Oct. 24, 2015
By Jerome Boettcher and David Dawson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fittingly, head coach Derek Mason’s first Southeastern Conference win was powered by what he has become known for during his coaching career – defense.
Behind a “gritty, grimy” performance, Vanderbilt toughened its way to a 10-3 victory over Missouri on Saturday to give Mason his first win in the SEC in his two years at the helm. It happened to come in a game where the Commodores didn’t allow a touchdown, also a first under Mason.
“I love it. I’m going to sleep well tonight,” Mason said of the defensive slugfest. “Some people want to see high-scoring games. Two weeks from now, it’ll still be 10-3 and will still be a win.”
Missouri managed only a 35-yard field goal at the end of the first half as the defense allowed its fewest points to a conference opponent since shutting out Kentucky in 2012. The Tigers (4-4, 1-4 SEC) have not scored a touchdown since Oct. 3, a span of 13 quarters.
With Mason calling the plays as defensive coordinator, Vanderbilt (3-4, 1-3) held strong at the end of the game. After a missed field goal, Missouri drove down the field to try to force overtime. But the defense forced four straight incompletions from Drew Lock. On third down, Landon Stokes, put on the pressure with a quarterback hurry. Then cornerback Tre Herndon sealed the victory by breaking up a pass in the end zone with five seconds left. The play made the fewest points Vanderbilt has scored in a conference win since 1968 stand up.
Quarterback Johnny McCrary took a knee to run out the clock as Mason received a Gatorade shower. Athletic director David Williams then handed Mason the game ball from his first SEC victory in a joyous Vanderbilt locker room.
“Best win to date is the one we got today and it is an SEC win,” Mason said with a smile. “It is just another step. I told our guys, tomorrow we’ll show up and we’ll go right back to work… (But) have to give credit where credit’s due to our kids for being resilient, our coaches for having great game plans and overall to our program and fan base for sticking by us as we continue to grow.”
The 31,128 in attendance during Homecoming weekend were treated to another impressive showing by the Commodore defense.
Missouri totaled just 188 yards of offense – the fewest allowed against an SEC team by Vanderbilt since the 2006 season. The Tigers gained only 80 rushing yards – the fewest by a Vanderbilt opponent in more than two years. After picking up a first down on its first play of the game, Missouri had five straight three-and-outs and didn’t move the chains again until late in the third quarter.
But perhaps the most impressive stat was that the Tigers were 0-for-14 on third down, resulting in nine punts and a turnover on downs.
“We went out there and we executed,” linebacker Stephen Weatherly said. “We made Coach Mason’s plays come alive, and he put us in a great position to execute.”
But Mason believed the tone was set before the defense even took the field. On the opening kickoff, Khari Blasingame raced down and delivered a hard-hitting tackle on Missouri’s Josh Gibson. The ball came loose for what appeared to be a fumble, but the officials issued forward progress and called Gibson down. A replay review upheld the call.
Still, Blasingame and the Commodores had sent a message.
“Whether we got the ball or not, I thought we sent a statement that we were coming to play tonight,” Mason said. “That is what that ball game turned out to be – nasty, ugly, gritty, grimy and a Vanderbilt win.”
SHURMUR IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Mason said earlier this week that he and his staff would “explore every option” in regard to the offensive scheme — and that ultimately meant a change at quarterback for the Commodores.
True freshman Kyle Shurmur was the starting quarterback for the Commodores, and he completed 5-of-10 passes for 89 yards in his college debut. Johnny McCrary, who had started started the previous six games this season, also saw action in the game, completing 7-of-8 passes for 47 yards. Neither quarterback threw a touchdown — but perhaps more importantly, neither threw an interception.
Shurmur said the game was a learning experience, and said the outcome was supremely satisfying.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do, for sure,” said Shurmur. “(But) I’m glad we got the win. The older guys stepped up and helped me the whole entire way. … Everybody played really well around me.”
Vanderbilt senior offensive lineman Spencer Pulley said Shurmur displayed plenty of poise in a high-pressure situation and held his own against one of the SEC’s best defenses.
“Shurmur came in and was able to take control of the offense and make plays,” said Pulley. “Obviously his skill was seen, but what you couldn’t see was the way he handled himself in the huddle and took control and led us on some of those big drives down the field.”
Shurmur’s stats were hindered by a couple of dropped passes, including one in the end zone. But Shurmur wasn’t sweating the numbers after the SEC victory.
“It was a team win,” he said, “(and) it was fun being out there, just playing. … The defense played out of their mind.”
Mason agreed that Shurmur’s performance included flashes of the young quarterback’s potential.
“It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but what you saw is the young guy who is going to be a good quarterback.”
Mason said the Commodores plan was to use both Shurmur and McCrary.
“The rotation was going to be Shurmur for two series, Johnny one series and then we were going to just go from there,” he said.
“We just wanted to get a feel for what it would be like in the speed of the game for Shurmur and see how he would adjust,” he added. “And then we wanted to throw Johnny in there just to see how the change of pace would be for Missouri and their defense. Because it is hard to prepare for two quarterbacks. I thought both guys did a good job.”
RUNNING HARD: Ralph Webb didn’t have his best game statistically, but his performance was nonetheless impressive. He rushed for 99 hard-earned yards on 26 yards and accounted for the game’s only touchdown on a one-yard run in the second quarter.
The Commodores compiled 168 yards on 49 carries, representing the most rushing yards that the stout Missouri defense has allowed this season.
“As running backs, you have to establish the run to open up the pass game,” said Webb. “As a leader of this offense, the running backs are the core of the offense, (and) we have to get going. It makes things easier for the quarterback to open up and throw and catch.”
Mason said the strong running by the Commodore backs was one of the keys to the win.
“The backs made great reads all night, and they ran the ball hard,” said Mason. “(Ralph) had some runs where I thought he ran through guys. He tried to run over guys and then he held onto the ball and finished. That is what we want from him.”
BRINGING IT IN: The pregame festivities featured a player who certainly knows a little something about anchoring down.
Former Vanderbilt standout Casey Heyward, now in his fourth season with the Green Bay Packers, led the Commodores onto the field for the traditional anchor drop.
Heyward was a star defensive back at Vanderbilt from 2008-2011, earning All-American honors during his senior season. He compiled 15 career interceptions, tied for the most in Vanderbilt team history. Heyward has nine interceptions in his NFL career.
