The 3-2-1, post-Kentucky

Here are three observations, two questions and a prediction following Vanderbilt's 38-14 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

1. Here are Derek Mason's thoughts before the season, contrasted with what he expressed after Saturday's loss to Kentucky.

General expectations for the season:

July 18: "Personally I'm looking forward to the start of preseason camp because this is the deepest squad I've had in my six years at Vanderbilt. I expect to see competition across the board as we start fall camp."

Nov. 16: "And Vanderbilt's always going to go in waves. It just is. There's going to be cycles of bowl teams and opportunities. It's not going to be an every-year opportunity, unless, unless these guys get it young and we hit it hot. I mean, there's going to be waves and cycles in this deal, and I'm just in a wave right now.

"I'm just in a wave and cycle where we're not where we want to be, but we just got to continue to keep pushing."

On tight end Jared Pinkney:

July 18: ""Unfortunately in his first game [of 2015], he had a shoulder injury and ended his first season as a Commodore. But now, he's a fifth year senior, and let me tell you every time he stepped on the field, he's done nothing, but get better.

"You're going to see the best of Jared Pinkney. He may be the best inline blocking tight end and pass catching tight end in the country, and I make no bones about that."

Nov. 16: "Reasons why he can't get the football? I don't know. I say, I say often, football finds energy, and Pinkney's working hard. I just don't know why he's not getting the ball."

Regarding quarterbacks:

July 18: With the departure of Kyle Shurmur to the NFL, Deuce Wallace and Riley Neal are competing for the starting job. They have similar skill sets and different strengths.

"Deuce is a skilled athlete. He is very familiar with our offense. Riley comes in having starting 32 games at Ball State where he completed 60 percent of his throws for 7400 yards.

"The fact is with Mo Hasan and Allan Walters, there's more talent in the quarterback room today than at any other time in my tenure as head coach.

Nov. 16: "And, obviously, quarterback, okay, that's what we have to focus in on because without a quarterback in this conference it makes it really tough to be able to manage your offense and win games.

"Whether we, whether we're West Coast or whether we're spread, okay, it's still dependent on a trigger man who can deal it and spin it."

On the defense:

July 18: Defensively, we're bigger, longer, deeper, faster, smarter. I expect this year to improve in Jason Tarver's second year as coordinator. We have numerous returning players who saw significant playing time last season. We expect all of them to make great strides this fall.

"Since the bowl game, we've emphasized tackling, stopping and run, third down efficiency and red-zone efficiency. These areas continue to be a point of emphasis for this defensive unit."

Nov. 16: '[We] could not tackle very well. I thought they ran through tackles, through arm tackles, and just extended drives and extended plays. They were good on third down where we couldn't get off the field.

"Again, it goes back to tackling. We had guys at times 7-, 8 yards in front of the chains and they run through us.

"And again, I mean, it's just not strong enough right now. And that's something that as a young defense, or a fairly young defense with some of those older guys -- or with some of those younger guys on the back end, okay, you got to bring your eyes hands and feet.

"And when you don't, you can't make tackles, you can't tackle bigger, thicker guys in this conference and that's just the way it is."

On strength and conditioning:

July 18: "Our conditioning staff lead by James Dobson has done a fantastic job this offseason. We have seen unbelievable gains in strength, size and speed. James and his staff continue to create greater intensity, consistency and culture within our program.

"In conclusion, our team success will be determined by the performance of our offensive and defensive fronts. I believe we're better on both sides of the ball, but it's time for the offensive line, defensive line and linebacking corps to help carry this ball club in 2019."

Nov. 16: "But the weight room's got to be important. That's what you know about this conference. It's a line-of-scrimmage league."

On this season's schedule:

July 18: "When you talk about the schedule, and where we're at, I love the schedule. I really do. It gives this team a chance to test itself early. You know, you want to – if you think you have a good football team, what you want to do is be tested early. ... We get a chance to test ourselves early, these games with Georgia, Purdue, okay, LSU, two of those at home I think would do this football team some good and give us a chance to see what the Commodores have in 2019."

Nov. 16: "Starting the season 0-3 definitely didn't help it. And when you look at 0-3 teams here at Vanderbilt, they haven't gone on to do very well. So, the odds are against us."

2. Here are PFF grades for players who had at least 50 snaps this year and last--there are 26 of them--compared to those grades this year.

Players are listed in order of most-to-least improved, according to PFF grades.

* Watkins played last season at Illinois.

** Neal played 2018 at Ball State.

3. Vanderbilt's eight losses have all come by 17 points or more.

Only one other time in program history--1978, under coach Fred Pancoast--has that happened. That squad lost all nine of its games by at least 21.

The 1978 team lost, on average, by 30.6 points; this year's squad's losses have come by a 27.0-point average.

Pancoast was fired following that season.

Vanderbilt has two other seasons in which it lost nine times by double digits. The most recent was in 2010, when interim coach Robbie Caldwell lost nine times by at least 14 points, with an average margin of 25.4.

Pancoast's replacement, George McIntyre, lost nine times by double digits, with an average defeat of 27.2 points in his debut season.

Other seasons in which the Commodores lost exactly eight times by double figures:

- In 1980, McIntyre lost by double figures eight times, by an average of 26.4 points. One was by 10 and another, by 14.

- Watson Brown lost eight games by double-figures in 1986, coming by an average of 18.9 points.

- Bobby Johnson lost eight games by double digits in his last season (2009), all coming between 11 and 25 points). The average loss was by 17.6 points.

- In 2014, coach Derek Mason's first year, eight of VU's nine losses came by at least 10 points. Two came by exactly 10, and another, by 14.

1. Will quarterback Mo Hasan play again this year?

The answer: I doubt it, but I may know more later this week.

The word is that Hasan would like to play, but still hasn't been cleared by Vanderbilt.

Hasan, who has suffered multiple concussions in his career, has one appearance this season. He started and helped VU to victory over Missouri on Oct. 19.

2. Will Pinkney catch another pass this season?

The preseason All-American, went his third-straight game without a reception on Saturday.

There's more playing time coming for cornerback Tre' Douglas.

Douglas was VU's most highly-regarded corner in a 2018 recruiting class that, by Vanderbilt standards for defensive backs, was considered a tremendous haul at the time.

Douglas played 12 snaps Saturday--his first 12 on defense in his career--and scored a 74.1, the second-highest grade on the team. The highest belonged to linebacker Brayden DeVault-Smith, who had a 75.0 in 13 snaps.

*****

- Talk about it inside the COMMODORE WAR ROOM

- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST on Libsyn

- Subscribe to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL

- Follow us on Twitter: @VandySports, @ChrisLee70, @SeanW_Rivals, @CoachDavidSisk, @JAngel_Rivals

- Like us on FACEBOOK

- SUBSCRIBE to VandySports.com