OLD DOM-VANDY
Time: 7 PM ET
Spread: VAN -7
Total: 48.5
Betting odds courtesy of Bookmaker
It has been bad for SEC Vanderbilt this year. The Commodores are just 2-6 and have dropped all five of its SEC games. This week against Old Dominion could provide some relief. Vandy is 7-point favorites at home in a game college football oddsmakers are not expecting to be a shootout with the college football odds set at a total of 48.5
Make no mistake though, the total is set low because neither of these teams are very good. Vandy averages just 17.1 points per game due to a dreadful offense that averages just 166 yards per game. Defensively, the story isn’t much better, with Vanderbilt surrendering 32.8 points to opponents.
Last week, Vandy dropped to Mizzou for its fifth conference loss, losing 24-14. In that contest, Vandy had just 240 yards while allowing Mizzou 385 and 9-of-16 on third down. A big reason for the struggle is that Vandy starts a freshman quarterback in Johnny McCrary, who has thrown for just 54 percent completion while throwing more INTs (4) than TDs (3). He’s only played two games thus far, and he put up decent stats against a nobody team in Charleston Southern. This week will represent a test for McCrary since he could potentially exploit a bad Old Dominion defense. Of Vandy’s four QB rotation, it is likely McCrary emerges as the go-to option.
Old Dominion has close to the worst defense in college football, allowing 40.5 points per game. Offensively the Monarchs aren’t bad. The rush offense gets 290 yards per game, helping the Monarchs average 33.1 points per game. But that defense! The Monarchs have surrendered 40 points or more in all but two games, wins over Hampton and Eastern Michigan. Last week, the Monarchs allowed Western Kentucky to put up 66 points in a shootout that the Monarchs still lost by 25 points.
QB Taylor Heinicke has been great, with 2,286 yards on a 63.2 percent completion ratio. He has 21 TDs to just 10 INTs, being heavily used within the Monarch’s attack. He’s also rushed for 82 yards on the season. In the backfield, the Monarchs have two backs with over five yards per carry, but only Ray Lawry has been finding his way into the end zone with regularity (see: 11 TDs).
At WR, the Monarchs have six players over 100 yards receiving, including Antonio Vaughan with 653 yards and nine TDs. Zach Pascal has also caught for 563 yards with five TDs. The Monarchs have 21 receiving TDs on the year, and RB Gerard Johnson has functioned well as a dual threat, with 119 yards receiving on the year, though he has not scored a TD via the pass yet.
