NASHVILLE – This week, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason described the upcoming matchup with South Carolina as a “street fight.”
In the wake of a 37-14 loss on Saturday, Mason said the Gamecocks stood taller in the latest installment of this SEC rivalry.
“When you don’t land any punches, you can get knocked out,” Mason said. “I felt like in the end, we didn’t land enough punches.”
The Commodores were left largely searching for answers in the wake of an early season setback to South Carolina, which starts them in an 0-1 SEC hole. Indeed, the confidence built by a stellar showing in a 22-17 loss at No. 8 Notre Dame last week seemingly never found its way to Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday.
But as Mason noted in the thick of a rainy night in Nashville, Vanderbilt can’t afford to let a stinging loss linger.
“This football team will be resolute,” Mason said. “We’ll get back to work. All you can do is, don’t let this one become another one.”
The final score failed to indicate what was a close game in the first half. Vanderbilt fought from an early 10-0 deficit to trail just 17-14 late in the second quarter. South Carolina went into the half leading 20-14, but the Dores couldn’t’ find a rhythm after the break. All six of Vanderbilt’s drives in the second half ended in a punt, turnover or failed fourth-down conversion.
Meanwhile, South Carolina kept gaining steam. Though Vanderbilt had given up just six second-half points in 2018, the Gamecocks won the final two quarters by a 17-0 margin. They averaged 7.0 yards per play on the night as part of 534 total yards to Vanderbilt’s 284. South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley (306 yards of offense) and running back Rico Dowdle (112 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries) were impact players from start to finish.
Mason said the Dores’ miscues occurred in all phases.
“It was just one of those days,” he said. “I wish I had better answers for you. We turned the ball over in critical times, and didn’t respond during those times.”
Late on Saturday, Mason and the Commodores described the loss as a “team loss,” with no one coach or player taking the blame over another. Wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb said the bond within the Vanderbilt locker room won’t soften in the wake of a disappointing setback. Instad, the Dores plan to persevere in the face of adversity.
“The only way you can break a fist is from the outside – by pointing a finger,” Lipscomb said.
Next week, the Dores welcome Tennessee State to town before they embark on the rest of SEC play. That includes a road trip against a potential top-five team at Georgia on October 6 and a home date with Florida on Oct. 13. Though other chances lie on the horizon for Vanderbilt in the coming weeks, Mason was quick to point out that the Commodores can’t keep letting chances slip through their fingers.
“I thought we had chance tonight to push this program forward in 2018,” Mason said. “We still have opportunities, but this is just another missed one.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.