Three Vanderbilt Football Keys: Vanderbilt vs Charleston Southern

Nashville---Vanderbilt takes the field for the first time in 2025 as 36.5-point favorites over Charleston Southern, but it will have to bring it in order to cover that spread.

Here's the keys to a significant victory for Vanderbilt football.

Intensity 

With the talent gap–and the 36.5-point spread–that’s present here, the only way a team like Charleston Southern can hang with Vanderbilt is through flawless execution on the perimeter or Vanderbilt believing that it’s already won the game before it enters the field. 

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has told his group since the beginning of last season that it’s good enough to beat anyone on its best day–like it did last season against No. 1 Alabama–but is also not talented enough to assume anything–like it did prior to its loss to Georgia State last season. 

If Vanderbilt’s going to run away with this thing, it’s got to be as sharp as it would be against anyone else. Charleston Southern is likely its least daunting opponent of the season and this looks to be a warmup game on paper, but a successful day for Vanderbilt looks like a day with no reps off, very few penalties and very few mental lapses. 

It’s likely going to win either way, but the best outcome for it would be a convincing enough win to get its starters some reps. 

Win the one-on-ones 

Charleston Southern coach Gabe Giardina believes in his quarterback Zolten Osbourne and says that he’s the “most important” player on the field for his team. As a result, he’s abandoned the option and is transitioning towards a more pro-style offense in order to maximize Osbourne’s strengths. 

Vanderbilt isn’t seeing any SEC caliber receivers on Saturday, but it will face off against an offense that doesn’t have much tape out there in its current state. It will likely win the game in the trenches–if it doesn’t, then that’s a major concern–but how much it wins the game by will come as a result of how consistently its secondary can win reps on the perimeter. 

Jamaal Richardson–who is entering his second season as Vanderbilt’s cornerbacks coach–appears to believe that his room has the flexibility to play more man coverage in 2025. Saturday will pose the first real test for it, though. 

Vanderbilt has also been crystal clear that it feels it needs to take a step forward in the downfield passing game as an offense if it’s going to build in more margin for error for itself in 2025. 

The Commodores wide receiver room appeared to be ahead of schedule in fall camp, but this is the real thing now. This is when games are won and lost. Vanderbilt doesn’t need a strong downfield throwing game to win on Saturday, but the most encouraging way it can pick Charleston Southern apart is with a big day from Diego Pavia through the air. 

Stay healthy, get out of there early

Vanderbilt could cover the 36.5-point spread, but could still have a bad day if there’s a significant injury to a player that isn’t all that replaceable. 

As long as Vanderbilt wins, its health is paramount in Saturday’s opener and is perhaps the most prevalent big-picture story to keep note of on Saturday. Vanderbilt’s face of the program guys have to get out of there with some confidence and enough health to be ready to go for its showdown in Blacksburg in week two. 

If things go really well, they’ll be out of there after a few series early in the second half and Lea gets to take a look at some of his depth pieces. Perhaps it’s finally the time for backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz to get his first game action at Vanderbilt. Maybe it’s time for freshman receivers Lebron Hill and Kayleb Barnett to show Vanderbilt fans what they can do. Could it be Prince Kollie’s time to make an impact on a game? 

That can only happen if Vanderbilt’s starters take care of their business first.