Vanderbilt’s excruciating 20-17 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, a game where Vanderbilt held a lead of 10 points and let it slowly slip away, brought to mind a similarly frustrating athletic contest of my own. As a senior on my high school’s tennis team, I knew as the playoffs started that the last match of my career could always be approaching. So, when I got the call to start at singles in the state tournament, I knew I had to play like I had nothing to lose. During the warm-ups for the first round of state, I could tell my opponent was not only a harder hitter but also probably a better player. Due to my being a finesse player, the only way I would be able to beat him, I decided, would be to play loose, mix up my shots, and take some risks. I knew I could not just sit back and play not to lose and let him make the mistakes. It worked, at first, as I took the first set 6-0, and my opponent was visibly upset and surprised at being unable to defeat a weaker opponent. I was delighted. A definite upset victory was in my grasp. But in the second set, again with an early lead, I tensed up. I started playing conservatively, hitting off my back foot and hoping my opponent would screw up and hand me the victory. I had my opportunities to make good plays but I was afraid to make mistakes. My team bailed me out as I am not sure I would have wound up winning that match and could have cost our team a state playoff victory. Since the match was called after my team won three other matches, I garnered a technical victory, at 6-0, 6-5, but I was frustrated with myself for not truly closing the deal. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I would have won that match 30 minutes earlier if I had continued to play to win, instead of playing not to lose. Back to this game. Vanderbilt came in after a bruising 35-7 loss at Auburn and facing UGA, a ranked opponent out for vengeance for last year’s upset victory in Athens. So in the first half, Vanderbilt’s offense played like it had nothing to lose and kept the Bulldogs off balance. The rotating quarterback duo of Mackenzi Adams and Chris Nickson was effective, as they played efficient, mistake-free football. Plays like a triple reverse to D.J. Moore for a 39-yard gain, or a handoff to quick wide receiver Sean Walker that scored a touchdown, were the sort of unusual offensive maneuvers that can drive defensive coordinators crazy. And lo and behold, the Commodores entered halftime with a 10 point lead after scoring 17 unanswered points. A second straight upset over the Georgia Bulldogs after last year’s thriller in Athens was in the making. Perhaps it was that exciting prospect that led to the debacle of the second half. Maybe they put too much faith in their defense. In any event, Vanderbilt tensed up and let the game slowly slip away. After Georgia marched down the field on its first possession in four minutes for a touchdown to narrow Vanderbilt’s lead, it seemed as though the Commodores thought they could pull off the victory by simply not losing. Not so in the Southeastern Conference. Not against a stronger, ranked opponent. This was where Vanderbilt needed to keep up its intensity, keep being a risk-taker and seize victory, just the way I should have against my superior tennis opponent. Instead, the Commodores froze up. Seemingly terrified of making a mistake, three straight runs on their first drive resulted in a punt, and their next drive went just 10 yards. Their first pass attempt of the half was a simple screen pass to Earl Bennett that still resulted in a fourth down; everything else was a quarterback keeper or a tailback handoff. Although Georgia could not score either, the combinations of a couple Bulldog first downs and Vanderbilt’s three-and-outs finally resulted in the Commodores being pinned on their own ten. Yet another Vandy three-and-out gave Georgia excellent field position and they finally kicked a field goal to tie the game. The entire process was like watching a slow-motion train wreck; I hoped that Vandy’s stout defense could hold Georgia but after a while it seemed inevitable that the Bulldogs would come back. The comeback seemed to remind Vanderbilt that covering the spread was not the same as winning this game. On their ensuing possession, Adams hit George Smith for a 39 yard pass, just their fourth pass and second completion of the half. A couple of runs seemed to be setting up another dramatic game-winning field goal, and it seemed despite the Commodores would escape. Instead, running back Cassen Jackson-Garrison, instrumental last year in setting up that 33-yard game-winner in Athens, fumbled near the goal line. Georgia recovered, drove down the field, and kicker Brandon Coutu knocked in a 37-yard field goal as time expired to seal Vandy’s collapse and Georgia’s homecoming revenge. No doubt Garrison will bear the brunt of the blame for this loss for his gaff when the game was on the line. The truth is it should never have gotten to that point. A 10 point lead over a ranked team on Homecoming Day is a wonderful thing. It also means absolutely nothing unless the clock reads 0:00 in the fourth quarter. The team needed to keep playing like it was trailing, like it had nothing to lose. As for me, winning the first set of my match over a strong player was a great accomplishment. As for helping my team win the first round state playoffs, it was similarly meaningless until I took the second set and won the match. Georgia wasn’t brilliant in the second half, but they came out playing hard. “We never wavered,” said Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. “We never gave up. We came out pumped up and ready in the second half.” Vandy didn’t. And they lost. A close loss, but still a loss that greatly dampens any shot of getting into that elusive bowl game. Playing not to lose is recipe for drawn-out disaster. Vanderbilt can learn a very bitter lesson from this game.