2006 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Preview

Welcome to the official MadduxSports.com 2006 Vanderbilt Commodores NCAA season preview. Like we do each and every season we have inspected and broken down the team, you can also find the 2006 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Schedule here. If you plan to bet on NCAA football be sure to use expert College football picks from Maddux Sports as well as bookmark our free college football lines page offering up to the minute point spreads for the weekly schedule.

Coach: Bobby Johnson (5th year at Vanderbilt)
Team Name: Commodores
2005 Overall Record: 5-6
2005 SEC Conference Record 3-5
Returning Starters: 12

QB Jay Cutler, the 2005 SEC Offensive Player of the Year and perhaps the best Vanderbilt football player ever, is gone. Who will ever replace him?

It looks like the job goes to the inexperienced but athletic sophomore Chris Nickson. Nickson will have experienced receivers, including the elusive and explosive Earl Bennett (70 REC. 876 YDS, 9 TDS). Freshman receiver Alex Washington shows promising speed and senior Marlon White ably finds open field.

TB Cassen Jackson-Garrison (5.6 YDS/Carry, 8 TDS) can find the hole and is also a capable pass catcher. Much of the OL is back and should be solid.

On defense, new line coach, Ricky Logo, is entrusted with developing a much better defensive line, which last year could not stop the run or pressure the QB. Senior Chris Booker (3 sacks) will anchor the line. The starting linebacking corps is solid but the corners are a big question mark.

Vanderbilt won 5 games last season behind Cutler. Seventy-two percent of the team’s offensive came through the air. Can Nickson do that? And if he can’t, will the running game be able to compensate? Vanderbilt opens against a superior Michigan squad and then meet Alabama and Arkansas. If they can upset one of those clubs, the Commodores should win at least 5 again this season.

Vanderbilt Commodores 2006 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Road
Sep 2	Michigan	Road
Sep 9	Alabama	Road
Sep 16	Arkansas	Home
Sep 23	Tennessee State	Home
Sep 28	Temple	Home
Oct 7	Mississippi	Road
Oct 14	Georgia	Road
Oct 21	South Carolina	Home
Oct 28	Duke	Road
Nov 4	Florida	Home
Nov 11	Kentucky	Road
Nov 18	Tennessee	Home

 

For more data on the 2006 Vanderbilt football program, view the Commodores team website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the SEC competition.