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Vanderbilt must shake off Derek Mason’s unimpressive debut, reacquire momentum
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Derek Mason said his team would take a business-like approach at Vanderbilt this season, winning with defense and a strong running game.
He even believed the Commodores could compete for an Eastern Division title this year on the heels of consecutive nine-win seasons.
“Why settle for ten (wins) when you can have 11? That’s the way I think. That’s the way I wake up. That’s the way I want my team to be. Dream big, you can accomplish big things. Dream small, you fall short,” Mason said.
All that was uttered during ‘talking season’ and like coaching colleague Steve Spurrier, Mason was humbled last week as a double-digit favorite in the season opener.
Following the Commodores’ 30-point stinker against Temple, the Owls’ first victory over a team from the SEC since 1938, Vanderbilt’s rookie coach took the brunt of defeat.
“I put this on my shoulders,” Mason said.
Accountability’s commendable, but what’s next for the defensive-minded leader with a broken offense?
Improving as a whole starts with execution and generating some sort of production after Karl Dorrell’s unit turned it over seven times and managed just 13 first downs against an opponent coming off a 10-loss season.
The offense’s ineptitude centered at the quarterback position where the Commodores never settled on a passer. Patton Robinette was benched for Stephen Rivers who was later benched for Johnny McCrary.
The trio completed 16 of 34 passes for 224 yards, no touchdowns and three picks for an average QBR of 9.5.
Only six FBS quarterbacks had a lower Week 1 rating.
Yuck.
It’s only one loss, but Vanderbilt’s already teetering on a return to irrelevancy during Mason’s infancy at the program. Parlaying momentum gained by James Franklin was priority No. 1 this season and thus far, there’s hardly any of that juice remaining.
Vanderbilt’s a 20-point underdog against Ole Miss on Saturday and judging by last week’s lackluster effort against one of the nation’s worst defenses, first downs will come at a premium vs. the Rebels.
The Commodores need a competitive game to act as a useful stepping stone, but another flop sends Vanderbilt back to the bottom.
