Oct. 15, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
ATHENS, Ga. – The mosh pit was getting rowdy, and Derek Mason needed his players’ attention.
On Saturday afternoon, in the bowels of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, the Vanderbilt Commodores found themselves hootin’ and hollerin’ in a lively visitors locker room. Vanderbilt had just put a bow on a thrilling 17-16 win over the Bulldogs, and a sweaty, dirty contingent of `Dores smacked helmets and surrounded Mason, Vanderbilt’s head coach. The celebration was loud. It was euphoric. It was everything a win in the SEC should be.
But after a few moments, Mason raised his hand and asked that the room simmer down. “Hey, listen,” Mason said, his players quieting around him. “We believed exactly what we could do. We talked about coming in here and doing something epic.”
Again, the Commodores cheered, but only until Jason Grooms, Vanderbilt’s assistant athletics director for football, nudged his way inside the circle. With a football in hand, Grooms wrapped his other arm around Mason’s neck. “This game ball goes to this guy right here,” Grooms said, “because he always gives his all everyday.”
With that, the hugging and back-slapping of Mason commenced. The third-year head coach, grinning and brimming with emotion, embraced every player within sight. Indeed, the win over Georgia felt like a long time coming for Mason and Vanderbilt. The program had entered the weekend 0-3 in the SEC, but all three losses had come by a combined 17 points. The Commodores had been knocking on the door of a breakthrough all season long. The next step, of course, was making it happen.
But on Saturday in Athens, Vanderbilt made the statement it needed. The Commodores went on the road and toppled an SEC opponent – a first under Mason – earning a signature win for their head coach along the way. Now Mason, in his third year at Vanderbilt, has his most compelling evidence to date of his program’s direction.
“I thought these guys were capable of doing whatever they set their minds to,” Mason said. “That’s why you go to Vanderbilt.”
The way in which the Commodores played – particularly on defense – made this win that much sweeter. Mason’s defense held talented Bulldog running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to just 81 rushing yards on 29 carries. This came after the `Dores gave up 258 rushing yards in a loss to Kentucky last week.
The defense came up big in big moments, none more impactful than on the Bulldogs’ final offensive snap. With Vanderbilt nursing a 17-16 lead with one minute to play, Georgia found itself facing fourth-and-1 in Commodore territory as it inched toward field-goal range. In past SEC games, the `Dores might have allowed the Dawgs one last-ditch effort to score. This time, however, Vanderbilt’s defense huddled on the sideline and decided enough was enough.
“Most of the talk was, this is what we’ve been waiting for,” All-SEC linebacker Zach Cunningham said. “The game’s on our shoulders and we’ve got to go out and get the stop. So, what are you gonna do?”
There was no question in Cunningham’s mind what was going to happen. He stuffed a run by Georgia’s Isaiah McKenzie short of the first down, forcing a turnover on downs and preserving the win for Vanderbilt. Cunningham’s 19th tackle of the day – a career-high total – came at the most opportune time.
After the game, when Mason had finally escaped the craze of his locker room, he stood in a nearby lobby and admitted Vanderbilt’s performance wasn’t perfect. The Commodores had managed just 171 yards of offense against Georgia. Meanwhile, Dawgs freshman quarterback Jacob Eason had thrown for 346 yards on 27-of-40 passing. That’s not exactly a recipe for long-term success in the SEC.
But here’s what’s really important: this time, the `Dores didn’t simply come close. Vanderbilt made it happen, and it did so on the road in front of 92,746 fans in Athens, the bulk of whom were in town for homecoming. Perfect or not, the end result was exactly what the Commodores needed. “It wasn’t always pretty,” Mason said. “But that’s part of who we are. We work to be relentless. We work to be tough. We work to be intelligent.”
Now the train is back on the tracks for Vanderbilt football. A win over Georgia shows these Commodores aren’t just nipping at the heels of SEC teams. And even with four SEC games remaining – Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee – the Commodores’ future looks much brighter than it did one week ago. Mason has this team believing in its true potential, and he tells it, that’s all part of the process.
“We talked about a new season – the second half of the season,” Mason said. “We couldn’t do anything about what was behind us. But we could do something about what was in front of us.”
By that measure, Vanderbilt is a perfect 1-0 — and that’s worth celebrating.