Each week, we'll take a quick look at Purdue's upcoming opponent through Pro Football Focus' college football analytics and data, information that should be taken for what it's worth, that we'll do our best to put into useful context.
Anyway, this week, a few things about Vanderbilt, shared with the understanding that one game is hardly a reflection of enduring reality and the Commodores' matchups against Purdue will be very different than they were Georgia.
• Vanderbilt's offensive line graded out not so hot against Georgia, but 6-foot-6, 320-pounder Cole Clemens, playing his first game at left tackle, graded out very well in the run game, but poorly in pass protection, in which he allowed a sack and three hurries. That could put on an onus on George Karlaftis or Derrick Barnes or whoever is over him to both leverage a potential advantage when rushing the passer but also hold up against his strength, which might be run-blocking on the edge. The last thing Purdue wants is to allow KeShawn Vaughn a chance to turn the corner.
Georgia has outstanding athletes up front, we're sure, but based on Vandy's front's showing in Game 1, pass protection is a concern. The Bulldogs were credited with just two sacks and one hit on the QB, but 12 hurries on 25 pass attempts. Note: Pass attempts and drop-backs are not the same thing. Riley Neal did "scramble" twice.
• First-game starting quarterback Riley Neal, the Ball State transfer, did not complete a pass vs. UGA of 10 yards or more, going 0-for-4 on such attempts, none of them thrown to the middle of the field. Painting the picture of an offense designed for high school gym class where three completions in a row got you a new set of downs, Vandy was 14-of-15 passing combined between two zones: Middle of the field behind the line of scrimmage, and middle of the field between 0-9 yards, suggesting a bunch of screens. Neal threw four passes away, and for all I know, those might have been the four 10-plus-yard attempts.
• Vaughn, who you'll recall was nearly committed to Purdue out of high school before Illinois offered his teammate to get the package deal, ran for 78 yards on 15 carries against Georgia, coming off a season in which he ran for 1,244 yards and 12 scores and went berserk against Baylor in the Texas Bowl, rushing for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
Again, his success against Georgia came rushing off left tackle, Clemens' side. It was the only area of the front in which Vandy had success running the ball, and when they tried to go straight up the middle, PFF metrics suggest it went something like this ...
• Vanderbilt missed 10 tackles vs. Georgia, in PFF's view, with eight different players missing at least one.
• PFF's grading system can be compared to a plus/minus sort of measure, weighing positive-impact plays vs. negative. That said, three Vandy players on defense finished with what we'd call positive grades vs. Georgia — cornerbacks Cam Watkins and Dontye Carriere-Williams and linebacker Lashawn Paulino-Bell (who played nine snaps).
Anyway, this week, a few things about Vanderbilt, shared with the understanding that one game is hardly a reflection of enduring reality and the Commodores' matchups against Purdue will be very different than they were Georgia.
• Vanderbilt's offensive line graded out not so hot against Georgia, but 6-foot-6, 320-pounder Cole Clemens, playing his first game at left tackle, graded out very well in the run game, but poorly in pass protection, in which he allowed a sack and three hurries. That could put on an onus on George Karlaftis or Derrick Barnes or whoever is over him to both leverage a potential advantage when rushing the passer but also hold up against his strength, which might be run-blocking on the edge. The last thing Purdue wants is to allow KeShawn Vaughn a chance to turn the corner.
Georgia has outstanding athletes up front, we're sure, but based on Vandy's front's showing in Game 1, pass protection is a concern. The Bulldogs were credited with just two sacks and one hit on the QB, but 12 hurries on 25 pass attempts. Note: Pass attempts and drop-backs are not the same thing. Riley Neal did "scramble" twice.
• First-game starting quarterback Riley Neal, the Ball State transfer, did not complete a pass vs. UGA of 10 yards or more, going 0-for-4 on such attempts, none of them thrown to the middle of the field. Painting the picture of an offense designed for high school gym class where three completions in a row got you a new set of downs, Vandy was 14-of-15 passing combined between two zones: Middle of the field behind the line of scrimmage, and middle of the field between 0-9 yards, suggesting a bunch of screens. Neal threw four passes away, and for all I know, those might have been the four 10-plus-yard attempts.
• Vaughn, who you'll recall was nearly committed to Purdue out of high school before Illinois offered his teammate to get the package deal, ran for 78 yards on 15 carries against Georgia, coming off a season in which he ran for 1,244 yards and 12 scores and went berserk against Baylor in the Texas Bowl, rushing for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
Again, his success against Georgia came rushing off left tackle, Clemens' side. It was the only area of the front in which Vandy had success running the ball, and when they tried to go straight up the middle, PFF metrics suggest it went something like this ...
• Vanderbilt missed 10 tackles vs. Georgia, in PFF's view, with eight different players missing at least one.
• PFF's grading system can be compared to a plus/minus sort of measure, weighing positive-impact plays vs. negative. That said, three Vandy players on defense finished with what we'd call positive grades vs. Georgia — cornerbacks Cam Watkins and Dontye Carriere-Williams and linebacker Lashawn Paulino-Bell (who played nine snaps).
