5 keys to victory for Texas vs. Vanderbilt

Word around this Texas football team is that players are hungry, focused, and ready to get back on the field after suffering their first loss of the season last week.

The No. 5 ranked Longhorns (6-1, 2-1 SEC) make their first trip to Nashville since 1925 to take on No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1 SEC). The game kicks off at 3:15 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Texas and Vanderbilt are in the thick of an SEC title race featuring seven teams with less than two conference losses. Although a loss on Saturday does not officially knock the loser out of SEC/CFP contention, it will give them zero wiggle room the rest of the way.

The last time we saw Texas take the field after a regular season loss, they were nearly upset as a 23.5-point favorite against Houston. These Longhorns are looking to avoid that fate and come out of Nashville with a clean, wire-to-wire victory.

Here are five keys to victory for Texas vs. Vanderbilt.

Texas football keys to victory vs. Vanderbilt 1. Establish the run

When Texas lost projected RB1 CJ Baxter and true freshman Christian Clark to injuries in fall camp, it was naive to think the running game would not take a hit. However, I do not think anyone predicted Texas would struggle to the extent they have on the ground.

The Longhorns are averaging 166.1 rushing yards per game, good for 52nd in the country. In last Saturday's loss against Georgia, Texas carried the ball 27 times for 29 yards (sack adjusted, this jumps to 17 carries for 64 yards). Coach Sarkisian abandoned the run game early, a mistake that resulted in his quarterbacks facing pressure all night.

At its core, a Coach Sarkisian offense wants to dominate you with the running game. The aforementioned injuries have hampered this room, but pairing Tre Wisner, Jaydon Blue, and Jerrick Gibson with one of the best offensive lines in the country should result in more ground-game success.

Against Vanderbilt, look for Coach Sark to challenge his team to physically establish themselves with a heavy dose of runs in the first quarter. The Commodores rank 75th in the country in opponents' yards per rush and were gashed to the tune of a combined 74 carries for 373 yards in their two losses.

The playmakers in the Vanderbilt defense occupy the two safety positions. Coach Sark and this Texas offense should look to establish the run to draw the safeties down and attack over the top as the game progresses.

2. Contain Diego Pavia

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has played a lot of football.

After two seasons as the starting quarterback for New Mexico Military Institute and two seasons as the starter for New Mexico State, Pavia is on the brink of leading the Commodores to its first winning season since 2013.

Watching Pavia play, he looks like a hard-nosed, old-school running back. The fifth-year senior leads Vanderbilt with 470 yards rushing this season, thanks largely to the creative packages drawn up by offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

Despite Pavia's proclivity on the ground, he is no slouch when it comes to throwing the football. He is completing 66.2 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and just one interception. Of SEC quarterbacks who have taken at least 100 dropbacks this season, Pavia ranks fourth in yards per attempt at 9.0.

Pavia is a smart, instinctive quarterback capable of leading his team against any competition. The Texas defense must neutralize Vanderbilt's leader.

3. Win on the money downs

Football often comes down to how you play on third and fourth downs and in the red zone. In the loss to Georgia, the Longhorns finished a combined 3-20 on third and fourth downs. It was a truly abysmal performance.

The Vanderbilt defense has struggled on third down this season, allowing opponents to convert 43.9 percent of the time (15th in the SEC). Despite its struggles last weekend, the Texas offense ranks sixth in the conference in third-down conversion rate.

This will all come down to staying ahead of the chains and opening up the whole playbook for Coach Sark. I have confidence Texas bounces back in these situations.

Conversely, the Vanderbilt offense is No. 1 in the SEC, converting over 51 percent of third downs. The Texas defense is fifth in the conference and No. 10 nationally in third-down percentage.

This is a duel featuring strength on strength. Can Texas come out on top?

4. Come out with aggression

I have little doubt this Texas team will use the Georgia loss as anything but fuel to attack the rest of the season. This veteran-laden squad knows that all its preseason goals are still on the table.

Vanderbilt has found success this season by controlling time of possession and dragging opponents down into a fight in the mud. Texas must avoid this trap by playing its style of football.

This is not your dad's Vanderbilt team. The Commodores are 5-2 (2-1) with wins over Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia Tech. They are two plays away from being 7-0.

However, Texas is too experienced and focused to fall into a letdown spot, especially after its first loss of the season. It doesn't hurt that Vanderbilt has the No. 25 next to its name, either.

The longer this game stays competitive, the tighter things get on the Texas sideline. Coach Sark's squad must come out playing aggressive football and put to bed any Vanderbilt thoughts of another massive upset.

5. Get Ewers' confidence back

Quinn Ewers' first-half performance may have been his worst showing since that fateful Saturday in Stillwater two seasons ago. He finished the half 6-12 for 17 yards and two turnovers.

After his late first-half benching, the fourth-year signal caller bounced back in the second half with 194 yards and two touchdowns. However, he never seemed comfortable against a swarming Georgia defense.

Despite Coach Sark's postgame comments reaffirming his commitment to Ewers as QB1, the second-quarter benching did no favors for fan and media discourse surrounding the Texas quarterback room.

Regardless of his performance the rest of the season, Ewers will never silence the Arch crowd. He has his coach to blame for that.

However, I fully expect Coach Sarkisian to seek to atone for his mistakes by putting Ewers in incredibly advantageous situations on Saturday. A strong performance against Vanderbilt before a bye week to get fully healthy for the season's home stretch would go a long way for his confidence.

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