Vanderbilt’s offense, which was absolutely tearing it up just one season ago, has straight-up fallen off a cliff. What was a top 10 scoring attack, ranking 8th in the country last year, has completely cratered to 103rd nationally, putting up a paltry 23 points per game. That’s a brutal drop, and it shows in every stat line.
Freshman QB Growing Pains and One-Dimensional Attack
The biggest question mark, and honestly, the biggest factor in this offensive slide, has to be freshman quarterback Jared Curtis. This kid was the #2 overall recruit, and you can see why with his 230-pound frame, big arm, and strong rushing ability. He famously chose Vandy over Georgia, so the talent is absolutely there. But man, he looks exactly like a true freshman thrown into the SEC meat grinder. He’s showing improvement as a passer, averaging over 11 yards per completion, which is legit. But you can’t ignore the 8 interceptions he’s thrown on just 224 attempts. That’s a pick nearly every 28 throws, and it’s killing drives.
His receiving options are pretty much a one-man show: Junior Sherrill. Sherrill is a beast, pulling in 56 catches for 747 yards. He’s a legitimate playmaker. But here’s the problem: the next leading receiver is running back Sedrick Alexander with only 17 catches. When an offense and its quarterback are that locked in on a single receiver, you become incredibly predictable and easy to defend. There are simply not enough other targets stepping up.
Running Game Stalls Out, Coach’s Scheme Under Pressure
It’s not just the passing game that’s struggling. The rushing attack has also taken a serious hit. Sedrick Alexander was a volume back last year, consistently hitting over 5 yards per carry. This season? He’s got only 333 yards and a 3.9 average. His change-of-pace guy, Makhilyn Young, isn’t breaking off explosive plays either. Even worse, Jared Curtis is getting a sheer amount of carries in the QB run game, which adds to the one-dimensional feel and puts a lot of pressure on a young quarterback.
Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck is back, and his “power-spread” scheme, which operates a lot out of the pistol, did some serious damage the last two seasons. He’s an interesting coach, having developed his system somewhat on an island, spending 30 years at Pittsburg State before making the jump to the big leagues. But with a totally turned-over offensive line and a freshman QB, his scheme is clearly struggling to replicate that success right now. Past Alexander and Sherrill, the rest of the offense is almost entirely new, and those personnel changes up front and under center are holding everything back. They’ve got to find a way to get the run game going and diversify that passing attack if they want to climb out of this hole.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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