Vanderbilt Slaughter Underlined by Statistics

Rebel football commentary by HottyToddy.com contributor Steve Vassallo.
It was decisive. It  was one-sided. And it was brutal!
This is how the Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game can be best described by the 43,260 who attended and those who watched on ESPN.
Bo Wallace deserved being the MVP as the senior passed for 320 yards and is one TD pass shy from being tied for second on the all-time Ole Miss list.
It is rare in an SEC game to see one team not punt. On the other hand Vandy punted seven times. Ole Miss scored on seven of their first eight possessions. Vandy crossed the midfield stripe once in the entire game! Ole Miss held the ball 15 more minutes than Vandy and the total yardage final numbers had Ole Miss with 547 to Vandy’s 167. First downs were 34-9. Wow!
Enough about the stats. Let’s discuss some of the Ole Miss stars of the game aside from the MVP. Whoever dreamt the only player intercepting a pass would be Cliff Coleman?
Seventeen players made solo tackles. This was truly a team victory. The defense shined again as did the offense. The running game was vastly improved from Boise State with the yards per running attempt increasing from 2.1 to 3.6.
Andrew Fletcher (Nashville MBA) was outstanding in the kicking game with field goals of 31 and 25 yards and 5 for 5 with extra points. This type of reliance will be greatly needed once the “big boys” of the league begin appearing.

The Ole Miss receiving corps was once again stellar. There were so many bright spots that it was hard to single any one out. Ingram and Core were sensational as were Treadwell and others. Again, it was truly a team effort.
Vanderbilt had a small turnout of support which Temple had much to do with. The Ole Miss fans were there in numbers and voice! Nashville has become our home away from Oxford. Vandy’s coach, Derek Mason, had better figure it out quickly before this season becomes a total nightmare.
In conclusion, it was fun to watch from an Ole Miss perspective and horrifying from the other side. It will be great to return to Oxford being 12th in the nation or very near!
This Ole Miss team is exciting and fun to watch. Those few critics following the Boise State victory could not be found in Nashville and hopefully won’t be found again! This was my 49th time to see Ole Miss and Vandy play in person and the most enjoyable to date.
To paraphrase the late great Jackie Gleason…How Sweet It Is!





 
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other 

subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. In addition, he is a certified economic and community developer and currently, a highly successful leader in the real estate business with Premier Properties of Oxford. Steve’s lifelong dream has been to live in Oxford full-time. “I am now living my dream daily as is my wife Rosie, who works with the Oxford Chamber of Commerce,” Steve said. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.