Nashville, TENN--Vanderbilt lost its third-straight game on Saturday as it fell 36-23 to Tennessee.

Here's a breakdown of its offense in that matchup.

What went right

Vanderbilt’s biggest positive on Saturday came in the form of its running game, which generated just 3.5 yards per carry but was something it could rely on more throughout the day on Saturday than it had been able to in previous weeks.

When Clark Lea’s defense was able to get Vanderbilt’s offense a short field, it was able to convert as a byproduct of Sedrick Alexander and Diego Pavia’s legs. Alexander went for 60 yards on 3.5 yards per carry on Saturday.

Tim Beck’s offense also went 2-for-2 in the red zone.

Other than that…well.

What went wrong

Vanderbilt continued to take a step backwards relative to where it was offensively a few weeks ago.

That was easily seen in the Commodores’ passing game, which generated just 108 yards on a 47% completion percentage. A good portion of those yards were also generated once the game was already decided late in the fourth quarter.

A passing game like that won’t win. Ever.

Partly as a result of Vanderbilt’s lack of a downfield attack, it lost the time of possession battle 33:48-26:12 and saw Tennessee run 73 plays to Vanderbilt’s 49. To have a chance in a game like this, Vanderbilt can’t lose the ball control battle like that.

The Commodores’ offensive line certainly didn’t help Diego Pavia in his ability to move the ball downfield, either. Pavia was sacked three times on Saturday.

Vanderbilt’s numbers certainly weren’t gaudy, but it also didn’t seem to make the timely play. Perhaps Saturday would’ve had a different tune had Cole Spence avoided a timely drop or had Pavia not thrown an interception that would’ve put Vanderbilt up 24-7 had it been completed.

Instead Vanderbilt is left to do some soul searching.

Grade: D

Vanderbilt didn’t generate a score in seven of its 10 drives on the afternoon and didn’t move the ball particularly impressively all day.

Ultimately 23 points was never going to be enough to win this game, especially with how Vanderbilt struggled to control the ball.

MVP: Sedrick Alexander

Alexander wasn’t a standout within the context of the game, but was Vanderbilt’s leading rusher and most productive offensive player.

That’s a step forward for the sophomore running back, who has been bottled up for the majority of the last month.