The Commodores entered last Saturday’s game allowing just 17.3 points and 153.3 receiving yards per game, drastic improvements from last season. Some of Chad Kelly’s passes were batted back his way, which had the visiting Commodores believing they could pull off the upset. “We had opportunities”, Vanderbilt’s head coach Derek Mason said. “I just know if that’s the case, we’re going to have a long year”. Cody Core had 123 yards and a touchdown in four catches.
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“I told the team we need to celebrate the wins in life”, said Freeze. “But so does everybody else”. “I think it is who we are and how we play and how we function”, Mason said about his defense.
But the Commodores couldn’t find much room to work on offense against the Rebels’ suffocating defense.
Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb (7) is tackled by Mississippi linebacker C.J. Johnson during the … A late touchdown by Walton led to a scoreline which somewhat flatters Hugh Freeze’s squad, but after the Alabama game last week, the win will be the only thing that matters for Freeze and Co.
There were chances Saturday night for the Commodores to take control at Ole Miss. “We didn’t have ours prepared as well, particular in some critical areas, like third down and in the red-zone”.
Ole Miss then marched 80 yards in nine plays to seal the game.
Although the Rebels offense struggled, the defense was able to have a pretty successful game, holding the Commodores to 16 points for the day. He has no touchdown runs, 8 carries, 50 yards. He has 34 yards receiving, in three catches, no touchdowns.
Quarterback Chad Kelly was frequently off target and threw two interceptions. The blocked punt shifted the momentum back to Ole Miss, which scored on its next drive, using defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche as a fullback to run through the middle in the Power-I formation for the one-yard score. The Rebels only give up 19.2 points per game and will be pushing their defense to climb even higher in the rankings.
“I have to start with myself and say that I didn’t prepare well enough, and we didn’t have a good third down play”, Freeze said.
Vanderbilt briefly took a 3-0 lead early thanks to a 28-yard field goal following a 19-play, 73-yard drive that featured five third-down conversions.
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For most of the first half, the Rebels couldn’t muster the offensive rhythm they were accustomed to showcasing for the fans who were on their feet cheering. Kelly found Damore’ea Stringfellow in the front corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to push Ole Miss ahead 7-3 late in the first quarter.
