Secondary
Daniel: Todd Kelly Jr.’s interception was a game-changer. The true freshman showed his athleticism, barely getting a foot in bounds to make a huge pick that ended a Vandy drive that could’ve tied the game in the second half. Instead, UT got the ball back and drove the length of the field for a touchdown to go up 14. Brian Randolph also had a nice pick on a low-thrown ball by Patton Robinette. Justin Coleman has to be one of the most enigmatic players on the team – he got beat on a few plays, but also made an athletic interception in the end zone. Vandy had a few nice plays in the passing game, but the numbers weren’t great overall, and the secondary deserves credit for that. The Commodores, did, however, also beat themselves by dropping several passes on plays they were wide open. Grade: A-
Houston: I thought this group turned in one of their better performances of the season on a night when their team really needed it. The Vols confused and contained Commodore starting quarterback Johnny McCrary – who was pulled from the game after throwing an interception to Justin Coleman in the end zone – and then eventually did the same to Patton Robinette once he took over. Robinette was able to find Steven Scheu wide open down the sideline for a touchdown, but also tossed up two interceptions – one each to Brian Randolph and Todd Kelly Jr. Vanderbilt passers finished the night 13-of-30 for 149 yards, the touchdown to Scheu and three interceptions. That’s an acceptable night for this group. Grade: A
Reed: Other than a couple of big plays at the expense of Justin Coleman, this unit played very well. Coleman, for his part, atoned for his mistakes with an acrobatic interception in the end zone that kept a driving Vanderbilt off the scoreboard. Todd Kelly Jr. added an impressive interception. His three picks rank second on the team…and he started only three games this year. Randolph added a big interception and six tackles, McNeil led the team with seven tackles and Cam Sutton shut down his side of the field. Grade: A
Average Grade: A
