5 players on Vanderbilt every Alabama fan should know ahead of Week 4
Alabama and Vanderbilt are set to square off in Bryant-Denny Stadium for a Week 4 matchup that features the undefeated Crimson Tide and a 3-1 Commodores team.
The last time these two programs faced off was during the 2017 season and a young Tua Tagovailoa made his college football debut. That game ended with a final score of 59-0. Alabama went on to win the College Football Playoff national championship.
Before Vanderbilt makes its way south to Tuscaloosa, there are a few players that Crimson Tide fans should get familiar with.
Here are five Vanderbilt Commodores that you need to know before the Week 4 matchup.
AJ Swann and Mike Wright (QBs)
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AJ Swann and Mike Wright are both quarterbacks for the Commodores. Which one will Alabama see, or potentially see more of? Who knows. However, they both share similar passing statistics, with Swann being slightly more effective on per-completion statistics. That being said, Wright comes in at second on the leaderboard for rushing yards. He has 32 attempts for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Given Alabama’s lack of success against quarterbacks that can escape the pocket and take off, Wright could be an issue for the Crimson Tide defense.
Ray Davis (RB)
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Davis leads Vanderbilt in rushing yards and ranks No. 3 in receiving yards. On 65 attempts, he has 362 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He has also reeled in 12 passes for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Will Sheppard (WR)
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There is a clear favorite in the wide receiver room at Vanderbilt. Will Sheppard has reeled in 23 passes, while the next-highest number is 16. Sheppard averages over 13 yards per reception and leads the team in receiving yards with 313 and touchdowns with seven.
Anfernee Orji (LB)
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Overall, the Vanderbilt defense is rather unimpressive. Though Orji’s stats are not wild on their own, they stand out above the rest of the defense. He has a team-high total of 39 tackles with one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. No one on the team has more than one sack and there has only been a single interception on the season for the Commodores.
Joseph Bulovas (K)
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Joseph Bulovas should be a name familiar to most Crimson Tide fans, as he was the Alabama kicker before transferring to Vanderbilt. In 2022, he’s perfect on extra points and field goals (21/21 XP, 2/2 FG). His longest of the season so far has been 35 yards.
