UNLV Embarrasses Vanderbilt With 34-10 Blowout
There were no cheers of SEC heard inside Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday evening as the Vanderbilt Commodores were soundly beaten in every aspect imaginable by the visiting UNLV Rebels from the Mountain West Conference.
Prior to this game, the UNLV offense had not scored more than 17 points versus an FBS opponent. That is just one of many stats that no longer apply for the Rebels, as most of their disappointment from their 1-4 start seemed gone, if only for a day.
Vanderbilt score first when Ke"Shawn Vaughn found the endzone from 4 yards away to give the Commodores their one and only lead of the game.
The Rebels answered with a 12 play, 75 yard drive capped by Charles Williams 5-yard touchdown run. Just like that the Vanderbilt lead was gone and the blowout was on.
UNLV would score the next 17 points before Vanderbilt could manage a 48 yard field goal from Ryley Guay to trim the visitors advantage to 17-10 with 9:28 left in the first half.
Vegas would add another score before haltime when Rebels quarterback Kenyon Oblad connected with Noan Bean for a 5-yard touchdown to move UNLV to a 24-10 advantage at the intermission.
Neither team managed a score in the third quarter, with Vanderbilt's offense continuing to struggle to consistantly move the football.
However, the game would take its final turn late in the fourth quarter with the game still withing reach when Vanderbilt quarterback Riley Neal was intercepted by linebacker Javin White who returned it 44 yards to set up a UNLV field goal early in the fourth quarter.
The wheels had officially fallen of the Commodores as on the next offensive possession when Neal was sacked and stripped of the football by Rayshad Jackson and recovered by Nate Neal at the Rebels 35, stopping a potential scoring drive for the Commodores.
The Rebels would fire the final nail into the Commodores coffin on the ensuing drive as Chad Magyer capped a seven play drive with a 14 yard touchdown run right up the middle to give the visitors a 34-10 lead.
To add insult to injury for Vanderbilt, UNLV had the football with 7:52 left to play deep inside Commodores territory. They ran four consecutive run plays right up the middle, failing to convert on 4th down and giving the football back to Vanderbilt.
Those four consecutive run plays were the equivalent of a Victory Formation, and it came with over seven minute left, and on the Commodores home field.
While UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez mean no disrespect in doing so, it was a moment that should reside in the minds of Vanderbilt coaches, players and fans that a team from the Mountain West could come into an SEC stadium and effectively say "we've scored enough, take a knee."
This might not be the lowest moment in a history filled with embarrassing ones, but this is at the bottom for Mason in his tenure as the head Commodore.
