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Vanderbilt Football: Nevada Wolf Pack Preview

By Stetson Marlin

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 01: Jamauri Wakefield #32 of the Vanderbilt Commodores is congratulated by teammate Ben Bresnahan #86 after scoring a touchdown against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders during the second half at Vanderbilt Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 01: Jamauri Wakefield #32 of the Vanderbilt Commodores is congratulated by teammate Ben Bresnahan #86 after scoring a touchdown against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders during the second half at Vanderbilt Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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The Vanderbilt Commodores football team will look to move to 2-0 on the year as they face the Nevada Wolf Pack at home on Saturday.

The Vanderbilt Commodores are coming off of a good win against Middle Tennessee State University last Saturday, but have a tough matchup this Saturday against Nevada, a team that put up 72 points against Portland State.

Kyle Shurmur did what he needed to on Saturday, as he went 10-17 passing with 170 yards and two touchdowns. The Vanderbilt run game didn’t really have anyone that stuck out. Jamauri Wakefield finished with 56 yards and a touchdown, while Khari Blasingame had 52 yards and a touchdown and transfer Ke’Shawn Vaughn ended up with 37 yards.

Kalija Lipscomb to no surprise led the Commodores in receiving yards, as he finished with 60 yards on four receptions and a touchdown.

Vanderbilt should win this game against the Wolf Pack, but they might have a little trouble with their high powered offense. Vegas lines have the Commodores as a 10 point favorite right now, but that could change as the game approaches.

Offense

Vanderbilt will have a tough task, as Nevada has a high powered offense. The Wolf Pack scored 72 points last week. Granted it was to an FCS team, but 72 points is still a lot. They managed to gain 636 total yards last week.

They can score a lot of points, and they can score them quickly. They scored a touchdown on six straight possessions last week, so they know how to score.

EVANSTON, IL – SEPTEMBER 02: Ty Gangi #6 of the Nevada Wolf Pack passesagainst the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on September 2, 2017 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL – SEPTEMBER 02: Ty Gangi #6 of the Nevada Wolf Pack passesagainst the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on September 2, 2017 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Ty Gangi will be the starting quarterback for the Wolf Pack. Gangi went 16/26 passing last week, finishing with 342 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. On the ground, Nevada ran the ball with eight different guys last week, combining for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Tou Taua was their leading rusher with 56 on eight carries.

The Vanderbilt defense will have a handful, as the Wolf Pack finished with two receivers who had over 100 yards receiving. Kaleb Fossum finished with six receptions for 139 yards. McLane Mannix also showed out, catching four passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense

The Wolf Pack allowed some early points to Portland State before shutting them out in the 2nd half.

Vanderbilt should be able to put some points up on this Nevada defense. Davis Alexander, Portland State’s QB, finished with 224 yards passing with two touchdowns, so Shurmur should be able to move the ball on this team. The Nevada defense did well against the run last Saturday, only allowing 107 rushing yards on 43 attempts.

Lucas Weber stood out defensively for the Wolf Pack on Saturday, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles. Gabriel Sewell also shined, as he had seven total tackles and a sack. Daniel Brown picked off a pass on Saturday, taking it 42 yards to the house.

What to Expect

This game has a good chance to be a high scoring game. Nevada was able to score a lot of points last week, but their defense also allowed a good bit of yards to an FCS team. Vanderbilt struggled early but pulled away from MTSU.

I expect the Vanderbilt to move the ball easily on this defense and can see both Shurmur and Lipscomb having great days. The Vanderbilt defense will have a handful with their high scoring offense, but I fully expect Vanderbilt to cover the spread.

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