We grade Vanderbilt on all aspects of its 14-10 loss to No. 23 South Carolina Saturday night.
Quarterback: B
Larry Smith finished 17-34 passing for 132 yards and also rushed for 54 yards in his steadiest performance in weeks. His receivers and tight ends didn’t give him much help in this one, as they dropped several passes including a sure touchdown.
Running backs: B+
Warren Norman was impressive, gaining 96 yards on just 16 carries. Jared Hawkins returned to action but was mostly ineffective, rushing for just nine yards and catching three check-down passes from Smith for 11 yards.
Wide receivers: D
Iron hands and nothing going downfield told the story for the Commodores. The normally sure-handed Brandon Barden had three drops, including one in the end zone, but he led the unit with two catches for 52 yards. John Cole was the best receiver with four catches for 39 yards, including a critical third-down conversion on Vanderbilt’s last-ditch drive.
Offensive line: B-
The line did decently for the most part in the running game and Smith was not nearly as harassed as last week. But the line folded at the critical moment at the end of the game, allowing South Carolina to force Smith into an intentional grounding and force a near-impossible fourth-down conversion to seal the defeat.
Defensive Line: B+
Welcoming back Steven Stone for the first time from injury, the line got generally good penetration until South Carolina’s big scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Greg Billinger continued his fine senior season, getting a sack for the second straight game to give him the team lead with 3.5, and Adam Smotherman also came through with some big plays of his own. Pass-rushing specialist Broderick Stewart had three quarterback hurries.
Linebackers: A-
Patrick Benoist had seven tackles, including a huge sack of Stephen Garcia on fourth down to give the Commodores a lift near the end of the fourth quarter. This unit tackled well the whole game and never let South Carolina’s running game get going.
Secondary: D
Garcia slang the ball all day against the normally stout Vanderbilt secondary, passing for 312 yards (a season-high allowed by the unit) and two touchdowns. Backed up on his 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, Garcia completed a 43-yarder over Myron Lewis’ head, who got burned several times on the day, and he later converted on third-and-20 for the game-winning touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffrey. Just before the big score, Joel Caldwell let a pass that Garcia threw up for grabs for an easy interception go right through his hands.
Special Teams: A-
Norman’s sweet 99-yard kickoff return was Vanderbilt’s sole touchdown and Alex Washington had several solid punt returns of his own. Brett Upson and the coverage units had a huge day, averaging nearly 49 yards per punt, including a 64-yarder and two others that pinned the Gamecocks at their 1-yard line. Ryan Fowler’s missed 26-yard field goal came back to haunt the Commodores, however, as they would have needed only three points at game’s end to win had he connected on that chip shot.
Coaching: B
This was the best Vanderbilt had played in weeks, and kudos need to be given to Bobby Johnson, having his battered players emotionally and physically ready for a team that was licking their chops for revenge.
What continues to be frustrating is the inability to finish drives by the goal line. The Commodores had the ball inside the 10-yard line twice and got three points to show for it. Vanderbilt simply does not have a “win-at-all-costs” mentality, continually going the conservative route and continually losing as a result. Even so, Vanderbilt had a shot to beat a superior team at the end and came up just short. In what has been a trying season, that’s at least a small cause for hope.
