Vandy can't keep up in loss to Yellow Jackets

Vanderbilt Commodores 2009 ... Head Coach: Bobby Johnson

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2009 Record: 2-7

9/5 W Carolina W 45-0
9/12 at LSU L 23-9
9/19 Miss St L 15-3
9/26 at Rice W 26-17
10/3 Ole Miss L 23-7
10/10 at Army L 16-13 OT
10/17 Georgia L 34-10
10/24 at S Carolina L 14-10
10/31 Georgia Tech L 56-31
11/7 at Florida
11/14 Kentucky
11/21 at Tennessee
11/28 OPEN DATE

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2008 Record: 7-6

8/30 at Miami Univ. W 34-13
9/4 South Carolina W 24-17
9/13 Rice  W 38-21
9/20 at Ole Miss W 23-17
9/27 OPEN DATE
10/4 Auburn W 14-13
10/11 at Miss St L 17-14
10/18 at Georgia L 24-14
10/25 Duke L 10-7
11/1 OPEN DATE
11/8 Florida L 42-14
11/15 at Kentucky W 31-24
11/22 Tennessee L 20-10
11//29 at Wake Forest L 23-10
Music City Bowl
12/31 Boston College W 16-14

Vanderbilt Commodores

Oct. 31
Georgia Tech 56 … at Vanderbilt 31
The two teams traded big blows in the first half with Vanderbilt getting Zac Stacy touchdown runs from three and 62 yards and Warren Norman scores on an 11-yard catch and a 80-yard kickoff return, while Georgia Tech kept up with two short Josh Nesbitt touchdown runs and touchdowns from Demaryius Thomas on a 35-yard catch and a 13-yard Jonathan Dwyer run. The Commodores took the lead in the second half on a 23-yard Ryan Fowler field goal, and then it was all Georgia Tech and all the running game with Dwyer running for two three-yard scores and Embry Peeples taking a pass 87 yards for a score as part of a run of 28 unanswered points. Tech finished with 404 rushing yards.
Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 22 times for 186 yards and three scores.
Vanderbilt: Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 12-22, 152 yds
Rushing: Zac Stacy, 8-75, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon Barden, 3-31
Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-13, 193 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 22-186, 3 TD, Receiving: Damaryius Thomas, 4-76, 1 TD
What It All Means: Vanderbilt might have gotten its doors blown off by the Georgia Tech running game, but no one has any answers for it. At the very least, the Commodore offense finally showed some signs of life with a big first half as it traded shot for shot with the team that will likely win the ACC championship. However, now the hope for a bowl game is over and the season is only going to get worse with road games at Florida and Tennessee still to deal with. As bad as the D was, Chris Marve was terrific making 18 tackles. 

Oct. 24
at South Carolina 14 … Vanderbilt 10
South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia connected with D.L. Moore for a 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter on a juggling grab, but Vanderbilt responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a score from Warren Norman. The Commodores took a 10-7 lead on a 21-yard Ryan Fowler field goal, but the Gamecocks responded with a 43-yard Alshon Jeffery touchdown catch in the fourth. USC outgained Vandy 431 yards to 132.
Player of the Game: South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 161 yards and a score.
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 16-33, 132 yds
Rushing: Warren Norman, 14-83, Receiving: John Cole, 4-37
South Carolina: Passing: Stephen Garcia, 22-33, 312 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kenny Miles, 18-102, Receiving: Alshon Jeffery, 8-161, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The defense bent but rarely broke, but the problem against the Gamecocks was the same problem the team has had all season long … scoring. For the fourth straight game, and the sixth time this year, the Commodores scored fewer than 14 points. Warren Norman ran well, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, but he only got 14 carries with Larry Smith and Jared Hawkins each playing big roles in the ground game. Turnovers were the reason why Vandy didn’t win … they didn’t force any. If the Commodores aren’t at least +2 against a team like South Carolina, they can’t win.

Oct. 17
Georgia 34 … at Vanderbilt 10
Georgia had few problems with the struggling Commodores as Joe Cox connected with A.J. Green for a 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter and Caleb King on a 21-yard play in the fourth to get ahead and stay there. Vanderbilt got creative with several trick plays, and pulled within seven on a five-yard Brandon Barden touchdown catch in the third, but the Bulldogs scored the final 17 points of the game and the Commodore offense was shut down. Georgia outgained Vandy 399 yards to 296.
Player of the Game: Georgia WR A.J. Green caught three passes for 95 yards and a score.  
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 11-26, 121 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 14-52, Receiving: Brandon Barden, 5-49, 1 TD
Georgia: Passing: Joe Cox, 16-31, 226 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Washaun Ealey, 13-71, Receiving: A.J. Green, 3-95. 1 TD 
What It All Means: Larry Smith can’t throw. He’s never going to be Peyton Manning, but he has to hit at least half his passes if he’s not running effectively. The Commodores had their chances against the Bulldogs, but they couldn’t get on the board late and the defense had a rough second half. With South Carolina up next, the offense has to come up with points early. The Gamecocks don’t have a high-octane attack, and a few scores will make it interesting. However, forget about a bowl game now with Georgia Tech, at Florida, and at Tennessee still on the slate.

Oct. 10
at Army 16 … Vanderbilt 13 OT
Alex Carlton nailed a 42-yard field goal in overtime after Vanderbilt fumbled away its possession into the end zone. Carlton also connected on field goals from 51 and 23 yards away, and Trent Steelman ran for a two-yard score. Vandy answered the TD run with a kickoff return for a touchdown, but the Commodore offense never got into the end zone settling for two Ryan Fowler field goals. Vandy was burned by three turnovers and 12 penalties.
Player of the Game: Army QB Trent Steelman completed 7-of-16 passes for 47 yards, and he led the team with 97 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 11-24, 144 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 15-62, Receiving: John Cole, 5-56
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 7-16, 47 yds
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 25-97, Receiving: Damion Hunter, 5-21
What It All Means: Simply and utterly disastrous. The Commodores couldn’t afford to lose to Army and have any hopes of a bowl game, and now it’s over. The offense is a disaster, failing to run efficiently on a mediocre Knight defensive front, while the run defense failed to handle the option time and again. This was supposed to be the breather, and now it’s going to take a mega-upset to get a win the rest of the way. To have any chance against Georgia, Larry Smith has to be far better and far more efficient after completing just 11-of-24 passes for 144 yards with two interceptions.

Oct. 3
Ole Miss 23 … at Vanderbilt 7
Jevan Snead threw three interceptions, but he also threw three touchdown passes with two short ones to Shay Hodge and a 12-yarder to Brandon Bolden as Ole Miss had a 23-0 lead. Vanderbilt got a seven-yard Udom Umoh scoring grab in the third quarter, but couldn’t overcome 12 penalties and a horrific day from the passing game. Ole Miss came up with four sacks and harassed Vandy QB Larry Smith all game long.
Player of the Game: Ole Miss WR Shay Hodge caught eight passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 10-27, 69 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 14-86, Receiving: Udom Umoh, 3-27, 1 TD
Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 19-34, 237 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 16-89, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 8-122, 2 TD 
What It All Means: Vandy needs breaks to get the offense moving, it got those breaks with three interceptions against Ole Miss, and it couldn’t take advantage. The offense is horrendous at throwing the ball, now coming in last in the nation in passing efficiency as Larry Smith isn’t getting anything going deep. Field position is a must for a team that just can’t handle a long field, and having the SEC’s worst punting game continues to be a problem. With Army up next, the Commodores must come up with a win or the season might be over. There aren’t going to be any layups the rest of the way.

Sept. 26
Vanderbilt 36 … at Rice 17
John Cole scored on a 31-yard reverse to start the Vandy ground game rolling and Warren Norman and Larry Smith kept it going as Norman ran for a 58-yard touchdown dash and Smith scored on a six-yard run. The game was tied at ten thanks to a 48-yard Charles Ross touchdown run for the Owls, but Vandy went on a 20-point run before Toren Dixon caught a 12-yard scoring pass. The Commodores forced four turnovers and ran for 268 yards.
Player of the Game: Vanderbilt DB Myron Lewis made six tackles and two interceptions
Rice: Passing: Ryan Lewis, 6-18, 64 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Charles Ross, 7-63, 1 TD, Receiving: Toren Dixon, 4-40, 1 TD
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 23-41, 268 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 11-119, 1 TD, Receiving: John Cole, 7-67
What It All Means: Vandy is going to win games on running, turnover margin, and defense, but Larry Smith threw well chucking for 268 yards and an interception against Rice. Going forward, the Commodores are going to need a little more offensive balance, and while Smith isn’t going to throw well against everyone, he at least has to provide the threat. It’s not going to be an efficient passing game with Ole Miss up next, but it has to be effective on third downs. 

Sept. 19
Mississippi State 15 … at Vanderbilt 3
Tyson Lee ran for a 22-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Sean Brauchle kicked field goals from 44, 27, and 49 yards away, and the defense held Vanderbilt to just a 20-yard Ryan Fowler field goal, to give Dan Mullen his first SEC win as the MSU head coach. The Bulldog offense held on to the ball for over 38 minutes, while Vanderbilt struggled to get anything going on the ground with just 33 rushing yards and 157 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon ran 21 times for 123 yards
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 12-32, 124 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Warren Norman, 7-26, Receiving: John Cole, 3-32
Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 8-14, 66 yds
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 21-123, Receiving: Leon Berry, 3-17
What It All Means: Basically, Larry Smith couldn’t carry the entire offense on his shoulders against Mississippi State, with the running game unable to come through when the passing game sputtered. The Commodore passing game hasn’t shown up yet this season, while the ground attack has to get rolling against Rice to be fully tuned before dealing with Ole Miss. When the offense isn’t working, everything else has to be in line. The punting game and the return game are awful; the Commodores can’t afford to not be great in all the little areas. 

Sept.12
at LSU 23 ...  Vanderbilt 9
Keiland Williams started off the scoring wit a six-yard touchdown run, and he locked up the game for LSU with a 14-yard scoring dash with just over 6:01 to play. The Tiger defense held the Commodores to a six-yard Larry Smith touchdown run, but the offense struggled all night coming up with three Josh Jasper field goals in between the two Williams scoring runs. LSU outgained Vandy 326 yards to 210.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Vanderbilt CB Casey Hayward made 13 tackles with five tackles for loss.
LSU: Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 20-29, 138 yds
Rushing: Keiland Williams, 10-72, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon LaFell, 7-38
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 11-24, 88 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Zac Stacy, 20-89, Receiving: Austin Monahan, 3-25
What It All Means: Vanderbilt is going to be offensively challenged, it was last year and it doesn't have enough pop to do much this season against the better defenses, but the D is going to pop some teams in the mouth. LSU struggled to get its offense going with the Commodore defense getting production from all over the place to make things happen behind the line and to keep the game close, but Larry Smith and the offense has to do something well. Against Ole Miss, the Commodores will have to take more chances if the D isn't forcing turnovers.

Sept. 5
at Vanderbilt 45 ... Western Carolina 0
Vanderbilt came up with its first shutout in a decade while dominating offensively. Larry Smith connected with Justin Green for a 46-yard touchdown to kickoff the scoring, and Warren Norman ran for two short scores on the way to a 28-0 lead after three quarters. The Commodores ran for 433 yards and five scores, while WCU gained just 41 rushing yards and went 0-for-13 on third down conversion chances.
Player of the Game: Vanderbilt RB Zac Stacy ran 20 times for 133 yards and a score.
Western Carolina: Passing: Zack Jaynes, 13-25, 74 yds
Rushing: Michael Johnson 13-46, Receiving: Michael Johnson, 3-15
Vanderbilt: Passing: Larry Smith, 10-18, 153 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Zac Stacy, 20-133, 1 TD, Receiving: Brandon Barden, 3-38
What It All Means: Talk about being tuned up for the big date at LSU, Vandy was nearly flawless in the scrimmage against Western Carolina. The key was Larry Smith and his accuracy, and while he wasn't always on, he did enough with his revamped receiving corps to get by. Zac Stacy and Warren Norman provided a nice 1-2 rushing punch with Jared Hawkins hurting, while Smith added 66 yards of rushing. The Commodores aren't going to go back to being SEC pushovers.