3 problematic Vanderbilt players vs. Texas

The No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores (5-2, 2-1 SEC) face No. 5 Texas football (6-1, 2-1 SEC) and head coach Steve Sarkisian this weekend is a pretty crucial matchup to the top half of the SEC standings. A win for Vanderbilt would mean that head coach Clark Lea's squad is a very serious contender in the SEC this fall, entering the stretch run in November.

Top Vanderbilt players driving Commodores success entering Week 9 vs. Texas football in a key top-25 SEC matchup

Vanderbilt is having a historically good season, including starting 4-0 at home for the first time in over four decades (since 1982). The Commodores are 3-1 against P4 opponents, including two wins in SEC play and a victory in the season opener on Aug. 31 over the Virginia Tech Hokies from the ACC.

Sarkisian and the Longhorns have a tough task ahead to travel to Nashville to face a team that upset the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium just a few weeks ago. Texas needs a big bounce-back victory after coming up short against the Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 30-15 last weekend in Austin.

Texas must bring more intensity and physicality in the trenches, along with a better overall performance on offense with quarterback Quinn Ewers sparking that side of the ball, against a solid Vandy team on Saturday afternoon.

Here are three problematic Vanderbilt players that the Longhorns must be prepared for on the road in Week 9.

Eli Stowers, TE

Arguably, the two top SEC tight ends will meet on the field this weekend for the Longhorns and Commodores in this critical in-conference battle in Nashville. Redshirt sophomore Eli Stowers leads all SEC tight ends in receiving yards, yards after the catch, and receiving grade.

Stowers is one of the key cogs that makes Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck's offense operate at such a high level. Most people think of Vandy's offense and believe that it is primarily driven with success on the ground with the rushing game. But Vanderbilt's passing offense is generating more yards per game and more first downs than their ground game.

Beck and Stowers joined standout dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia, coming from New Mexico State to Nashville, TN, and Vanderbilt last offseason. Stowers is a big 6-foot-4 and 230-pound tight end who threatens opposing defenses in multiple ways, including out of the slot and on the outside as more of a traditional possession receiver.

Stowers is not only Pavia's top receiving target, but he also leads the team in money down and red zone targets. He's a matchup nightmare for opposing linebackers and safeties, with his combination of length and speed and ability to line up from multiple spots on offense pre-snap.

Texas senior tight end Gunnar Helm, meanwhile, ranks second in the SEC in receiving yards and second in yards after the catch. Helm had a huge stretch in the last couple of weeks, reeling in 11 catches for over 150 receiving yards and one touchdown catch, in the games against Oklahoma and Georgia.

The injury to junior Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond has opened the door for receivers like Helm and freshman Ryan Wingo to get more targets in the passing game from Ewers in the last couple of weeks.