Vanderbilt Football: How does Vandy replace Ralph Webb?
By Mike Patton
The Vanderbilt Commodores offense has had one name synonymous with them for the last few years. That name was Ralph Webb.
The offense began and ended with the talented running back whether he was getting the football or not. Ralph Webb was one of the best running backs in the SEC that no one talked about, tallying 4,750 total yards from scrimmage over his four years and 35 total TDs.
His ability to make people miss along with showing power with his running style endeared him to Vanderbilt fans. However, Vandy fans will not be seeing Webb running anymore wearing the black and gold because he has exhausted his eligibility and is off to the professional ranks.
With one of the best backs in Vanderbilt history gone, Derek Mason and Vandy have the tough task of replacing his production on the field.
Who will replace Webb?
One guy that will get a shot at replacing Webb is Khari Blasingame. The redshirt senior running back is much different in stature than Webb, standing 6’1″ and weighing in at 230 pounds (Webb was 5’10” and 200 pounds).
Blasingame, like Webb, is a tough guy when it comes to running the football and with the small sample size over two years playing running back shows that he is a power running back who gets the football North and South.
While he runs the football tough like Webb, what he lacks is the elusiveness and receiving ability his former backfield teammate had. The best usage of Blasingame could be in short yardage situations, but if no one else steps up to claim the starting running back position, then Blasingame would get the opportunity to prove he is much more than a bruising running back.
Don’t forget about Ke’Shawn Vaughn at the running back spot. Vaughn is a Nashville native that played high school ball at Pearl Cohn. He transferred from Illinois, having to sit out this past season due to transfer rules. While a freshman at Illinois, Vaughn ended up with 842 total yards, including six touchdowns.
If that position becomes a group trying to replace Webb instead them finding a steady starter, the Commodores could move to do something unconventional to replace their departed star. Senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur has grown over his time at Vandy. He started his career as a reluctant freshman, only throwing five touchdown passes and completing 42.7% of his passes. Last season, as a junior, he had improved his completion percentage to 57.9% and had thrown for 26 touchdowns.
The growth he has shown over the years means he could be ready to take on the challenge of handling more of the offense. And in replacing Webb, one way Shurmur could assist is in the quick passing game. Wide receiver screen passes and bubble screens are essentially extensions of the running game and with guys like junior wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb at his disposal, the offense could get a big boost.
The Commodores have a big hole to fill with Ralph Webb gone, but life must go on. Vandy, one way or another, has to find a way to replace the production of Webb and it will be interesting to see how they go about doing so. For a job that has had so many challenges to begin with, this is yet another one for Derek Mason.