Highest Graded Vanderbilt Commodores From Disappointing Loss to South Carolina
The Vanderbilt Commodores were unable to get another win streak going on Saturday after falling to the South Carolina Gamecocks, but a few players should have their heads held high after solid outings.
It was a close game for most of the day, but the Commodores offense was unable to catch up once the Gamecocks starting putting points on the board.
Pro Football Focus released their weekly grades for the matchup and a couple of Vanderbilt players ended the game with solid assessments.
CB Martel Hight - 78.8
Hight has had an up-and-down season, but these past two weeks have definitely been up. He was given SEC TOTW honors last week. While he didn't repeat in the ward, he still had a great day on the field.
He was an active tackler in this one, coming up with four on the day. Two of his tackles were logged as stops. He also had a forced fumble in the first quarter that the offense was unable to capitalize on.
The sophomore was targeted twice in coverage, allowing just one catch for six yards. Hight logged his fourth pass breakup of the season.
FS Maurice Hampton Jr. - 76.6
Hampton has had an interesting journey that has seen stops at multiple schools and sports. This was his first big game since committing back to football.
Originally committing to the LSU Tigers out of high school, he eventually transferred to Samford to focus on baseball. He also made a stop with the Memphis Tigers.
He came back to the SEC this season, joining the Commodores as a three-star safety. This past weekend was his first start and he made it a memorable one.
The graduate senior had a season-high four tackles. He was targeted once in coverage and came up with his first pass breakup of the year.
QB Diego Pavia - 74.0
While Pavia didn't have his best day through the air, he came up big in other ways to stay near the top of the team's rankings.
The passer went 16-for-31 through the air for 166 yards. It was a much better performance than a week ago, at least, even if he didn't put points on the board through the air.
Vanderbilt's only points on the day came from Pavia's 17-yard scamper in the third quarter. He ended the day as the team's best rusher with 65 yards on 13 carries.
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders