I'm At A Loss

[vandy86]

Watching that game was hard and painful. Take away their punt for no yardage and our KO return for a TD and we would have lost. I know those things happened so they count and we won. Well it was still painful to watch.
We have, at least for this game , no rushing offense, a QB that can't escape the rush, an OL that had a hard time blocking anyone, and coaches that didn't seem to be very involved in the game. I never thought that losing Ray Davis and Mike Wright would hurt us as much as it seems to. Mike rushed for over 500 yards last year and Ray over 1000. Where are these yards going to come from? Do we have a QB that has any semblance of a run game or at least can scramble? If not, we had better get the portal as wide open as we can in hopes of letting one through for the future.
Maybe next week will solve all the problems that seemed to jump off the tv screen. And no I am not a "Monday Morning QB"> I'm someone who played for 4 years for the Commodores and hates to see these things at my school. No matter how hard or painful it continues to be to watch, I will be here pulling as hard as I can.
ANCHOR DOWN DORES!!!

[commadore]

Based on what I saw last night, we will be lucky to have 1,500 yards rushing as a team.

[cc11316]

I find it strange that you played at Vanderbilt for 4 years but seem to be panicking after an opening season win. There are gaping holes that need to be addressed, no doubt, but I think the biggest thing was to get the win regardless of the style points (or lack thereof). For every close but uncomfortable win like this (see Elon 23', UConn 21', N. Illinois 19', Charleston Southern 14') there are also worse gut-wrenching losses (ETSU 21', UNLV 19', Western Ky 15', Temple 14'). At this point, I'll take an ugly win with optimism that the team will improve.

[vandy05]

I find it strange that you played at Vanderbilt for 4 years but seem to be panicking after an opening season win. There are gaping holes that need to be addressed, no doubt, but I think the biggest thing was to get the win regardless of the style points (or lack thereof). For every close but uncomfortable win like this (see Elon 23', UConn 21', N. Illinois 19', Charleston Southern 14') there are also worse gut-wrenching losses (ETSU 21', UNLV 19', Western Ky 15', Temple 14'). At this point, I'll take an ugly win with optimism that the team will improve.

I agree wholeheartedly. There are many Vanderbilt teams that would've found a way to lose this game and we managed to avoid that which is good. The team and the coaches will find a way to make improvements. Onward and upward!

[charlestonalum]

Watching that game was hard and painful. Take away their punt for no yardage and our KO return for a TD and we would have lost. I know those things happened so they count and we won. Well it was still painful to watch.
We have, at least for this game ... coaches that didn't seem to be very involved in the game.

Our coaches reflect head coach: poised, under control and professional - avoids the panic that could have ensued. Be grateful - their jobs are on the line every game: they are involved...

[UltimateVUFan]

Watching that game was hard and painful. Take away their punt for no yardage and our KO return for a TD and we would have lost. I know those things happened so they count and we won. Well it was still painful to watch.
We have, at least for this game ... coaches that didn't seem to be very involved in the game.

Our coaches reflect head coach: poised, under control and professional - avoids the panic that could have ensued. Be grateful - their jobs are on the line every game: they are involved...

Perhaps. And there is certainly something to maintaining composure in pressure situations. It can even be a good thing under the right circumstances.
However, in contrast to what we saw from Timmy Chang on the sideline, who was active and engaging players every time he was on camera, I might take the latter approach. He probably should have pulled out a win with inferior talent last night. Just saying.
And I’m not a Lea hater. I was greatly concerned after year one, but cautiously optimistic after year 2.
I will wait for the full season’s results to pass judgment (not that my assessment really means anything!) However, there is something to be said for inspiring your team and lighting a fire under their butts to raise energy levels when they don’t seem to be engaged in the game.

[nyyankeeDore]

We have, at least for this game , no rushing offense, a QB that can't escape the rush, an OL that had a hard time blocking anyone, and coaches that didn't seem to be very involved in the game.

I do not understand the assertion that VU's coaches "didn't seem to be very involved in the game." From watching a game on television, I think it is very difficult, if not impossible, to know what Coach Lea or any of his assistants are thinking or saying to each other or the players.

[Johnmn555]

For every close but uncomfortable win like this (see Elon 23', UConn 21', N. Illinois 19', Charleston Southern 14') there are also worse gut-wrenching losses (ETSU 21', UNLV 19', Western Ky 15', Temple 14'). At this point, I'll take an ugly win with optimism that the team will improve.

Given three of the four uncomfortable wins you cite ocurred in particularly miserable seasons ('21, '19 and '14) where there was no improvement, I would not get too optimistic. Also, going back many decades, rotten first games have tended to portend poor seasons for us.

[dore83]

My concern was that once we went up 35-14 we went into Jeff Fisher (and those who have followed him with the Titans) mode. Milk the clock and try not to lose. I've always hated that strategy and can't really think of many teams who have prospered in the long run with that approach.