vanderbilt was when clarkley came in versus if this happens yeah would would be a national storyline that would really pick up some Buzz around this Vanderbilt program with the new stadium potentially being ready for the 2024 season well two I think I think we're even a little bit bullish on the doors right now I think even if they went six and six I still think that's an A plus plus getting to a bowl is an A plus plus season for this team so we did go through and do it you know game by game but to break out the schedule into the clumps which is what I'm more like to do especially before the season you have three games that have to be wins the this is this is where I had the floor you have to win these games okay everything goes wrong you still win these okay Hawaii yes Alabama a m yup UNLV yes if everything else goes wrong you win those and then you have winnable games but you could win all of them you could lose all of them but I think they can pick up three wins here potentially more is Wake Forest Kentucky Missouri Florida Auburn I agree with that yes and then you have basically I don't want to say guaranteed but losses and that's going to be Georgia Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee I also agree I'll ask you this too I agree with everything you just said and we sort of touched on it with the weight force game do you have a looking at it right now do you have a most important game of the season because I've said that mine is Wake Forest I think right now is it it's Wake Forest ether's Wake Forest for you as well I agree especially with where it is in the season I that's gonna almost in my mind guarantee a 4-0 start and momentum going into conference play and there's just something different about that three and one verse 4-0 going into SEC play I think and also just being a pivotal game regardless but also just where it is in the schedule I think if Vanderbilt beats Wake Forest I think if they start at 3-0 they're going bowling yep yep I think they're I I don't think it's if I think they are like I it's it's a blood bank guarantee I think I think so too I cannot wait until we get into the season we are nine days away oh God we're we're so on page together that it's actually kind of this is scary the gambling content is going to be phenomenal going into the season Trevor you don't need to change anything else up we'll put out a graphic if you're listening thank you for listening to this long beefy episode if you haven't responded to the door report on Twitter with your schedule prediction with your Vanderbilt football prediction for this season go to at the door report and respond to our tweet thank you once again for listening to episode 231 of the door report anchor down nine days away let's ride go doors foreign [Music]