The final record wasn’t exactly pretty, but Vanderbilt made a massive leap in Year 2 under Derek Mason.
The Commodores (4-8, 2-6 SEC) won their first two conference games under Mason after a disastrous first season under their new coach, and they could easily have won several others games before running out of gas late.
Their problem remains an underperforming offense, although the defense took gigantic steps forward once Mason took over as his own defensive coordinator this season. Nonetheless, there seems to be reason for optimism in Nashville after entering the season with nothing of the sort.