Here's a look at what happened on offense in Vanderbilt's 31-6 loss at Ole Miss.
What went right
A 43-yard catch-and-run (mostly, run) by wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb on its third possession got Vandy to the Rebel 10. It was VU's only play of over 20 yards all evening.
That set up a Ryley Guay field goal. Guay, who hit field goals of 22 and 43 yards and remains perfect this season.
What went wrong
Justice Shelton-Mosley dropped a kickoff around the VU 2, allowing Ole Miss the time to get downfield and tackle him at the 7. VU then got a false start before its first snap, starting the possession at the 3.
Even when things went right, they didn't for long. Vanderbilt ran Ke’Shawn Vaughn twice for a net of a yard, then, a time out, followed by a behind-the-line-of-scrimmage pass to Lipscomb that went for no game, forced a punt, which Ole Miss got at its 44. Vaughn got a 15-yard personal foul when the ‘Dores had the ball at the Rebel 10, wrecking a chance of a touchdown.
The rest of the evening... well, let's just keep it short: It was a replay of everything wrong we've seen all year. Uncreative play-calling and near-complete unwillingness to throw downfield, no blocking for Vaughn, untimely penalties, poor clock management, etc.
Player of the game
Kalija Lipscomb caught seven passes for 69 yards. He's far and away VU's leading pass catcher with 30 for 337 yards this season
Final grade and analysis
Other than the fact that Guay managed to convert most of his opportunities, it was a miserable evening in every sense. The Commodores couldn't manage a touchdown, averaged a pathetic 3.6 yards per snap and other than giving fans a new story line to discuss in the way of a quarterback controversy--Deuce Wallace (7 for 16, 62 yards) played the fourth quarter--were about as uninteresting to watch as anyone can fathom.
Grade: F
