The Longhorns head to Nashville for their first SEC road game.
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns have an opportunity to close the current phase of the season with some momentum and the ability to get healthier during the bye week. The only thing standing in their way are the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores, who have already pulled off some big upsets this year as they climb out of the SEC cellar.
To start the month, they knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide, setting up an exciting month under head coach Clark Lea. They then beat Kentucky the following week — not necessarily an upset but an opportunity to show that the Alabama win wasn’t just a fluke. Now, Lea and his crew hope to pull off one last October upset and take down a reeling Texas team.
On the Texas sideline, all of their previous goals are still ahead of them, still very much in the race for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff, but the loss to Georgia took all the margin they had for the year. Now, for Texas to control its own path to the championship games, it must take care of business every week.
- No.5 Texas vs. No.25 Vanderbilt: Four matchups to watch
- No. 5 Texas vs. No. 25 Vanderbilt opponent preview: Commodores hoping to pull off another upset
The strongest aspect of this Commodores offense is their ability to stay on the field and sustain long drives, mainly due to the emergence of their dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia. They do most of their work in the run game, both with Pavia, and running back Sedrick Alexander, an Austin LBJ product. They also have the ability to cut apart defenses in the short and intermediate passing game with their talented tight end Eli Stowers.
- Three Keys: No. 25 Vanderbilt hopes to employ the classic upset playbook against No. 5 Texas
- No. 5 Texas vs. No. 25 Vanderbilt advanced stats preview
- Staff Roundtable: Analyzing Sarkisian’s bold QB move against Georgia and previewing Vanderbilt
I didn’t have Texas running the table this year and I entered the season hoping they would be able to split the back-to-back of Oklahoma and Georgia. That has come to fruition, so I still ultimately feel fine about the team as long as they can handle business down the back stretch of the schedule. People seem to forget that the playoff field is 12-teams this go-round. A 1-loss Texas or even a 2-loss Texas (I hope that isn’t the case) could still make the field. Just reset mentally and find ways to win from week to week.
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How to Watch
TV: SEC Network
Time: 3:15 PM Central
Radio: Texassports.com. Broadcasts are also available on Sirius 132, XM 199, and App Ch. 953
Online Streaming: WatchESPN
Odds: Texas -17.5, according to FanDuel
Weather: High of 66 degrees and partly cloudy