Ad Disclosure
Vanderbilt finished the 2015 season with a 4-8 record, so coach Derek Mason and his team will look to bounce back in 2016.
Though the Commodores play at Georgia Tech, the 2016 schedule is pretty friendly, and a bowl berth seems like a reasonable goal. There are obstacles in the way, however, not the least of which are the other SEC teams on that otherwise gentle schedule.
Here are the biggest offseason questions that require answers for the Commodores before next season’s opener:
CAN THE OFFENSE PULL ITS WEIGHT?
There are 128 FBS teams. Only three of them scored fewer points than Vanderbilt’s 15.2 per game in 2015. Only 11 gained fewer than the Commodores’ 326.5 yards per contest and only 19 teams had a worse turnover margin (-8).
Vanderbilt’s defense, on the other hand, was in the top half of the SEC statistically. With an average offense, this team would be much, much better.
The answer to this question depends largely on Kyle Shurmur. That leads to another question, though…
IS SHURMUR THE ANSWER?
“I believe Vanderbilt has found a quarterback,” Mason said of Kyle Shurmur after the season finale. The good news about that game is that Shurmur tossed three touchdown passes to go with his 209 yards. The bad news is that he completed 44 percent of his passes and tossed an interception.
That’s pretty much what he did with his chances in 2015. A positive TD-to-INT ration (5-3) that balances out a a 44-percent completion rate.
The Tennessean points out that Shurmur didn’t get to play with his best offensive lineman and two top targets in 2015, and with a little more luck on the injury front, he may get all of those pieces back in place next fall.
He should get the ball for the opener, and how he develops will be the key to Vanderbilt’s season.
A STEP UP FOR WEBB?
Ralph Webb is a rising junior, and is already within 1,069 yards of Zac Stacy’s school record for rushing yards. His talent is not in question.
Webb piled up 1,152 yards and five scores on a bad offense last season, and assuming Shurmur can produce a bit more from the passing game, he could blow by that record in 2016.
WILL STAFF TURNOVER HURT?
Mason made three changes to his staff, parting ways with special teams coordinator Charles Bankins, offensive line coach Keven Lightner and director of player development Al Smith. Associate head coach and linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson left to become East Carolina’s defensive coordinator.
It’s a lot of staff turnover for a team that has built-in recruiting issues, and Thompson’s departure could negatively impact the Commodores’ defense — the strength of the team.
Making solid replacement hires, with an eye toward helping on the recruiting trail, would be a big help to the program.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
