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After finishing 3-9 (0-8 SEC) in head coach Derek Mason’s first season, here’s a look at Vanderbilt’s season inside the numbers.
GOOD
907: Ralph Webb set the Vanderbilt freshman record with 907 rushing yards on 212 carries. The Gainesville, Fla., native finished 11th in the conference and second among SEC freshman backs. Webb also had four touchdowns and averaged 75.6 yards per game, ranking ninth in the conference.
760: Darrius Sims was one of the best kick returners in the SEC. Despite his team’s struggles, Sims led the conference with 760 kick return yards and two touchdowns, both coming against South Carolina in Week 4. The sophomore also returned a pick-6 against Kentucky the following week and saw several reps at running back.
5: Johnny McCrary threw a career-best five touchdowns in Vanderbilt’s 42-28 win against Old Dominion, tying Jay Cutler and Bill Wade for the single-game school record. McCrary also threw for a team-best 281 yards and a 207.27 passer rating in the victory, the Commodores’ largest margin of victory. The redshirt sophomore led the team with 985 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
BAD
-16: The Commodores finished the season with a -16 turnover margin, ranking No. 124 overall in FBS. Vanderbilt lost 10 fumbles and threw 19 interceptions for a total of 29 turnovers. The team’s ineptitude on offense did little favors for a defensive unit that faced poor field position and struggled to keep opposing teams out of the end zone.
4: All four quarterbacks — Patton Robinette, Johnny McCrary Stephen Rivers and Wade Freebeck — made starts for Commodores, who were the only SEC team to accomplish such a feat. McCrary and Robinette were the only two players to record wins and not finish with more interceptions than touchdown passes. Freebeck was rushed in as a true freshman in Week 3 — burning his redshirt — and threw five interceptions and just one touchdown. Rivers was equally abysmal, throwing three interceptions and zero touchdowns.
4: Again, the number four, as in how many coaches have been fired this offseason. Vanderbilt struggled on both sides of the football, which led to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator David Kotulski. The Commodores also fired wide receivers coach Marc Lubick and strength coach Bill Hughan. Head coach Derek Mason is left with six of his 10 assistants from his first-year staff and doesn’t seem to have many leads for replacements.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
