Vanderbilt offense needs a change, even with Ralph Webb returning

Credit Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason for getting his team to a bowl game for the first time, even if the result wasn’t pretty.

The Commodores were sunk 41-17 by North Carolina State in the Camping World Independence Bowl, so they finished the 2016 campaign under .500 at 6-7. The Wolfpack rose above the break-even point with a final mark of 7-6.

Vandy put together a respectable performance on defense, limiting N.C. State to 376 total yards, but its offense — ranked 12th in both yards and points per game in the SEC — once again failed to balance the scale. The passing attack in particular appeared to be out of sorts and lacks all the basics necessary to thrive.

Quarterback Kyle Shurmur was inaccurate. Receivers dropped passes. The offensive line got mauled by superior athletes up front.

Just 19-of-46 through the air for 158 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, Shurmur looked nothing like the QB that carved up Tennessee for 416 yards and 2 TDs in the regular-season finale. He was ineffective throughout.

Not that he had much help, though. He was sacked five times and heavily pressured on several other occasions. No pass catcher managed to surpass the 50-yard plateau — let alone get anywhere near triple digits — and only one reception went for longer than 15 yards. The Pack had no need to fear the deep ball.

Frankly, it’s a minor miracle that running back Ralph Webb rushed for 111 hard-earned yards and a score on 21 carries.

Already the program’s career rushing leader as a junior, Webb (below) somewhat surprisingly announced after the loss that he’s coming back for his senior campaign. Still, there’s little reason to believe he could elevate his draft stock much more.

Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Keep in mind that he’s a tailback — arguably the most disposable position in sports. With regard to Webb, it’s not the age. It’s the mileage. Very few of his 3,342 yards rushing in Nashville have come easily. Most of his 739 attempts have been contested, and then some. He’s been carrying an Atlas-like weight on his shoulders.

To be clear, he’s not an elite NFL prospect. He’s not Leonard Fournette. He’s not Dalvin Cook. He’s not even Christian McCaffrey.

However, he’s a draftable talent. He’ll make a roster to play on Sunday eventually. While he might not be a featured back at the next level, Webb is well equipped to be a complementary weapon who can contribute running and receiving.

He doesn’t have a defining attribute as a ball carrier. At 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, Webb is a bit on the small side — perhaps ill-suited for 20-plus touches per game. With 53 catches for 371 yards in three years, calling him a plus receiver is a stretch. He doesn’t have the open-field speed to be a home-run threat, either.

But in the SEC, facing maybe the nastiest front-seven defenders in the nation from week to week, all Webb does is produce.

He’s been surrounded by bad quarterbacking, yet he’s gone from two to four to six 100-yard rushing games as a freshman, sophomore and junior, respectively. Webb has only gotten better, even if the rest of Vanderbilt’s offense hasn’t.

The Commodores have had only one player selected in the last two drafts combined. As far as the upcoming draft is concerned, at least on the offensive side of the football, tackle Will Holden — a dubious name for a blocker, right? — is at best a late-round flyer. Nobody else seems to be on the NFL’s radar.

Sure, Webb can come back to Nashville and put his Vandy records even more out of reach, but there’s nothing left for him to prove.

The odometer for a halfback spins at twice the rate of other players. Seldom does one get a second contract in the NFL. A third is even more rare. Ball carriers don’t fade off into the sunset. They fall off a cliff.

Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Frankly, I wonder if this is the best move for him. Shurmur (above) has flashed here and there, but overall he’s at best a marginal signal caller in this conference — or any Power 5 league, for that matter. Aside from freshman wideout/returner Kalija Lipscomb, who has potential, the skill-position options around Webb don’t strike fear into opponents.

Most important, the ‘Dores are trying to play smashmouth football on the ground yet don’t have the ingredients necessary for such a scheme.

This system is badly in need of an overhaul. I can appreciate Mason and Co. zagging when all others continue to zig. While everyone else is spreading it out, they employ tight formations with extra blockers.

But Vanderbilt doesn’t have the personnel required — neither along the offensive line nor with the fullbacks and tight ends in formation — to push around defenses. Keep in mind that North Carolina State had been an average D in the ACC and especially weak against the pass. The ‘Dores still couldn’t make plays downfield.

I’ll never criticize an athlete for getting an education. A degree from Vanderbilt is oftentimes worth more than a brief stint in the pros.

Maybe he promised his family he’d wrap up school. Perhaps he enjoys college life and doesn’t feel the need to turn pro. Whatever the reason, another year of Webb is good news for the Commodores and good news for the best conference in America.

That being said, Vandy isn’t going anywhere — definitely not offensively — on its current path. Webb is a phenomenal player and must be the foundation in 2017, but the whole “another year in the system” approach likely won’t yield better results for the rest of his teammates. Even Alabama is essentially a spread offense now.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The ‘Dores owe it to Webb to stop trying to bang a square peg into a round hole.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.