Seriously, Tennessee. I feel for you. That ending was a brutalness usually reserved for Vanderbilt games. It's a common theme for us; defeat wrenched from the jaws of victory as your coach angrily whips his headset to the Baton Rouge turf in disgust. Yes, Volunteers, we know how that feels.
The only solace that Vandy fans have this week is that we didn't lose that painfully. The Commodores offense came alive in the first half before remembering who they were in the third and fourth quarters and going back into hibernation. Suddenly, we were impotent again, and the usually stout defense had nothing in the gas tank to keep the team in the game. They let Jordan Todman gash the team for 190 yards and allowed the Name of the Week winner Blidi Wreh-Wilson to come up with two turnovers, including a pick six. After a promising 21-14 lead, the 'Dores backslid into a world of shit and let UConn walk all over them.
Larry Smith had a decent game, alternating between efficiency and scrambling madness behind a weak offensive line. Without the ability to run the ball in the second half the offense fell apart, giving the Huskies the breathing room they needed for their first BCS conference win of the season. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, just saw any bowl game hopes take a major hit with a 17 point loss to a team that many fans thought they could beat.
The 'Dores return next week with an easy home game against 0-17 Eastern Michigan. Today's game left plenty of questions on both offense and defense, Can Vanderbilt stop any above-average rushing attacks this season? Will the offense ever put together two solid halves against a legitimate opponent? Will Larry Smith ever get the three seconds he needs in the pocket to actually make an accurate pass? Fortunately, we've got 13 days to reflect until a trip to Athens to take on Georgia.