How Vanderbilt football's revamped pass rush could make Commodores more competitive in SEC

The line in front of the Friends' Treat ice cream truck parked just shy of an end zone at the Vanderbilt football practice field Wednesday was one deep.
Defensive end/linebacker Miles Capers was the one.
Long after most of his teammates had disappeared inside, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior picked out his dessert and took in his surroundings.
That Capers is at training camp, dressed in all black like the rest of his mates on defense, is a treat for the Commodores. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Vanderbilt and its pass rush, in turn, missed Capers.
The Commodores allowed the most points per game (36) in the SEC last season. They also gave up the highest pass completion percentage (64.4) and most passing touchdowns (2.4) per game while recording the fewest total sacks (17) in the league. Not to mention they gave up the most yards (461.33), touchdowns (54) and yards per play (6.95) to go along with the second-most completions (21.4) and passing yards (290.5) per game.
"Oh, man, now you have edge guys who can rush," Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black said. "It opens up so much more. Believe it or not we have two off the edge; now you start to see more from your inside guys because they're so freed up."
Capers joins a revamped group of pass rushers that will look different and includes eight players listed at 6-5 or taller. Six of those players are freshmen, sophomores or transfers. The idea behind the makeover was to try to shift some of the pressure put on the secondary back to opposing quarterbacks.
That means more than just sacks. That means hands in faces, in passing lanes, on quarterbacks. The Commodores forced just 27 QB hurries last year.
"That's the name of the game, 'How can you affect the quarterback?' " Black said. "It's not just getting him on the ground. How can we harass a quarterback, get our hands in those throwing windows and press the cage?"
Commodores defensive ends coach Jovan Haye agreed that part of the game is paramount, especially when it comes to SEC play. Vanderbilt finished 2-6 in that department last year, last place in the East and tied for worst in the 14-team league.
"This conference, it's a different conference," Haye said. "The guys up front, we had to get bigger, faster, stronger, longer. We're at a point right now, it's still a young front, but we truly believe we have more depth than we've ever had since Coach (Clark Lea) got here."
Part of that depth is a one-year-older, one-year-wiser Capers.
While the Sumter, South Carolina, product didn't take the field last season, the field still occupied a good portion of his attention. He said his rehab time doubled as a study time of sorts. He watched extra film, gained a better fundamental understanding of his responsibilities.
"Still getting mental reps on the sideline," he said. "The spirit on the team really kept me going. The mental part was knowing I can get better from this situation every day."
Capers said his mind was a bit apprehensive about testing his body when camp began last week. But just over two weeks shy of a year to the day since his injury, Capers said he feels 100% - a number he assigned to his health and his confidence in his teammates.
"It's something you go through to get back," he said. "So I took it on the chin and just kept pushing."
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Now the idea is for players such as Capers, Darren Agu, Brayden Bapst, Nate Clifton, Jacob Katona, Devin Lee and company to help Vanderbilt's pass rush avoid taking it on the chin.
"He's come back ready," Agu, a defensive end, said of Capers. "He's been dominating one-on-ones, winning his one-on-ones, making plays. I'm happy with what he's shown so far."