This was the year that the Vanderbilt football program turned the corner under head coach Derek Mason. This was also the year that the offense made significant strides.
Those were two common beliefs during the preseason.
After a 13-10 home loss to South Carolina in the season opener, those beliefs are in trouble.
The Commodores have lost games before. This time around, it wasn’t so much that they lost, but how they lost.
Things started out harmless enough. Vandy controlled the time of possession and faced no legitimate threat from the South Carolina offense.
It was clear that the Gamecocks were fighting for anything that they could get on offense, so the Commodores continued to run the ball and play good defense.
Run the ball and play good defense has always been a consistent theme for Vanderbilt football.
But there’s also been another consistent theme throughout the years: making decisions that lack common sense.
It didn’t take long for that theme to enter the picture. After sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur led one of the best offensive drives of the Derek Mason era (a 13-play, 67-yard drive that was capped off with a Khari Blasingame rushing touchdown), the coaching staff proceeded to remove Shurmur from the game.
My first explanation for it went along with what many others believed: Shurmur clearly had to be injured.
Except that he wasn’t.
Replacing Shurmur with backup quarterback Wade Freebeck was predetermined. It was Vanderbilt’s plan going into the game, and despite a drive filled with nothing but rhythm and points, the staff was not deviating from that plan.
Being able to make the right adjustments is what separate good coaches from great coaches. So does winning games.
Mason’s body of work in Nashville is lacking both.
There must come a time where the gameplan is thrown out the window. Shurmur looked confident and comfortable during the drive that made you think Vandy had found something on offense.
To sabotage that by removing him from the game is bad coaching. There’s no other way to put it.
Yes, Shurmur struggled once he went back into the game. But it’s not shocking to understand why. All offseason, it was clear that Shurmur was “the guy.”
How was he rewarded? By being pulled from the field after his most efficient drive yet.
You know the saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Vanderbilt tried to fix what wasn’t broke, and in the process, ignored what was.
The early quarterback change didn’t decide the outcome of the game. The Commodores still had plenty of opportunities to put South Carolina away, but like so many other times in the past, couldn’t find a way to do it.
The Gamecocks made plays to win the game, and they deserve the credit for doing so. Will Muschamp is staring down a major rebuilding job in Columbia and his young team now has a huge boost of confidence going forward.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt sits in a familiar spot. Another excruciating loss, and another series of decisions that are hard to understand.
The first game of the season always provides an opportunity for momentum. The atmosphere was electric on West End prior to the game, and after dominating the game and building a 10-0 lead, the momentum showed no signs of disappearing.
And then with one predetermined move that lacked awareness of the situation, it did.
The Commodores are not the most talented team in the SEC. However, there’s enough pieces on both sides of the ball to win games.
It’s the job of a coach to put his talent in the right positions to win games. Mason and company made moves against South Carolina that made you wonder if that will ever happen.
From pulling his quarterback to play calls that screamed “play not to lose,” Mason’s approach was ineffective.
The good news is that there are 11 games left in the season. The bad news is that Vanderbilt will play few teams that are as young and experienced as South Carolina.
There’s still time to turn things around. But for that to happen, the team’s approach has to change.
And it all starts at the top.
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.