We grade Vanderbilt on all aspects of its 27-3 loss to top-ranked Florida Saturday night.
Quarterback: C-
With Mackenzi Adams at the helm, the offense focused more on the passing game than it has all year, and it resulted in some solid midrange passing gains that helped open up the field. However, as soon as the offense reached its own 40-yard line, Adams’s accuracy seemed to wane, effectively killing the drives. As the game wore on, the passing game deteriorated even more.
Running Backs: B-
The highlight of the game on the offensive side was easily Warren Norman’s 30-yard run to set up Vandy’s only points. Beyond that, Norman had a pedestrian day, amassing 65 yards on 12 carries. Zac Stacy also turned in a solid game, rushing for 32 yards and keeping the Florida defense honest in the Stallion formation.
Wide Receivers: B
It’s hard to lay much blame on the receivers who had arguably their best game of the season thus far. They were often open, but the ball was rarely delivered accurately. Eight of the team’s receptions went for first downs, including two by John Cole in the type of performance that has come to be expected of the redshirt freshman.
Offensive Line: B-
Holding off pass rushers like Carlos Dunlap is not exactly an enviable assignment, yet the Commodore line held its own. While they rarely imposed their will on the Florida line, they gave Adams sufficient time to pass and opened up some wide holes on a few long rushes.
Defensive Line: A-
2009 Arkansas and 2007 Georgia are the only teams to ever sack Tim Tebow more often than Vanderbilt did, recording four sacks against the powerful and elusive quarterback. Steven Stone sacked Tebow once while T.J. Greenstone and Teriall Brannon combined for another. Despite all the penetration in pass rush, however, the defensive line failed to slow down the speedy Florida running backs.
Linebackers: C+
Despite some bright spots, including Patrick Benoist’s sack and a few energizing gang tackles, the linebackers struggled to contain Tebow and Jeffery Demps in open field. Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez had a field day, catching seven passes for 120 yards and seemingly getting open at will. That having been said, the game could have been a lot worse. Credit the linebackers for bending and not breaking.
Secondary: C+
The game plan was clearly to keep everything in front of the secondary, and the Commodores succeeded in that regard. There were very significant passing plays for the Gators, but consistent 7- or 8-yard gains set up shorter conversions for Tebow and Co. on third and fourth downs.
Special Teams: D+
Let’s start with the positive. Ryan Fowler converted on his only attempt. Warren Norman had a decent game but never broke loose against a very strong Florida kick coverage team. Brett Upson got off an impressive kick after an errant snap forced him to scramble away from pressure. Another errant snap resulted in Upson inadvertently taking a knee at the Vandy 19-yard line. Aside from the freak occurrences, Upson never really pinned Florida deep in their own zone despite ample opportunities to do so.
Coaching: B+
All things considered, head coach Bobby Johnson pulled out all the stops to put the Dores in a position to win, and the execution simply wasn’t there. This game was not lost on coaching as the right plays were called on offense, and the defense held Florida in check for two-and-a-half quarters. Certain things just can’t be controlled on a clipboard.
