For one half, Andy Ludwig showed us the potential of a Kyle Shurmur-led Vanderbilt offense. After a conservative start, the Commodore offensive coordinator allowed his freshman quarterback to show off a strong mid-range passing game. Shurmur did a solid job of identifying open targets and delivering powerful passes that hit his receivers between the numbers. He delivered the team's first passing touchdown in nearly a month and, with the help of an opportunistic defense, guided Vanderbilt to 21 first quarter points against Kentucky.
And then, seemingly deciding that he'd seen enough, Ludwig rolled it all back. The Commodores sat on their 21-10 lead and forced the defense to hold on for dear life as a conservative gameplan and a string of three-and-out drives relied on runs up the middle and predictable third-and-long passes.