Here are three final scores that sum up Derek Mason’s first three years at Vanderbilt:
- September 6, 2014: Ole Miss 41, Vanderbilt 3
- September 26, 2015: Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 16
- November 19, 2016: Vanderbilt 38, Ole Miss 17
Okay, so that’s not the entire story. The Ole Miss game in 2014, Mason’s second game as Vanderbilt head coach, was one of the worst performances of an awful season, while the game last night was easily the team’s best performance of the season. And, of course, 2016 Ole Miss is a team that needs to beat Mississippi State just to get to a bowl game, not the Top 25 teams they fielded the last two years.