The Vanderbilt Commodores must maintain their strength against the stingy Texas defense

The Vanderbilt Commodores to have shocked many people across the country this year with their surprising competitiveness in big games.

However, their success does not come from coincidences, rather a methodical approach that will be put through the ringer on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns.

When previewing the Top 25 matchup: Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus spotlights one specific way that has led to the Commodores playing great football: their clock management.

“Vanderbilt has won all five games in which it has won the battle for possession. The Commodores have lost the two games in which they have not. So far this season, they have the 11th highest average time of possession in the country,” said the writers. “The Longhorns should be up for the challenge. In addition to having the nation’s top defense, Texas also possesses the third-highest defensive grade in late downs, trailing only Notre Dame in EPA per allowed game in third and fourth place.”

Anyone who has seen the Vanderbilt offense work this season knows it comes down to the clutch genes that star quarterback Diego Pavia exhibits. He has earned his reputation as a ‘giant killer’ pulling up when it matters most and push the Commodores over the edge.

Pavia can get the job done with both his arm and his legs. While he has a tons from long runs he can easily pick up 10 yards when it matters most. That kind of grit is exactly what it takes to win games as an underdog.

He has an adjusted completion percentage of 74.5% on third and fourth downs this season.

Despite the increase in the skill level of his opponents he has seen since coming over from the New Mexico State Aggies, he is has actually gotten better since coming to the SEC.

Vanderbilt’s 52.1% conversion rate on third downs is good for seventh in the nation. Their fourth down conversion rate actually rises to 75%, ranking them 13th in the country. I thought it was a relatively small sample size after only four attempts.

The problem is that as good as the Longhorns are at converting, they are also good at stopping.

Texas has allowed just 30 third down conversions on 104 attempts this season, which is good for 10th in the nation. They rank 45th in fourth downs, but still allow less than half of attempts to be successful.

Vanderbilt’s impressive time of possession will be put to the test as they face a defense that is talented at taking teams off the field.