Joe Biddle: Vanderbilt Commodores' only good news is free taco Commentary by <http://www.tennessean.com/staff/joebiddle> Joe Biddle . The Tennessean . November 7, 2010
* <javascript:void(null);> Vanderbilt Coach Robbie Caldwell should have known Saturday was going to be one of those Murphy's Law type of days - where if anything can go wrong, it will. "It's been a rough day. It started off that way,'' Caldwell said after Florida flogged his team 55-14. "My battery was dead in my truck when I came out this morning at the hotel. They left the lights on.'' How bad was it? * <http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101107/SPORTS0602/11070365/1107> Vanderbilt Commodores ensure another losing year Florida led 41-0 before Vanderbilt scored in the third quarter. Vanderbilt averaged 1.2 yards rushing on 38 carries. The Commodores fumbled eight times, losing two. They had two punts blocked. One was returned 42 yards for a touchdown. Florida piled up 480 yards while Vanderbilt managed only 109. Vanderbilt converted only two of 16 third-down plays while the Commodores defense saw Florida make good on seven of 19. At the end of the third quarter, Florida fans sang their customary "We Are The Boys from Old Florida,'' song as they swayed back and forth in the stands they took over from the start of the game. Florida won the tailgating. It won every phase of the game. Florida fans had to incur a lot of chapped hands from doing the Gator Chomp so many times. Vanderbilt did manage to salvage something. With the score 55-7 late in the fourth quarter and Vanderbilt driving, Vanderbilt students were keenly aware that if the team could post 14 points, everyone with a ticket stub could get a free taco from participating Taco Bells. You could hear the chant from the stands as Vanderbilt neared the Florida goal line: "Tacos, tacos, tacos," they yelled. Even Florida fans joined in. When freshman Jordan Matthews made an acrobatic catch in a corner of the end zone, and the Commodores made the all-important extra point, you would have thought they won the game. Matthews, a freshman from Madison, Ala., had a lot of family members in the stands. He was unaware his catch would feed thousands who kept their tickets. "Oh, really. Can I go get one?'' Matthews asked after the game. "My momma has one, so I can get one from her.'' While it served as a light moment on a dark day, there was no hiding the fact that it was as sound a beating as Vanderbilt has experienced in quite some time. New offensive coordinator Des Kitchings saw running back Zac Stacy leave the field with what was later termed a concussion. Backup Wesley Tate injured an ankle. There were too many dropped passes, too many errant passes by quarterbacks Larry Smith and Jared Funk. It didn't go like Kitchings drew it up. "From the first play of the game, we had a chance for a nice completion that we didn't complete because of a drop,'' Kitchings said. "We had some third-down situations that were convertible and we just didn't quite come up with the result we liked.'' If you were a Vanderbilt fan, there was little to like. Reach Joe Biddle at 615-259-8255 or [email protected]. Oliver Barry CRS,GRI Real Estate Broker Bob Parks Realty 1517 Hunt Club Blvd Gallatin TN 37066 Phone: 615-826-4040 Fax: 615-822-2027 Mobile: 615-972-4239 -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
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