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Pavia and Alexander may not need to play a full four quarters on Saturday if all goes well. Imagn

Three Matchup Thoughts: Vanderbilt vs Charleston Southern

Originally posted on Vanderbilt Commodores on SI
By Joey Dwyer | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Nashville---Vanderbilt takes the field for the first time on Saturday as a 36.5-point favorite over Charleston Southern and feels as if it still has plenty to prove coming out of a 7-6 season in 2024.

Here's three things to note as Vanderbilt takes the field for the first time in 2025.

Vanderbilt should win significantly on the line of scrimmage

Clark Lea said in June that this is his best offensive line thus far and has said throughout the offseason that his defensive line could be improved–and is at the very least deeper. Here’s the first test for those two groups to live up to the billings that they’ve been given.

Charleston Southern’s offensive and defensive lines have significantly less imposing bodies and depth than Vanderbilt’s do, so if Vanderbilt has a difficult time with them it could indicate trouble.

Perhaps the closest thing to a real indicator of what Vanderbilt’s offensive line has is what it does in the first and second quarter. The depth on Charleston Southern’s defensive line will likely wear down pretty quickly, but if Vanderbilt looks like a group with some continuity and is capable of pushing guys around early, it would be a successful day for that group. The same theory applies to its defensive line.

Could it be Blaze Berlowitz’ Time?

Berlowitz hasn’t seen the field since taking over for Pavia in the 2023 Conference USA Championship Game–which New Mexico State ultimately lost to Liberty–but could see his first action at Vanderbilt on Saturday if things get out of hand.

The Vanderbilt backup quarterback had an up and down camp that demonstrated his ability as a pure thrower, but also his flashes of poor decision making that could keep him off the field. Berlowitz has appeared to take a step forward in maturity since he arrived on Vanderbilt’s campus in the spring of 2024 as its fourth-stringer, though.

Who knows if the maturing that Berlowitz did throughout the offseason could lead to him getting a start in Diego Pavia’s absence, but it appears as if it will get him some reps on Saturday if all goes well.

Vanderbilt’s starters have to take care of their business first, though. The bigger the lead they build on Charleston Southern, the quicker Berlowitz can get his opportunity to get out there and show what he can do.

Perhaps the Biggest Question; Does Vanderbilt Bring It Like It Needs To?

Vanderbilt has the ability to run Charleston Southern off the field quickly as a result of the talent gap, but it’s also got the ability to let it hang around far too long. Lea acknowledged last season that his group was good enough to compete with anyone if it brought the proper intensity and focus, but that it could “leave it up to chance” against anybody if it looked over them.

Charleston Southern likely won’t beat Vanderbilt even if Lea’s team doesn’t come out with the intensity that it should, but that could be the difference between Vanderbilt making a week one statement and putting out some bad tape ahead of its trip to Virginia Tech.

Perhaps what matters more than that is what a good day on Saturday would say about this Vanderbilt team. A good outing could indicate the effect of its leadership. A bad one could set Lea off and indicate that there’s still plenty he has to instill mentally within his team.

This article first appeared on Vanderbilt Commodores on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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