Five improvements that have helped turn Vanderbilt football’s season around

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vanderbilt football kept rolling with a 20-13 win over Kentucky at Kroger Field on Saturday night.

The Commodores (4-2, 2-1 SEC) remained undefeated since their open week, defeating Alabama and then the Wildcats. Before the off week, Vanderbilt had back-to-back heartbreaking losses against Georgia State and then against Missouri in double overtime.

Diego Pavia has been better than ever at quarterback, but there are a number of reasons the Commodores have turned their season around and gotten back on track for bowl eligibility. Here are five under-the-radar developments from the past two games:

Time of possession

It wasn’t as extreme as holding the ball for 42 minutes against Alabama, but Vanderbilt did get 34:35 of possession Saturday, edging out Kentucky in that department.

The Wildcats managed to run more plays, but the Commodores, thanks to taking an early lead, had the clock on their side for most of the game. Vanderbilt never trailed against Kentucky or Alabama.

One big part of the success in time of possession has been the fact that Vanderbilt did not record a three-and-out against either Alabama or Kentucky. That allowed the Commodores to keep running clock and keep its defense off the field.

DIEGO PAVIA How Diego Pavia battled through injury in Vanderbilt football’s vital road win vs Kentucky

Vanderbilt football reduces penalties

Through the first four games, Vanderbilt was one of the most-penalized teams in the country. That’s been cleaned up a bit since. Against Alabama, the Commodores had just three penalties for 20 yards, and against Kentucky, that was five penalties for 57 yards. Vanderbilt did not commit fewer than six penalties in any of its first four games.

Next man up

Vanderbilt played Kentucky without Langston Patterson, its top linebacker. As it turned out, Patterson, a captain, helped…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-improvements-helped-turn-vanderbilt-152347796.html

Author : The Tennessean

Publish date : 2024-10-13 15:23:47

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