# SEC Football Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores at Georgia Bulldogs

**Published:** 2026-09-27 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield
**Category:** games — **Type:** game-preview
**Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/vanderbilt-commodores-at-georgia-bulldogs-sec-football-preview

**Teams:** [Georgia](https://secscouts.com/georgia/), [Vanderbilt](https://secscouts.com/vanderbilt/)


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## Matchup Overview

No. 15 Vanderbilt visits No. 2 Georgia on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Sanford Stadium. The game has a clear storyline for early October: an undefeated Georgia team trying to stay perfect in the SEC, against a ranked Vanderbilt team trying to get its first conference win.

Georgia comes in at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play. That puts the Bulldogs near the top of the conference standings and close to the top of the national rankings. A Thursday win at home would give Georgia a 3-0 conference record and keep it in control of its SEC path.

Vanderbilt is 3-1 overall but 0-1 in the SEC, so this game matters more to the Commodores. A second conference loss would make the rest of their SEC schedule a lot harder. A road win over the nation's No. 2 team would be one of the biggest results of the season in the conference and would change how people see Vanderbilt's No. 15 ranking.

The production numbers are closer than the rankings suggest. Vanderbilt's three leading producers average a combined 451.8 yards per game. Georgia's top three average 429.5. The Commodores have the edge on paper. The question on Thursday is whether that edge holds up in Athens.

## Keys to the Game

**Vanderbilt: Get the full workload from its top two**

Vanderbilt's offense depends heavily on two players. Jared Curtis averages 186.5 yards per game and Tyler Ebel averages 176.3. Together they account for 362.8 yards per game. The Commodores need both at or near those numbers to keep pace on the road. If Georgia limits either one, Vanderbilt loses a large share of its offense.

**Vanderbilt: Use its third option**

Blaze Berlowitz, at 89 yards per game, gives Vanderbilt its clearest statistical edge in this game. He averages 21.7 more yards per game than Georgia's third-leading producer, Nate Frazier (67.3). If Georgia focuses on Curtis and Ebel, Berlowitz is the player who can make the Bulldogs pay for it.

**Georgia: Let Gunner Stockton set the tone**

Gunner Stockton leads all six featured players at 188.5 yards per game. Georgia's offense runs through him. A game at or above that average, in front of the Sanford Stadium crowd, would put steady pressure on Vanderbilt to keep up.

**Georgia: Keep the production balanced**

Drew Miller's 173.7 yards per game give Georgia a second major threat behind Stockton. When both are producing, the Bulldogs have 362.2 yards per game from two players. That is almost exactly Vanderbilt's 362.8 from Curtis and Ebel. Georgia doesn't need to win this game with one player. It needs Stockton and Miller both contributing.

## Key Matchups

**Gunner Stockton (188.5 YDS/game) vs. Jared Curtis (186.5 YDS/game)**

The game's leading producers are separated by just 2 yards per game. Each is the centerpiece of his offense. Whoever comes closer to his season average on Thursday will likely put his team in position to win.

**Drew Miller (173.7 YDS/game) vs. Tyler Ebel (176.3 YDS/game)**

The No. 2 producers are almost even too, with Ebel holding a 2.6-yard edge. This matchup shows how balanced the top of these rosters are. The team that gets more from its second option will have the advantage.

**Blaze Berlowitz (89 YDS/game) vs. Nate Frazier (67.3 YDS/game)**

This is the widest statistical gap among the featured players. Berlowitz gives Vanderbilt more depth in production than Georgia gets from Frazier. For Georgia, a bigger game from Frazier would remove one of Vanderbilt's clearest advantages.

**Home field vs. road production**

Vanderbilt's combined 451.8 yards per game from its top three is the best number on the board. Producing that total at Sanford Stadium against a 4-0 Georgia team is a harder task than producing it over the first four games of the season.

## Players to Watch

**Vanderbilt: Jared Curtis — 186.5 YDS/game**

Curtis leads the Commodores and is within 2 yards per game of Stockton for the top average in this matchup. Vanderbilt's chances of an upset depend largely on whether Curtis can put up his usual numbers on the road against a top-two team.

**Georgia: Gunner Stockton — 188.5 YDS/game**

Stockton has the highest average among all featured players and is the engine of an unbeaten Georgia team. A performance at his usual level would make it very hard for Vanderbilt to take over the game.

## Prediction

The numbers say this game should be close. Curtis and Stockton are 2 yards apart, and Ebel and Miller are 2.6 yards apart. Vanderbilt's depth edge through Berlowitz (89 YDS/game) is real and gives the Commodores a way to stay in the game.

Georgia has the undefeated record, the home crowd and the most productive player on the field in Stockton. Vanderbilt needs to win the depth battle, and Georgia needs to win its top-end matchups. The pick is Georgia, with Stockton and Miller producing near their averages and Georgia's home field deciding a close game in the second half.

**Prediction: Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 24**

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*Original article: [SEC Football Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores at Georgia Bulldogs](https://secscouts.com/news/vanderbilt-commodores-at-georgia-bulldogs-sec-football-preview) — SEC Scouts*