It was difficult to figure which Vanderbilt unit struggled the most in a lopsided 38-7 defeat Saturday. Despite Vanderbilt’s offensive answer to an early Georgia Tech score, the Commodores couldn’t keep it up, and the defense was only worse, as it allowed 401 yards by the end of the third quarter.

After a quick start, the only thing that slowed the Georgia Tech offense was a couple of chop-block penalties early in the second quarter.

What it means: With two losses in its first three games, Vanderbilt is facing an uphill climb to restore order. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur has shown flashes of quality play in all three games, but it hasn’t been sustained. The defense, which entered the season looking to carry the team to a bowl game, was exposed against an outside rushing game that will only offer a blueprint to SEC opponents.

What I liked: Despite the rough start, Vanderbilt responded in quick order when Kyle Shurmur led a 75-yard drive in 11 plays as he found Kalija Lipscomb for a 10-yard touchdown. Shurmur was 4-for-5 on the drive, which missed Ralph Webb (who had just one carry on opening drive) on a couple plays because of an equipment problem. Shurmur and Co. picked up three third downs along the way. But after that, plays that were featured on that opening drive were few and far between.

What I didn’t like: It took Georgia Tech just 20 seconds into the game to score after Marcus Marshall caught a pass and went 81 yards for a score. It was the longest pass in quarterback Justin Thomas’ career. It appeared to be a case of Vanderbilt singularly-focused on the Yellow Jackets’ option attack, and the first play being a pass surprised the defense. It was just the third pass Georgia Tech had completed on first down this season.

Tech excelled with a fast pace as its second possession resulted in a Dedrick Mills touchdown that capped an eight-play drive as perimeter blocking cleared the way.

  • The 12:30 p.m. kickoff for the ACC-SEC matchup didn’t draw a large crowd as there were several pockets of empty seats even after kickoff and into the second quarter.
  • Vanderbilt yielded 140 yards of offense on Tech’s first two drives, and 164 yards by the end of the first quarter. The Commodores’ first three-and-out on defense didn’t come until 5:58 left in the first half.
  • Tech by late in the first quarter averaged 15.6 yards per play.

Who’s the man: Especially after the first offensive drive, there were hardly any standouts from Vanderbilt. But Tech had plenty, starting with Thomas but including running back Dedrick Mills, who had three touchdowns by the end of the third quarter, the first Yellow Jacket to do that since Patrick Shov last season against Alcorn State.

What’s next: Vanderbilt travels to Western Kentucky, which was 1-1 entering Saturday’s game against Miami (Ohio).