The Hustler sports staff grades the Commodores on all aspects of their 34-10 loss to Georgia on Oct. 17.
Quarterbacks: C
Redshirt sophomore Larry Smith completed 11 of 26 passes for 121 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He once again struggled early hooking up with his receivers, and his inability to complete more than half his passes hurt the offense’s flow, although much of that was due to him running for dear life due to poor protection. Smith also rushed for 32 yards. Mackenzi Adams came in with the game no longer in doubt and performed well, albeit against a prevent Georgia defense.
Running backs: B-
Freshmen Warren Norman (14 rushes, 52 yards) and Zac Stacy (nine rushes, 39 yards) were not difference makers in the game, but they did decently. Kennard Reeves saw action late but only caught two passes for 11 yards.
Wide Receivers: B-
Redshirt sophomore tight end Brandon Barden had a fine game, catching five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, but no Commodore wide-out had more than two catches. It was disappointing that a Georgia secondary that was sliced up by Tennessee’s Jonathan Crompton and his receivers the weekend before kept Vanderbilt receivers bottled up.
Offensive Line: D
Smith took three sacks and was constantly facing pressure from the Georgia pass rush in another underwhelming performance from this unit, and except for an impressive touchdown drive at the beginning of the second half, the Vanderbilt running game was held in check.
Defensive Line: C+
Senior Greg Billinger led the unit with four tackles and a sack, and redshirt senior Broderick Stewart had a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry after he leveled Georgia quarterback Joe Cox. This group did a solid job of getting pressure on the Bulldogs until near the end of the fourth quarter, when they spent nearly 11 minutes on the field.
Linebackers: B
Redshirt sophomore Chris Marve and senior Patrick Benoist continued their fine play, leading the Commodores with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Georgia exposed the unit’s lack of speed on some crossing routes when they were forced into pass coverage, and like the line, seemed to peter out in the fourth quarter.
Secondary: B-
Georgia standout receiver A.J. Green had one big play, a 65-yard touchdown on a screen where he simply ran away from Myron Lewis, but he was held to just two other catches. Sophomore Casey Hayward had a terrific interception in the end zone in the first quarter to put a charge into Vanderbilt Stadium.
Special Teams: D
Other than a nifty fake punt where senior Brett Upson ran for a first down on fourth-and-7, this unit was abysmal. Kickoff and punt coverage teams were awful, letting the Bulldogs get huge yardage to give the Georgia offense a short field on several occasions, including on two of their touchdown drives. Redshirt freshman Ryan Fowler tied his career high with a 41-yard field goal for Vanderbilt’s only first-half points.
Coaching: C
It was nice to see the tight ends finally get more involved in the passing game, but the fact that the Commodores could only muster 10 points against Georgia still reflects poorly on the offensive play-calling. The fake punt was a gutsy move that showed they aren’t afraid to try some risky maneuvers once in a while, but why a quarterback draw on fourth-and-three? Also, can we get a moratorium on the Wild Stallion formation? Given that everyone and their mothers knows who’s getting the ball and that Vanderbilt’s running it in that scheme, perhaps we can mix it up with some passing to keep defenses honest.
David Namm and David Shochat contributed to this article.
