Austin Peay at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt controls this game by staying out of obvious passing situations, leaning on Alexander, and giving Curtis or Berlowitz defined throws to Sherrill while the line settles. Defensively, the Commodores can tilt field position if Miles Capers creates negative plays and the secondary limits explosives. Austin Peay’s route is narrower but clear: protect the ball, prevent Vanderbilt’s front from wrecking drives, and make the Commodores repeatedly convert third downs instead of gifting short fields. On defense, the Governors need pressure without exposing the secondary and must turn any early quarterback hesitation into turnovers. Keeping the game compressed into fourth-quarter possessions would give Austin Peay its strongest path to control.