Vanderbilt Football

I started this blog too late to dive into football, but I still watched the train wreck each and every chance that I could. I guess the low point for me was the debacle at Army.

(Note to the all the brave service men and women that attended that game: Please don't rush the field after beating Vanderbilt. It's embarrassing and makes me question every military decision I hear about. I know Vandy is an SEC school and all, but I expect better from you. One day you will protect our country, so you need to be held to higher standards.)

In all, it was a very disappointing year. Especially coming off of the school's first bowl appearance since 1982. You always hear about how hard it is to win at Vanderbilt. I just wanted to evaluate Coach Bobby Johnson's tenure and see if we should expect more.

The Record

2002: 2-10

2003: 2-10

2004: 2-9

2005: 5-6

2006: 4-8

2007: 5-7

2008: 7-6

2009: 2-10

In all, Johnson is 29-66 and only 12-52 in the SEC. Even though the winning percentage isn't great, the general thought is that Johnson has been wonderful for Vanderbilt. It seems like he is recruiting better talent and has the 'Dores in close games on a week-to-week basis in the tough SEC. For seemingly all Commodore fans, this is enough. It's easy to see why long-time 'Dore fans wouldn't expect more.

From 1983-2007, Vanderbilt never won more than five games in ANY season. Let's look further back. Since 1956, Vandy has won more than five games only four times. That averages out to about once every 12 years! That my friends is the meaning of mediocrity.

Is a 2-10 record acceptable anywhere? I know there are academic issues that heavily impact recruiting, but isn't that just part of it. I may be naive, but does one bowl win and a victory in Knoxville really cover all those losses.

Al Groh was just fired from Virginia. Do you know what he did in the same time period? He had a 59-53 record and went 3-2 in bowl appearances. He's listed as the school's second-winningest coach ever. Three losing seasons in a row gets him canned.

Again, I know you can blame a lot of Vandy's problems on injuries and youth, but at what point does the body of work just point to a general sense of averageness.

The Sentiment

I did a quick search for any news that Coach Johnson may be on the proverbial hot seat. Just a few things came up.

Mike Organ of the Tennessean said this year's team resembled Johnson's 2002 team that also went 2-10. The article was more of a comparison, not a criticism.

The Birmingham Weekly has a really fun Coaches on the Hot Seat post. The categories range from "Positively Combustible" to "God-like Beings." Johnson is firmly entrenched in the "Should We Expect Anything More?" area. Again, I hate this "Oh well...it's Vanderbilt" thought process.

The Commercial Appeal posted in their SEC Notebook that Les Miles and Mark Richt might be on the chopping block. Vanderbilt's problems were again blamed on injuries.

"If you're looking for a reason Vanderbilt, one year removed from going 7-6 and winning the Music City Bowl, failed to win a league game this year, finishing 2-10 overall, start with injuries. Last year, Vandy had nine players that started every game. This year, that number dwindled to five. "We probably had more than our share of injuries this year," coach Bobby Johnson said."

Joel Barker, writing for the Bleacher Report was a little more blunt earlier this month:

"Vanderbilt has had a very disappointing season compared to last year’s bowl winning squad, but Bobby Johnson is one of the best coaches, at a perennially awful program, in America."

The Remedy

Is Bobby Johnson probably the best fit for the Vandy job? Everybody (including me) loves this guy. He's the perfect person to represent the university and seems to be a great leader and mentor to his players. But after eight seasons, isn't it time to turn the page? If we let him go, somebody would snatch him up in a heartbeat.

Couldn't this be a win-win for both parties? I don't claim to be an expert, just a fan and season ticket holder. I would simply like to to see Vanderbilt at least explore the possibility of a new coach. There is something naturally wrong with being continually satisfied with a losing record. Sure the game are close, but is that all its about?

Maybe the local media knows something that I don't. Why is nobody expecting more out of this team? The Nashville media loves to condemn Titans' coach Jeff Fisher, but maybe some of that attention should be turned toward West End.

To me, there is no difference in 2-10 and 4-8. I grew up near Lexington, loving the University of Kentucky. I watched countless teams get destroyed year after year. Albeit with lighter academic restrictions, they have found a coach who has led the team to four consecutive bowl games. Is a consistent bowl appearance that much to ask?

People say how tough the SEC is and that's why we can't get to a bowl every year. Well, out of the 12 SEC schools, 10 of them found a way to become bowl eligible this year. All 10 schools finished 7-5 or better.

Let's not recklessly fire Coach Johnson, but can't we at least have the conversation?

There's some old saying about how no matter terrible your season has been, it all goes away if you beat your archrival. I don't really buy that. Not in Vanderbilt's case, in any event.

If you told me before the season that we'd beat Tennessee but would have to wind up 3-9 in doing so, I would have said 'no thanks.' As it is, however, that's the best the Commodores can hope to do. And what a sweet victory it would be.

Hard to feel particularly optimistic about this one, though. In fact, since losing to Army, it's been hard to feel particularly optimistic about anything involving Vanderbilt football.

They've lost seven straight games. A year after they scored less than 14 points one time in an SEC contest (and that was in a 20-10 loss to UT), the whopping 13 they put up in last week's loss at Kentucky was their best of the conference slate. It's well beyond sad at this point.

Sure, Tennessee is not invincible, as evidenced by the surprising beating they took from Dexter McCluster and the invigorated Rebels last Saturday in Oxford. And the Commodores have not been intimidated by the 100,000+ at Neyland Stadium in either of their last two trips.

They beat the Volunteers in Knoxville four years ago, 28-24, thanks to a certain Chicago Bears quarterback-receiver tandem, and they had them dead to rights in 2007 before one of most mind-boggling collapses Vanderbilt has ever had, blowing a 24-9 lead in the fourth quarter and missing a field goal to win it with under a minute left.

But that was most decidedly then, and this is most depressingly now.

Tennessee can run the football, and Vanderbilt has been unable to stop the run consistently over the course of the game. The defense just keeps getting too tired; against the Wildcats, they were on the field for over 23 minutes in the second half as the Commodores were able to manage only one first down in the 24-13 loss.

Vanderbilt's going to get a super-sized dose of Montario Hardesty this time after having to defend 51 rushing plays (against just nine passing plays) last season in a 20-10 smothering at Vanderbilt Stadium. They couldn't do anything to stop him or anyone else on last year's one-dimensional offense.

This year, the Volunteers are more balanced; it seems they actually have the advantage at quarterback in Jonathan Crompton, who has gone from severely maligned to somewhat respected over the course of a topsy-turvy season under first-year coach Lane Kiffin.

Some might look at how Hardesty and Crompton were bottled up by Ole Miss and the way the Rebels were able to run all over the Vols and be optimistic about Vanderbilt's chances.

Hardesty rushed for just 55 yards on 16 carries, and Crompton had only 176 yards passing despite 37 attempts. McCluster set a school record with 282 yards rushing.

That's Ole Miss, and this is Vanderbilt. McCluster scored four times Saturday in Oxford; the Commodores have scored four touchdowns in their last five SEC games.

If there's one thing that the 2009 Vanderbilt football season has consistently shown, it's that your offense affects your defense. Inability to move the football wears down the defensive unit who have to keep making stops, and it's shown time and time again as the Commodores have crumbled late in games.

Vanderbilt's averaged at least one "how did that happen?" win every season since 2005. The Commodores have one more chance to make it happen. I think the streak's over. Forgive me for being a little jaded at this point.

24 Commodore seniors were honored before Vanderbilt's SEC clash with Kentucky, and many of them were mainstays of this line-up throughout the last four years, including quarterback Mackenzi Adams, cornerback Myron Lewis and linebacker Patrick Benoist.

But the Commodores couldn't send them off with a victory.

After taking a 13-10 lead, Vanderbilt was dominated by Kentucky in the second half, as Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke lit up the Commodore defense with an unstoppable rushing attack.

It was a very disappointing performance by the defensive line especially, as they were pushed back on play after play and run ragged in an eventual 24-13 loss.

Watching it from the stands, you had to feel for all the seniors who had helped build this program into a bowl team last season and saw it go to ashes in 2009. Seven straight losses have the Commodores at 2-9, and a tough Tennessee team awaits.

Does it take away from what they've done for this program, however? No.

There's a reason everyone in Nashville is disgusted with this team this season, and that's because a 3 or 4-win season no longer cuts it, not after the Commodores won 21 games the previous four years.

And that's largely because of this departing group. Stars like Lewis and co-captains Benoist, Brad Vierling and Ryan Hamilton all elevated their play in 2008 and helped the Commodores bring in a very strong recruiting class last season.

Adams has struggled this year but he was huge in two of Vanderbilt's biggest wins in recent years over sixth-ranked South Carolina in 2007 and 13th-ranked Auburn in 2008.

Jared Hawkins, out with a foot injury for his final home contest, has been a selfless leader and was a bullying runner last year when he was healthy.

Defensive ends Steven Stone and Broderick Stewart became two of the most feared linemen in the conference, and Brett Upson, the punter, was the hero of the Music City Bowl victory.

You could sit here for awhile and name great things that this group has accomplished. Unfortunately, their last hurrah is a dismal season.

Beating Tennessee, a tall order no matter how you slice it, would be quite the send-off. For now, we'll remember the things they were able to accomplish, and we'll hope that 2009 doesn't erase all the good things that came out of 2006-2008.

Good thing this isn't a parent-teacher conference, or little Vanderbilt would be in big trouble.

Think of Vandy as an undersized wild child in a big public school, that being the Southeastern Conference.

He's never really seemed to fit in. He's smaller than everyone else. He came from money. They didn't. You know, that old story.

He seemed to finally break out of his shell with some good grades last year. Things were looking up.

But this year, he's just reverting to all of his bad habits.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt, your son has been acting out, committing lots of dumb penalties, not applying himself on offense and has just been an embarrassment and a distraction to the rest of the conference. I mean class."

Son, we're so disappointed in you.  

Quarterback: C-

Larry Smith may have had too many expectations heaped upon him after a nice performance in Vanderbilt's Music City Bowl win. In any event, it's been a rough year for him. He's yet to complete half of his throws in an SEC game and passed for just three touchdowns against seven interceptions.

One of his main problems has been a lack of touch on shorter passes, and on deeper routes he's struggled to hook up with his undersized receivers. The result has been next to no aerial attack, and a sputtering overall offense to boot.

Only three teams in the nation have a lower passing yards/attempt number than the Commodores (5.09).

Running backs: B

Freshman Warren Norman has been a pleasant surprise so far, leading the team on the ground with 450 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He has shown himself not only to be a tough runner but a threat on special teams as well, taking back a kickoff return for a touchdown at one point.

Zac Stacy, also a freshman, was a bruiser in Vanderbilt's first two games but has been hampered by injury since then. Jared Hawkins has yet to be a major factor as he too has struggled with an injury to his foot sustained last season.

Wide receivers/Tight Ends: C-

This unit has shown flashes of improvement at times, but all in all this undersized group has dropped too many passes and not given their young quarterback enough help getting open.

The Commodores' leading receiver is speedy John Cole, but he's averaged barely over three catches and 33 yards a game. Tight end Brandon Barden caught his first touchdown of the year last week against Georgia. With Austin Monahan out for the year with a torn ACL, Barden will need to step up his production, as he did a year ago when he led the team with four touchdown receptions.

Offensive Line: D

Committing numerous penalties, blocking poorly and not asserting their will on the field, the underachievement of this supposedly veteran group has been a key factor in the failure of the no-huddle offense to consistently put points on the board.

The loss of right tackle James Williams for the year didn't help matters, and it makes things worse to lose big left tackle Thomas Welch for this weekend's game in Columbia.

Defensive Line: B+

Defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone has been outstanding this season, leading the unit with 27 tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Fellow tackle Greg Billinger has also performed at a high level, and defensive end Broderick Stewart is closing in on the all-time Commodore sack record.

Despite not having defensive end Steven Stone back until this weekend, the line has done a solid job of keeping up pressure on opposing quarterbacks until they have generally worn down by game's end from too much time spend on the field.

Linebackers: B+

Middle linebacker Chris Marve and weakside linebacker Patrick Benoist have been their usual selves, leading the team with 65 and 58 tackles, respectively, which also ranks them near the top of the conference.

In addition, Marve leads the SEC with three forced fumbles, all in the first two games for the Commodores. Benoist also had his first career interception this season.

Brent Trice and John Stokes have also performed well, showing themselves to be solid tacklers. The only weakness this group has is a lack of great speed.

Secondary: A-

The Commodores rank third in the nation by allowing opposing quarterbacks less than 134 yards passing per game. Future NFL cornerback Myron Lewis leads the team with three interceptions and six pass break-ups, and rising star Casey Hayward, who had an acrobatic pick last week against Georgia, has been an impressive replacement for D.J. Moore, also now in the NFL.

The loss of veteran free safety Ryan Hamilton to a torn pectoral muscle for the season hurt, but Joel Caldwell has performed up to the task, and strong safety Sean Richardson has shown both a nose for the football and the ability to deliver a hard hit, just like his predecessor Reshard Langford.

Special Teams: C

Brett Upson got off to a rough start, but in general he's done a solid job punting and pinning opponents. God knows he's gotten plenty of practice.

Ryan Fowler has gone through growing pains at placekicker but has made a respectable 8-12 field goals, including eight of his last 10. His misses in week 5 against the Rebels hurt a lot, though.

Warren Norman has demonstrated himself to be a dangerous kickoff return man, but Alex Washington generally looks lost returning (or not returning) punts. The only big plays he's made this year were in the negative category. Commodore coverage units were horrendous against Georgia, allowing big returns to set up two Bulldog touchdowns. They had been adequate up to that point.

Coaching: D

We all did nothing but heap compliments on Bobby Johnson and his staff after coaching the Commodores to a bowl victory last year. However, given the fact that he may have his most talented team yet, the fact that they're 2-5 and have scored just 42 points in those five losses says a lot about who's in charge.

No, we didn't expect the team to compete for an Eastern division title, but a loss to Army, who just got it handed to them by Temple? A drubbing at the hands of Mississippi State? Only two wins, and against opponents with a combined record of 1-12?

Talk about underachievement. The calls for changes on Johnson's staff have grown louder and louder in Nashville with each passing week, and the grumbles are going to become a roar if the Commodores don't get off the constantly-beaten path.

Saturday's 34-10 loss to Georgia wasn't as lopsided as it seemed, as the Commodores trailed 17-10 in the third quarter after an excellent touchdown drive to open the half.

The Bulldogs closed with 17 straight points, due in part to a terrible performance by Vanderbilt's normally steady punt and kickoff coverage units, but also because of a defense that keeps spending the better part of a half-hour on the field due to the continually sputtering Commodore offense.

In its five losses this year, Vanderbilt has been outscored 37-10 in the fourth quarter. All 10 of Vanderbilt's points came against Army, and the only touchdown was a Warren Norman kickoff return.

As the games have worn on, the Commodore defense has worn down. And who could blame them, seeing as they've spent an average of 33:26 per game this season on the field?

On Saturday, the Bulldogs spent almost 11 minutes on the field in the final stanza, scoring two touchdowns on a defense that was, once again, spent.

Vanderbilt's offensive line continued to underachieve, allowing Larry Smith to be harassed all game. He was sacked three times and chased on countless others as the Commodores were just 3-of-15 on third down conversions.

The fact that Vanderbilt scored its most points of the season in an SEC game on Saturday should not be a point of celebration. It should be a point of lamentation.

Ten points? The best of the conference slate? And this against Georgia, who made Jonathan Crompton look like Peyton Manning in a 45-19 defeat just one week before.

But hey, it was a nice-looking drive Vandy had there at the beginning of the half. If they had three or four more like that, the Commodores would have been in business.

But they didn't.

After that rousing score by Brandon Barden on a strike from Larry Smith, the Commodores went three-and-out three straight times and then turned the ball over on downs.

Boy, there's some consistency right there.

I sure hope that Bobby Johnson recognizes this can't continue into next season. I sure hope the offense realizes it owes the defense a better effort as the team tries to finish the season with a shred of respectability.

Because at 2-5 and as the only team in the SEC without a conference win, for the moment, the Commodores have resumed their traditional place in the mansion that is the SEC East: the basement.

They won't start crawling upstairs any time soon if a touchdown and a field goal is the best they can muster.

Welcome to the abyss.

Just when Vanderbilt's season seemed like it couldn't get much crummier, the Commodores bottomed out with a 16-13 loss to Army.

At least they got to overtime, right? The good thing about hitting bottom is there's no way to go except up.

This isn't gut-check time or anything like that for the offense. That would actually require the offense having guts. They've got nothing right now.

Any conceivable notions of another bowl eligible season crumbled when Warren Norman's fumble out of the back of the end zone in the overtime capped another day of near-total offensive incompetence. Three Army plays and a field goal later sealed the deal.

Poor Norman. His fumble cost them the game in overtime, but he was the only reason the Commodores got there. His 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was possibly the best highlight this year for Vanderbilt.

Unfortunately, it will be a footnote in a dismal loss.

The worst loss for Vanderbilt this decade? Possibly. It's the first time the team has lost to a non-BCS conference foe since falling to Middle Tennessee State in 2005.

The Commodores are 2-4, and no, neither of the teams they have beaten have come within seven points of a victory yet this season. Hardly quality wins.

What went wrong is what has gone wrong the whole season, and no changes are being made. The same penalties (two erased Commodore touchdowns), the same red zone inefficiencies.

Vanderbilt's offense is a broken record of failure. We need to change tracks.

Bobby Johnson has certainly advanced this program in the past few years, but his loyalty to his staff, particularly those calling the offense is both admirable and detrimental.

Any other staff in the conference would have been fired for the same constant lack of production Vanderbilt fans have been subjected to over the past two seasons.

A half-way decent offense might have gotten the Commodores eight or nine wins last year. A half-way decent offense would be 50 times better than what we've seen on the field this season any time Vanderbilt has faced a half-way decent opponent.

Something needs to be shaken up. The Commodores have not really been blown out in a game this year; their defense has played so well, despite being on the field over 35 minutes in each loss, that Vanderbilt has had a striking chance in the second half to win every game this season.

That's what makes this so frustrating. The offense is absolutely crippling this team, and it ruined this season.

There will not be a bowl game for Vanderbilt this year, that much is fairly certain. One year without one isn't going to kill anybody.

But will there be change?

If there isn't some sort of progress in the next six games, and at this point the only thing Vandy can do is improve, then Johnson needs to start thinking less about friendships and more about whether or not he really cares about this program.

It's about to be halftime in the Vanderbilt-Army game. You won't believe this, but the Commodore offense has once again been abhorrent.

Vanderbilt is being out-muscled, out-smarted and just out-played by an inferior Black Knight team at West Point and trails 3-0.

The Commodores said they would be more disciplined. They've committed seven penalties for 54 yards, including one that killed an 81-yard touchdown run.

The Commodores said they'd do a better job of moving the ball. They've got four first downs, 101 total yards and zero points.

Larry Smith's thrown his fifth pick of the year, and Army, a triple option team, has more yards through the air.

Can you say broken record? The opponent keeps changing, the total lack of evolution in playcalling and execution doesn't.

It is amazing that we are six games into the season and still seeing such total incompetence on that side of the ball.

Enough is enough.

Bobby Johnson: You need to scream at these guys. You need to go absolutely crazy in that locker room. You need to say, Are you kidding me?

Vanderbilt is a Southeastern Conference school that's getting pushed around the field by Army. That's more than embarrassing.

No more molly-coddling and hoping they'll snap out of it themselves.

There had better be a different team on the field in the second half, or the Commodores are going to be flying home stuck on two wins and might have to be content with that for the rest of the season.

If Johnson's content with that, then say 'job well done' at halftime. Otherwise, if his team wants to save this season from drowning, I recommend Bobby yell until he's hoarse. That might be all that will snap them out of this total funk.

It sure won't be the status quo.

The Vanderbilt faithful began this season brimming with more optimism than had been seen in a generation.

25 straight losing seasons can have that effect, after all, and it looks like the Commodores' only role this year may be the one of spoiler.

And that's kind of a downer.

After the Commodores ended the 2008 season with only their second bowl win ever and the most conference wins since the Southeastern Conference split into two divisions, fans around Nashville dared to predict another bowl for Bobby Johnson's team returning 18 starters from last season.

Three pretty ugly losses in four weeks have put more than put a damper on those hopes, however. An offense that hasn't mustered double digits in a single SEC game can also have that kind of effect.

The grim reality of a brutal second half of the season is right in Vanderbilt's face. After September, since 2004, the Commodores are sporting a record of 9-29.

That's not a coincidence; as the weather cools down, the competitions heats up, with annual games with the likes of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee and Kentucky. Throw Georgia Tech into the mix, and there's not a single cookie-cutter team the Commodores can beat up on like they did/should the first half of the season.

What kills, though, is Vanderbilt has the talent to be winning these games. The defense has been terrific, keeping opponents to a 30 percent conversion rate on third downs, and not allowing more than 23 points in a game this season.

They've also produced a +7 turnover ratio. The only other team in the nation with a losing record and a positive turnover ratio is San Jose State. That's the company you want to be in, for sure.

Obviously, it's the offense's inability to not only produce, but just to stay on the field, that's been killing the Commodores.

An alarming statistic discovered by the Nashville City Paper: on 37 possessions in SEC play, the Commodores have only had four that lasted more than three minutes.

With that kind of inefficiency, it's hard to see Vanderbilt beating another team after Army.

Tennessee is one-dimensional on offense like last season but still managed to run the ball effectively against Florida. The Commodores could beat the Gamecocks for the third year in a row, but South Carolina's defense will probably be too good to overcome.

Kentucky's probably the next-weakest team after Vanderbilt in the conference right now, but that still leaves the Commodores in the basement.

The only bit of optimism fans can cling to is that Vanderbilt has beaten opponents plenty of times before they apparently had no business beating.

Unfortunately, this year they don't have a 5-0 record to fall back on should they struggle in the second half. It will take a 4-3 record to finish out just to get eligible, and that won't even guarantee a bid in this year's stacked SEC.

Maybe Bobby Johnson has a short memory.

He said he was embarrassed for the team's performance after the Vanderbilt's 23-7 loss to Ole Miss Saturday night. He said he couldn't remember a game where his team was more out of sync, calling it "disheartening."

I can. It was two weeks ago in an equally ugly 15-3 loss to Mississippi State. In fact, I'm sensing a pattern here.

Another anemic attack in the passing game, badly beaten in the time-of-possession battle once again, and an amazing amount of mental errors for a team that prides itself on keeping its head on a swivel out there.

This team that was hoping to get some momentum out of a 36-17 win over Rice went right back into a hole, and they're staring up at the rest of the conference, buried with an 0-3 record.

A dreadful first half left the Commodores down 17-0 and, for all intents and purposes, the game was over; Larry Smith had gone 0-9 passing and would finish 10-27 for 69 yards, somehow lowering an already bad completion percentage.

My friend joked that the offense should write the defense an apology letter. Maybe they should; so far, in three conference games, this no-huddle "offense" has produced 17 points, and the defense has been on the field at least 35 minutes every time.

Even more disheartening, and unacceptable, were the shocking amount of penalties the Commodores committed, 12 for 74 yards, against the Rebels. 11 were false starts.

Combine that with the aerial attack and that's -5 yards for Vanderbilt.

A defining moment for the night was when Vanderbilt trailed 10-0 in the second quarter and had a nice drive going down to the Rebel 15.

And the Commodores froze up.

What followed was a stuffed run up the middle, a false start, a -4 yard rush (on yet another failed QB draw), and a sack.

Ryan Fowler came in and shanked the field goal, and that was that.

Five games into the season, Vanderbilt should be clicking.

Five games into the season, Vanderbilt is reeling.

Five games into the season, Vanderbilt has proven that it can beat teams that are terrible. Its two wins are against squads with a combined record of 0-10.

After Army next week, every opponent is as good or better than the SEC teams Vanderbilt has faced so far.

Where's the improvement? Where's the progress? 

There has been none.

And the staff certainly isn't putting them in positions to succeed. Vanderbilt's best passing weapons, our pair of big tight ends in Austin Monahan and Brandon Barden, weren't used, combining for one catch for five yards.

They combined for one catch for five yards, and predictably, Smith and his undersized, inexperienced receivers couldn't get anything going downfield, with his longest completion being 13 yards.

So where are we at?

We've got novices at two of the game's most scrutinized positions (Smith at quarterback, Fowler at kicker), who appear to be needing the entire season to find themselves, we've got an offensive line that is badly underachieving, we've got a staff that's getting out-schemed by every conference staff.

We've got problems. Where are the solutions?

The Commodores haven't had too many other SEC teams' numbers over the years, but they have a chance Saturday to pull off a rare feat: beat the same conference foe three straight times, something they haven't done since beating Kentucky five times in a row from 1991-1995.

The prospective victim is Ole Miss, reeling from a 16-10 loss to South Carolina that exposed many weaknesses, most notably in the offensive line and in quarterback Jevan Snead.

Overall, Vanderbilt has won two straight and three of the last four match-ups between the teams, most recently a crazy 23-17 victory in Oxford last season where Ole Miss committed six turnovers.

That being said, the Rebels are out to avenge that frustrating defeat, and recent history shows they are more than capable of bouncing back from disappointment; a week after coughing up a win against the Commodores, they handed the eventual national champion Gators their only loss of the season.

So, it's going to be quite a battle Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium between two rivals from the East and West divisions searching for their first conference win.

Here are five keys to Vanderbilt making it a hat trick against the Rebels.

1) Get up in Snead's grill

Despite his struggles, Snead is still a very good quarterback. He's got both a strong and accurate arm and a good physique. However, put pressure on any quarterback and he's going to not be on his game.

Look no further than last year.

"We usually throw a lot at quarterbacks," said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "It wasn't all his fault."

Johnson's right; it's also the offensive line's job to protect Snead and they did a poor job of doing so last year.

If the Commodore defensive line gets as much penetration in the backfield as the Gamecocks did last Thursday, Snead might be in line for another turnover fest like last season against the Commodores when he threw four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

The secondary played within themselves and made plays when they were available, and defensive coordinator Bruce Fowler did a great job of sending mixed blitz packages to wreak havoc on the beleaguered Snead.

Do that again Saturday with success, and it could be another long day for No. 4.

2) Deny Dexter

Flanker Dexter McCluster is very dangerous out of Ole Miss' famous Wild Rebel formation. He was about the only semblance of an offensive spark the Rebels had against the Gamecocks, and his speed could provide problems for Vanderbilt's linebackers, better known for their strong tackling than their quickness.

He needs to be prevented from making big plays. Stacking the box with him in and spreading the linebackers out to stop him from getting around the edge will be significant.

Containing McCluster will put added pressure on Snead to perform, something he's really yet to do this season.

3) Special teams perfection

As I've said before, Vanderbilt's offense gives them a very small margin for error.

So special teams execution really needs to be flawless if the Commodores want to win this game.

That means solid coverage units, making field goals and continued strong play from punter Brett Upson, whose rugby-style kicking is generally effective at pinning opponents downfield.

4) Get the tight ends involved in the passing game

In their last two conference games, the Commodores have spent roughly 38 minutes per contest playing defense.

That's un-flipping-acceptable. The fact that they lost both games by double digits shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. A defense gasping for air couldn't stop fourth-quarter touchdowns that put the game out of reach both times.

While establishing the run is important for Vanderbilt, what will be more important will be putting quarterback Larry Smith in position to succeed by making use of the Commodores' two big targets at tight end, Austin Monahan and Brandon Barden.

Short, intermediate pass plays with a high-percentage chance of completion will help move the chains and get the Vandy D some much-needed downtime, while simultaneously making the Ole Miss D work that much harder.

The Vanderbilt receiving corps is still a work in progress. Monahan and Barden are proven weapons and the coaching staff needs to take advantage of that.

5) Offensive line: You need to step up

Maybe nothing is more important than Vanderbilt's offensive line rising to the challenge against the powerful defensive line of the Rebels.

Center Bradley Vierling vocalized the challenge he and his four compatriots in the trenches will face.

"Their front four is big and athletic," he said. "Probably the fastest team on defense that we've played against so far."

Marcus Tillman, Kentrell Lockett, Ted Laurent and Lawon Scott, the Ole Miss starters, are all upperclassmen. The line helped hold the Gamecocks to just 65 yards rushing last week and is the strength of the entire Rebel defense.

The offensive line needs to win the battle, plain and simple. Smith has got to have time to throw, and Vanderbilt's Warren Norman and Jared Hawkins need to have some running room to take some of the pressure of Smith and the passing game.

They also need to get things together mentally; in the first half against Rice they were out of sync and committed several penalties and other mistakes, including a snap when Smith wasn't looking that stopped a promising drive in its tracks.

Here's hoping.

We'll see what happens. If the above five things happen though, the Commodores will be celebrating.

Or Vanderbilt could just concentrate on scoring 18 points. Ole Miss has scored 17 each of the last three times the teams have met.