Vanderbilt football grades vs. Georgia: UGH for another shutout against UGA
ATHENS, Ga.— Vanderbilt football got shut out by Georgia on Saturday for the second straight season, 55-0. While the Commodores' defensive struggles have been well-documented, it was the offense that no-showed at Sanford Stadium.
Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-3 SEC) now must take whatever lessons it can from the Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0) before playing Missouri next week.
Here's how we graded the performance:
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Offense: F
Vanderbilt couldn't consistently move the ball, especially when it came to the run. Part of that was because the Commodores were down to just two healthy running backs, but the offensive line also couldn't open holes. Quarterback AJ Swann was frequently under pressure and often threw off target, with two near-interceptions.
One of the two drives where Vanderbilt did move the ball, wide receiver Jayden McGowan lost a fumble in the red zone. Georgia scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession.
The Commodores had just 150 total yards and 49 rushing yards in the game.
Defense: D+
Compared to the Commodores' game against Ole Miss, they were better able to keep explosive plays in check, made better halftime adjustments and got more pressure on the quarterback. But Georgia was still able to move the ball downfield methodically through accurate moderate-length passes by quarterback Stetson Bennett, and unlike against the Rebels, Vanderbilt was unable to force any turnovers.
The third quarter was better than the first two as the Commodores forced two field goals and sacked Bennett twice, and Vanderbilt did force a punt in the first quarter. It also didn't help that the defense was constantly on the field, giving the Bulldogs more time to score points. Georgia did rack up slightly fewer yards (579) than Ole Miss (589) and fewer yards per play (7.4 vs. 9.9). Thus, the grade here is better than it was last week.
Special teams: C-
Matt Hayball put on a show, with four punts of 50 yards or more, though Vanderbilt also allowed some long returns. The killer was that Joseph Bulovas missed a 44-yard field goal just before the half in the Commodores' best chance at scoring points.
Coaching: C
The defensive coaching in this game was better than against Ole Miss after Nick Howell moved from the sideline to the press box, as some halftime adjustments did work. But the offensive coaching seemed too conservative at times, with the Commodores often opting to run on early downs when Vanderbilt was struggling to run the ball.
Shortly before the half, the Commodores had seven seconds left and one timeout and opted to try the field goal instead of running one more play — either an end-zone shot or one that could've at least resulted in a closer try. Instead, the field goal was missed.
Overall: F
Vanderbilt had a chance to avoid the second straight shutout but missed a few opportunities in the first half. The second half saw the defense's performance tick up a bit but the offense got even less going than before. While the defensive performance was arguably improved from Ole Miss, the overall performance was worse.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football grades vs. Georgia: UGH for shutout against UGA
