Commodore Brunch Week 7: Rock bottom – The Vanderbilt Hustler

I wish somebody would have told me then, someday these would be the good old days
— Kesha
“I wish somebody would have told me then, someday these would be the good old days” is the famous opening hook of a song by Macklemore and Kesha, and a message that many Commodore Football fans and I wish we could have grasped during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Those days — when it felt like Diego Pavia would lead the ’Dores to victory no matter what, and actually did much of the time — are over.
Because the fact of the matter is, in 2026, Vanderbilt is just not good.
And it showed that on Saturday night as it welcomed Arkansas — the presumed bottom-feeder of the SEC — to FirstBank Stadium. And even though the Commodores had gotten pummeled the week before versus Ole Miss, the stands were still full of home fans in black-out attire — a positive sight for the Homecoming weekend matchup.
But as was right of passage for many of those alumni in their school years (and much of the current student-body), those stands greatly emptied out during halftime. And frankly, I don’t blame them.
Vanderbilt was tied at 14-14 when it entered the locker room, but it was clear at that point in time that the blow-out reassuring victory many had hoped it would earn against the Razorbacks was not coming. The Commodores, a (-6.5) favorite in the contest, were quick to play down to the competition.
Despite jumping out to a 7-0 lead, Vanderbilt struggled early on to convert good field position into scoring, and the Razorbacks took advantage of a pick-six and weak run defense to make it even by the midway point of the game.
In the second half, the Hogs ability to run the ball gave them an edge in time of possession, and when it looked like the ’Dores were in prime position to even-up the score, Jared Curtis made what was the most ghastly throw of his career yet back into his opponents’ hands.
Anything that may look like a positive on the stat sheet for Vanderbilt — like the stellar performance of Junior Sherrill — has already been known. And the Commodores’ weaknesses grow in numbers every week.
So, the question remains, where does the Vanderbilt Football team and its fanbase go from here?
Pick-two sides
Last offseason, Vanderbilt’s freshman quarterback Jared Curtis was the far-and-away reason for the fanbase to remain hopeful about this season. The five-star recruit is among the most talented ever to don the Black and Gold and seemed to be the clear successor to Pavia in spirit and number.
As has been the case for the entire season so far, Curtis made some great plays — especially down the sideline to Sherrill and Ja’Cory Thomas. But his mistakes this week seemed worse than what they had been.
Curtis threw two interceptions against Arkansas, and while he now has seven total in just four starts, these throws felt less excusable. Most of Curtis’s other picks had been tipped-balls where the fault was on the receiver or “arm-punts” where even if he put the ball into tough coverage, it was a deep enough throw that at least the opponent had poor field position afterwards.
His first turnover came on a 2^nd-and-10 in the early second quarter, where he threw a ball on a hook-route incredibly late, and the Razorbacks’ Joker Johnson was able to step in, grab the ball, and carry his momentum 20 yards to the house.
The latter of his turnovers came late in the fourth quarter, when he was leading a potential game-tying drive. The Commodores had ran 14 plays for 63 yards when Curtis was pressured on the Arkansas 31-yard line into throwing a weak ball out of a sack — which landed in the hands of Miguel Mitchell. This one was not just a bad read, but a textbook example of what not to do when facing pressure in the game of football. And this play all but sealed the Commodores’ fate in losing to Hog Nation.
Now, Curtis is still a 19-year-old true freshman making his fourth collegiate start. But Vanderbilt fans came into the year believing he was the messiah destined to continue leading the ’Dores to glory. And that was wrong.
The expectations fans placed on Curtis have put an exclamation mark on the disappointment of the team this year — he was always expected to be a very raw prospect, and this week further showed why.
Sizzling bacon
The Hogs’ run game was sizzling hot on Saturday, as they combined for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Whenever Vanderbilt needed to get a stop, Arkansas would hand the ball off and get solid yardage — breaking a number of tackles in the process.
In a similar style to what Pavia did to many teams last year, Arkansas’ QB KJ Jackson ran the option-play to perfection, as he had the eyes of Vanderbilt’s defense all over the field as a result. Jackson had 58 yards on 11 carries — and by being a duel-threat, he gave all of his skill players the ability to find space as he drew attention to himself.
And it was not like Arkansas was breaking out on every snap, either. Its longest run as a team was only 20 yards, but Vanderbilt’s defense struggled to make tackles in the backfield and around the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinator Steve Gregory called an aggressive game typical to his style — and Vanderbilt just could not reach the ball-carrier, as the team had just three tackles-for-loss on the day and no sacks.
While Vanderbilt’s poor pass coverage has gotten a lot of attention this year, the unit cannot seem to stop either side of offensive play, and is part of the reason it continues to allow its opponents to score in high numbers.
Poorly coached eggs?
Without a doubt, Vanderbilt’s fan base is starting to take notice as to how coaching is impacting the team’s poor performance this season.
Head coach Clark Lea entered 2026 with a pristine reputation as an elite motivator and organizer, with a program built on values and discipline. So far this year, the team has very much lacked the latter — insinuating that the former is missing too.
Week-in and week-out, Vanderbilt has racked up large amounts of penalties. And while the team was much better at avoiding flags versus the Hogs, the team still showed a lot of frustration and negative emotion along the sideline. Last week against Ole Miss, the team scrapped with the Rebels on multiple occasions and that trend continued this week as Vanderbilt got at it with the Razorbacks in the first half.
While Lea, a Vanderbilt alumnus who has led the team to incredible heights the past couple years, still seems like the key figure who yearns for the program’s long-term success, he must reign in his players’ attitudes and re-find the mental form that made his squads so strong before.
Lea’s coordinators on both sides of the ball bring up questions as well. Gregory’s aggressive playcalling was a key reason for Vanderbilt’s successes last year, but has burned the team at times this season. As he focuses his attention on pressuring the quarterback, opponents find open pass-catchers downfield and runners find gaps along the trenches.
Gregory has also been relatively unwilling to experiment with different defensive lineups. Notably, replacing Martel Hight — who has been abysmal in man-coverage — at cornerback. Even if Vanderbilt’s depth is not as talented as its starters, sometimes change does a unit good. Without a doubt, though, Gregory is on the hot seat as his unit has been the worst in terms of points allowed in the SEC so far this year.
Gregory’s counterpart, offensive coordinator Tim Beck, has had many issues of his own this season. Beck, who blew teams away with his creative playcalling when he had Pavia under center, has become very conservative with a true freshman taking snaps. While understandable, Beck’s 2026 offense of short passes and runs up-the-middle have been incredibly predictable.
While Curtis is throwing the long-ball at a higher volume than Pavia ever did, it certainly feels like that only comes in no-huddle situations when Beck has less control over the play. If Beck wants his unit to truly find its rhythm, he has to open Curtis up to more situations, and try to get the ball in the hands of his skill-players in unique ways.
Ultimately, players are who execute play-calls, but Vanderbilt’s coaching staff must re-think its approach as it stands on the precipice of a miserable season. And typically miserable seasons lead to coaches getting fired.
— Eli Landers
Ultimately, players are who execute play-calls, but Vanderbilt’s coaching staff must re-think its approach as it stands on the precipice of a miserable season. And typically miserable seasons lead to coaches getting fired.
Vanderbilt will next take the field at Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 630 p.m. CDT.
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