2009 Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Predictions

2009 Vanderbilt Commodores Predictions
2008 Record: (7-6, 4-4)
Coach: Bobby Johnson, 8th year (27-56 at Vanderbilt, 87-92 overall)
Off. Coordinator: Ted Cain (8th year)
Def. Coordinator: Jamie Bryant (2nd year)
Returning Starters: 18 (8 offense, 9 defense, punter)
Ret. Starting Quarterback: Yes (Mackenzi Adams)

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Offense: The Commodores return an experienced quarterback in senior Mackenzi Adams (892 yards passing), but he will have to caddy this season for sophomore Larry Smith (6-2, 216). Smith finished the season with a solid performance against Wake Forest and started the Music City Bowl. Senior running back Jared Hawkins (5-10, 195) led the team with 593 yards and that’s after missing the final two games with a foot injury, that also kept him out in the spring. At tight end, they return sophomore Brandon Barden (6-5, 245), who caught 28 passes. The passing game gets a lift from transfers Tray Herndon (Minnesota) and Terence Jeffers (Connecticut). They’ll need those players to contribute because they don’t have much returning. The offensive line returns five starters including junior Reilly Lauer (6-6, 275), who was a former defensive end.

Defense: The defense returns nine starters from a unit that allowed just 19.6ppg (21st in the nation) and 319.6 yards per game (30th in the nation). The big issue is that they have to replace corner D.J. Moore and safety Reshard Langford , who moved on to the NFL. Up front, they return all four starters including senior DE Broderick Stewart (6-5, 228), a natural pass rusher (5 sacks), who broke his leg in a November loss to Tennessee. At linebacker, they return senior Patrick Benoist (6-0, 220), who led the team with 109 tackles and sophomore Chris Marve (6-0, 228), who was a freshman All-American. The secondary is led by senior CB Myron Lewis (6-3, 205), who has 25 consecutive starts, and recorded five sacks and five picks last season.

Outlook: This is a pretty good team stuck in a very good division. They just don’t have the offensive firepower to make an impact. What they do have is a schedule that features Western Carolina and Georgia Tech at home, along with Rice and Army on the road. They may need to sweep that slate to make a bowl game this year with such a tough conference schedule.

This SEC conference prediction is courtesy of the ATS Sports Blog. If you are looking for winning college football betting picks be sure to choose ATS Consultants this year, A featured sports handicapping service on Touthouse.com