Any late-season momentum that Ole Miss built up with its dramatic upset of Texas A&M was torn asunder in Nashville on Saturday night. After cruising to an early 10-0 lead, the Rebels watched impotently as Vanderbilt—yes, Vanderbilt—piled up 31 unanswered points en route to an eventual 38-17 win.
Shea Patterson, the hero of College Station, completed just 20 of his 42 completions, though fault lied largely on the receiving end. Receivers that helped carry their freshman quarterback against A&M couldn’t hold onto anything against the ‘Dores, dropping an obscene number of passes. A week after hauling in a one-handed catch of the year candidate, Damore’ea Stringfellow had two of the most damaging bungles: a sure touchdown on an opening drive and a fourth-down attempt that stalled a promising drive in the second quarter.