Disappointed Derek Mason says Vanderbilt didn't function well in lopsided Georgia loss

Derek Mason had a disappointing start to the season as Vanderbilt fell 30-6 against Georgia on Saturday.

Georgia fans took over Vanderbilt Stadium, something Mason acknowledged, but said he didn’t notice the seemingly 70-30 or worse crowd disparity.

Vanderbilt quarterback Riley Neal was 14-for-25 for 85 yards, and Deuce Wallace was 2-for-6 for 24 yards. In his post-game comments, Mason said Neal was solid, but the offense overall didn’t function well in the second half.

The Commodores return to action next week against Purdue.

Here’s what he told reporters after the game:

Derek Mason on lack of passing game beyond screens: “It became the type of ball game where rolling coverage found Kalija most of the day… They singled everybody else and made everybody else have to stand up.”

— Max Herz (@MaxHerzTalks) September 1, 2019

Derek Mason “really didn’t notice” the crowd disparity. He did notice some Georgia fans pre-game who had “had a couple beverages.”

“Nashville must have did ’em well.”

— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) September 1, 2019

Mason says Riley Neal was solid, but offense didn’t function particularly well in second half in particular. #Vandy @NC5

— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) September 1, 2019

Derek Mason: “We were never able to really get the pass game started. I don’t know why that is. We’ll go back, look at it, and get where we need to go. I thought, at times, we ran the ball effectively. We need to have more balance to what we do.”

— Max Herz (@MaxHerzTalks) September 1, 2019

Derek Mason: “The reality for us is that we didn’t tackle well in the first half.”

— Max Herz (@MaxHerzTalks) September 1, 2019

Derek Mason: “I know we can play better. We’ve got better football in us. What we’ll do is find a way to battle back, come back, get to work, and get ready for Purdue.”

— Max Herz (@MaxHerzTalks) September 1, 2019