Nov. 20, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
On campus in Nashville – Prior to his team’s matchup with Ole Miss this week, Derek Mason requested a visit from a friend. This particular friend works nearby; in fact, his office sits just on the other side of Jess Neely Drive from Mason’s digs in the McGugin Center. That made the request an easy one to accommodate.
Tim Corbin works across the street from Mason at Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field, at which the longtime head coach of the Commodores’ baseball program has constructed perhaps the premier brand in college baseball. Mason aims to model Corbin’s consistency and success within his football program at Vanderbilt. That’s why Mason asked his colleague to speak to the Commodores earlier this week as they prepared to face Ole Miss.
Corbin, who led Vanderbilt baseball to the 2014 NCAA title, delivered a simple message in his speech to Mason’s players. “No matter how high you get, no matter how low you get, just get back to the middle,” Mason recalled on Saturday night, moments after Vanderbilt topped Ole Miss, 38-17, for its fifth win of the season. Then, the coach motioned his hand up and down. “That’s why you kept seeing me go like this all night,” Mason said, “Just getting back to the middle.”
Corbin’s words of wisdom worked wonders for Mason and the Commodores. On Saturday the program returned for its first home game in nearly a month and authored its most complete performance in nearly three seasons under Mason’s tutelage. Vanderbilt rang up 481 yards of offense against the Rebels, its most against an SEC team in the Mason era, and scored 31 straight points to rally from a 10-0 deficit. From offense to defense to special teams, Vanderbilt thoroughly snuffed out Ole Miss’ shot at a road win.
ELLIS: Three Thoughts from Vanderbilt’s win over Ole Miss
With the victory, the ‘Dores improved to 5-6 overall. Now, regardless of what happens next week in the regular-season against Tennessee, Vanderbilt is assured its most wins in a season under Mason. The 2016 season hasn’t been without disappointment, but Vanderbilt’s disposal of Ole Miss was the latest stepping-stone in Mason’s plan to build an SEC contender. The proud coach took it to heart as he watched the pieces of his process come together against the Rebels.
“I wanted to see the floodgates open for these guys, so they can understand how good they can be,” Mason said. “You can tell them until you’re blue in the face, but they’ve got to experience it. I think they experienced it.”
Beating Ole Miss was just the latest flash of brilliance from this Vanderbilt squad. On Oct. 15, the Commodores ventured to Athens and upended Georgia, 17-16, for the program’s first SEC road win under Mason. That game was a watershed moment for the coach, but Saturday’s dominating effort against the Rebels felt different. There was hardly any doubt of the better team as the ‘Dores smothered talented Rebels quarterback Shea Patterson all night long. In all facets of the game, Vanderbilt was simply better on Saturday.
Now the rest of the SEC has witnessed the Commodores hitting on all cylinders, and a win against Ole Miss adds more than just a W to Vanderbilt’s record books. It’s a statement on just how successful this program can be. In the locker room, that comes as no surprise.
“We’ve always known we were capable of doing something like that,” redshirt junior linebacker Zach Cunningham said.
Few would doubt the Commodores’ capability at this point, which can make SEC losses to Kentucky, Missouri and South Carolina much more frustrating. The team that showed up against Ole Miss didn’t do so in any of those previous setbacks. The good news is, Vanderbilt is hitting its stride at the right time. It can reach six wins next week when it hosts Tennessee, which would mean automatic bowl eligibility. That’s another major step for the ‘Dores as they continue their climb in the SEC.
For now, Vanderbilt will stay in the middle. Its players can’t ride too high off one win, Mason says, just as they can’t sulk too low after a loss. That much Tim Corbin taught them.
“I’m a young head coach working extremely hard, just trying to build the program and make sure that this culture is about all the things that this great university stands for,” Mason said. “Tim coming through meant a lot to our program. I saw the look in our guys eyes.”
Keeping it in the middle translated to Vanderbilt’s biggest win under Derek Mason. Where will it take the Commodores next?