Vanderbilt finished its 2015 season with a disappointing 53-28 loss to Tennessee on Saturday.

Here’s a breakdown of what transpired during the Commodores’ eighth and final loss of the season:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • 81 total points was completely unexpected: Vanderbilt entered this contest averaging 14 points per game and allowing only 18.1, so it was quite a surprise that the Vols and Commodores combined for 81 points Saturday. Tennessee’s 53 points were the most Vanderbilt had allowed in any game this season. The previous high was 34 by Houston. Vanderbilt’s 28 points were the most it had scored all year outside of a 47-point outburst against Austin Peay.
  • Vanderbilt did not close the season with any momentum: When Vanderbilt beat Kentucky in Week 11 for its second conference win of the season, there was talk of significant strides being made by the Commodores as the season wore on. But a 25-point shutout loss to Texas A&M and a 25-point loss to Tennessee did nothing to prove that was the case. In fact, the Commodores defense, which was its biggest strength all season, let them down in a game where the offense was doing enough to keep them competitive.
  • At least Derek Mason let Kyle Shurmur see all of the reps against Tennessee: After deciding he would not redshirt his highly-recruited true freshman quarterback, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason put Kyle Shurmur on the field for the second half of the season. But he elected to split snaps between Johnny McCrary and Shurmur at times, including the second half of the Texas A&M game with the outcome already determined. This week, Mason smartly stuck with the true freshman for the duration of the game, and was rewarded with a couple of fourth quarter touchdown drives that can only help his development in the long term, even if they were against the Vols’ second-string defense.
  • Ralph Webb turned in one of the best RB seasons in school history: The one constant on a sputtering Vanderbilt offense was the presence of sophomore RB Ralph Webb. Come hell or high water, Webb was there to take the ball whenever he was needed. Not only did Webb set the school record for rushing attempts in a season, but he finished behind just Zac Stacy for the school’s record for most rushing yards in a season after gaining 149 yards Saturday.
  • The early-season Trent Sherfield showed up in Knoxville: Remember when Trent Sherfield hauled in 16 passes for 240 yards in a win against Austin Peay earlier in the season? Well, this wasn’t nearly that good, but he did catch six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Considering he had four catches for 56 yards during the last four games combined, that was a welcomed change in performance. Sherfield finished the season with 51 catches for 659 yards.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (B) — We’re grading on a curve for the underwhelming Vanderbilt offense. Their 28 points is the most the Commodores scored against a FBS defense this season. That 14 of those points came in garbage time is a minor detail.

Defense: (F) — An uncharacteristically poor performance from this group. The defense allowed 331 yards rushing to a Vols offense that continually found room to work through the middle of the Vandy defensive front. The Commodores also did not force a turnover.

Special Teams: (C-minus) — Cam Sutton returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown against the Commodores. Vanderbilt did not make anything happen with its return game, and had no field goal opportunities.

Coaching: (D) — Mason did not have his defense adequately prepared for the Vols rushing attack, special teams coach Charles Bankins’ unit gave up a big play and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig’s unit had some penalty issues.

Overall: (D) — It wasn’t the end-of-season game against an in-state rival that any Commodores fan had imagined. That’s not  easy to carry with you into the off-season.

GAME PLAN

The Commodores deserve praise for opening up their offensive playbook in this one. They drove for two first-half touchdowns after being shut out the week prior, and looked poised to score alongside the Vols for a bit. But the defensive game plan did not pan out nearly as well. The Commodores had to know that Tennessee would rely heavily on its running game, but still struggled to stop it. Vanderbilt did not force Joshua Dobbs to throw the ball downfield, which seems to be the formula to stopping the Vols offense.

GAME BALLS

  • RB Ralph Webb: 149 rushing yards, including an impressive 50-yard run.
  • WR Trent Sherfield: Caught a team-high six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
  • LB Zach Cunningham: One of the few bright spots on defense, leading the team with 10 solo tackles.

INJURIES

  • LB Darreon Herring appeared to have issues with his right leg, having to be helped from the field on two occasions.
  • OLB Stephen Weatherly appeared to have an upper-body injury after contact with a teammate in the fourth quarter.