Here are some quick thoughts on Vanderbilt's season-ending loss to Tennessee.

The biggest positive I saw today was good play by linebackers Ethan Barr and Anfernee Orji.

I don't know how Pro Football Focus will grade Barr today, but by my eyes he was all over the field making plays today; that included a fourth-down stop and a pass break-up and ranked second to Orji in total tackles. Orji's 11 stops were one off Jeremy Banks's game-high 12 while his 2.5 stops for loss led both teams. Orji also forced a fumble and added a break-up.

Field position really mattered today and Vanderbilt didn't do well there.

Vanderbilt held the ball for 38:16 today, but one of the biggest reasons the Commodores lost was that they started their average drive at their 22, while the Vols started at their 46. Multiple that over 11 drives for Vanderbilt and 10 for Tennessee, and you can see how that adds up quickly.

As for why, the biggest reason for that is the next item on the list.

One of the two biggest discrepancies between the teams today was along the line of scrimmage.

Tennessee's not particularly known for its offensive or defensive lines right now, but it was clear the Vols had a huge edge on both lines of scrimmage. Where that graphically played out was in the running game, where the Vols out-rushed Vanderbilt in both total yardage (285-115) and in yards per carry (6.8 to 2.7). (FWIW, neither team had its top running back as Tennessee's Tiyon Evans and Vandy's Patrick Smith were both out.).

You could particularly see Tennessee get a bigger push as the game went on as the Vols were just bigger and more athletic and were able to push the pile several yards downfield.

On the other side, Tennessee had two sacks and Vandy had none, as coach Clark Lea lamented Vanderbilt's ability to get pressure.

The other was overall athleticism that translated into big plays.

Stop if you've heard this before, but Vanderbilt just doesn't have enough SEC-level athletes in its secondary and that made it easy for the Vols to win some footraces and other one-on-one athletic battles.

The stat sheet doesn't lie: Vanderbilt had four passing plays over 15 yards compared to Tennessee's four, but an astounding 16 runs of at least 10 yards compared to Vandy's three.

Vanderbilt missed right tackle Bradley Ashmore badly today.

Ashmore didn't play Saturday due to injury, and the 'Dores replaced him with Jason Brooks. Ashmore has graded as Vanderbilt's best offensive linemen this season, and you could see a difference with him not in the game.

Linebacker De'Rickey Wright didn't play due to a "coaches' decision" today.

Lea's big thing is trying to instill discipline where it's lacked before, and you're already seen some players either leave the program or spend some time on the bench for that. Today, Wright--who missed a couple of games mid-season for disciplinary reasons, but had since come back--didn't play, and that was incredibly disappointing.

The Commodores have to have more athletes like Wright. It'll be interesting to see if Wright and the staff feel this marriage is worth saving, or if one of the parties moves along, which is easier to do than ever thanks to the transfer portal.

I liked the uniforms today.

I thought the white tops with the striped sleeves were a classy look, especially paired with the best pants--the black with simple gold and white stripes down the side are classic--I've seen in a while. I also liked the "star-V" back on the helmet. If I had bones to pick, I think some white inside the star would add some nice contrast--the helmet is just too black--and stripes down the middle of the helmet would have been a great touch. But it's still a good combo and fans seemed to like it also.