The most glaring problem Vanderbilt has had the first half of this season has simply been a lack of progress.
The same penalties, the same red zone inefficiencies, the same slow starts, week after week.
And as a result, a 2-4 record and another bowl trip looking about as likely as Tim Tebow converting to Islam.
Part of that’s on the players, but a lot of that rests on the coaching staff that has shown a consistent inability to formulate a sensible offensive game plan for their beleaguered players.
They are simply not being put in position to succeed.
Unimaginative play-calling in the red zone has been a particular frustration, leading to a terrible 14-21 (67 percent) conversion rate, a major reason why the Commodores have yet to crack double digits in a conference game.
The bottom line is the offense under coordinator Ted Cain has been not just the worst in the conference, but among the worst in the nation over the last two seasons. But evidently, Jimmy Kiser has handled the play-calling duties this year.
Whoever is doing it needs to listen up.
Use your tight ends. Give Larry Smith the chance to complete intermediate-range, high-percentage passes. Let’s stop putting him and his receivers in unmanageable third-down situations.
Don’t always run on first down. As Rex Kramer said in the classic movie “Airplane!”, “that’s just what they’ll be expecting us to do.”
And when the Commodores get in the red zone, stop hyperventilating and put the ball in the air. Because running the ball against a stacked box has consistently resulted in getting stuffed, amazingly enough. Helps explain the whopping one rushing touchdown the Commodores have scored in their four losses.
The bottom line is, we need to loosen up on offense. If the status quo was not enough to take down Army, mighty as the Black Knights may be, I have a feeling it won’t work against the likes of the SEC East.
