Vanderbilt football still has more questions than answers for its 2026 season after its 52-17 loss to Ole Miss on Oct. 10.
It was the biggest loss for the Commodores by margin of defeat since a 47-6 loss to South Carolina in 2023. Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC) faces an uphill battle to make a bowl game. Lowly Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) is next up on the schedule on Oct. 17 (6 p.m., ESPN2), but other teams like Kentucky, Mississippi State and Florida, have been better than expected.
Penalties and turnovers were the biggest problems against Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1), as the Commodores never really had a chance to get back in the game with the amount of yardage they handed the Rebels.
Here are four parting thoughts from the game:
The run game is still an issue
The run game continued to be a problem.
Makhilyn Young was Vanderbilt's leading rusher with 40 yards on nine carries, but he broke off one 34-yard run. His other eight carries gained six yards. Blaze Berlowitz, who came in during garbage time, was the Commodores' second-leading rusher with 23 yards on four carries. Jamezell Lassiter had 20 yards on six carries, Evan Hampton 16 yards on four carries and Sedrick Alexander just 13 yards on six carries.
It's not a surprise that Jared Curtis wasn't as involved in the run game as he previously had been given that he was dealing with a lower-body injury — not including sacks, he ran just three times for 18 yards — but none of the running backs got much going.
"In the running back room, we control what we can control," Young said. "When we get blessed, and I say blessed with the opportunity to carry the ball, we maximize it. That's it, just maximize every opportunity, and you've got to understand that it might just be one, what do you do with that one?"
This season, Vanderbilt averages 119.67 rush yards per game, which is ranked 118th of 138 FBS teams. It also averages 3.52 yards per carry, which is 122nd.
The latter number is 14th of 16 teams in the SEC, with only Arkansas and Oklahoma worse.
Compare that to 2025, where the Commodores averaged 175.5 yards per game (47th) and 5.62 yards per carry (6th).
Where Vanderbilt's transfer offensive line strategy failed
The transfer portal is a key part of roster building for all but a handful of schools in college football. But teams can run into trouble when they become reliant on the portal at a particular position. Transfers don't have a 100% hit rate, even for the best scouts, and if a team isn't recruiting or developing enough high school players at a certain position, it leaves the team vulnerable to a transfer class that doesn't work out.
That's the issue Vanderbilt has with the offensive line. The Commodores haven't consistently recruited or developed linemen out of high school in Clark Lea's tenure, and the bill has come due now with Vanderbilt needing to consistently turn over the majority of its line every year. It's much harder to find players who all fit together in the portal, rather than needing just one or two players who can slot in.
The good news is, that aspect has improved. Mitchell Smith looks promising, though he missed the Ole Miss game with injury. The Commodores also have 4-star tackle Jasper Ngokwere committed for 2027. But failure to do that earlier in Lea's tenure has led Vanderbilt to where it is.
Can Ja'Cory Thomas keep producing?
Ja'Cory Thomas continued to flash good things, catching three passes for 60 yards each of the three times he was targeted. He's not what Tre Richardson was for Vanderbilt in 2025, but if he can continue this production and stay healthy after dealing with persistent hamstring injuries, it would be a big help to Jared Curtis. Cole Spence and Walter Taylor also made a few big catches.
Why Jared Curtis, Blaze Berlowitz were both done disservice by QB battle
The day before the game, a woman identified by Diego Pavia as Blaze Berlowitz's mother referred to "a bunch of clowns running this football program" on a stream. The incident underscored that the way the quarterback situation was handled did both Curtis and Berlowitz a disservice. Curtis, who had been the better performer in preseason, missed development time, and Berlowitz ended up in a situation where he was booed off the field against Delaware. When asked to spell Curtis, Berlowitz has performed well, and in fact much better than he did against Austin Peay and Delaware. Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, the toothpaste can't go back in the tube.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Run game struggles and other Vanderbilt football final thoughts from Ole Miss game
