The Derek Mason era at Vanderbilt did not start the way they thought it would. A commanding performance by Temple saw them crush Vanderbilt in Nashville by a score of 37-7. Vanderbilt had 7 turnovers in the loss.

The game was originally delayed due to severe thunderstorms in the area. The game started just as the clock approached 11 PM Eastern Time.

Temple's P.J. Walker had complete control of the offense, as he did not commit a turnover in the win. He threw for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 of 34 passing. He also ran for 21 yards and 1 touchdown.

Both teams struggled offensively on the first couple of series. Vanderbilt's Brian Kimbrow fumbled in his own territory and it was recovered by Nate Smith of Temple. Temple nearly gave the ball back on the next play, but P.J. Walker bailed them out with the recovery. Three plays later, Walker hit Brandon Shippen for a 35 yard touchdown pass and Temple took a 7-0 lead.

Vanderbilt would even up the score in the second quarter when a blocked punt was recovered by Vandy Oren Burks for a touchdown. Despite several chances for Temple players to fall on the ball, it did not happen. A fumble by Temple's Khalif Herbin gave Vanderbilt great field position at midfield, but the Commodores could not do anything with the ball and punted.

Temple got their second touchdown when Walker hit Jalen Fitzpatrick for an 18 yard score and took the lead at 14-7. Things got worse for Vandy when Stephen Rivers was hit and fumbled by Avery Ellis. Averee Robinson scooped the ball up for a 55 yard touchdown return and the rout was on at 21-7.

Vandy's turnover problems continued in the third quarter when Darrius Sims fumbled the punt return and it was recovered by Jahad Thomas on the Vanderbilt 31 yard line. Despite getting to the Vandy one yard line, Temple had to settle for a 19 yard field goal from Austin Jones.

Vanderbilt then threw an interception on their next series and P.J. Walker turned that into a touchdown with a 3 yard touchdown run. Two more field goals from Temple, one by Austin Jones and the other by Tyler Mayes, made it 37-7.

It was a truly horrendous performance by Vanderbilt. They managed a total of 54 yards rushing and went 3 of 14 on third down conversions. To be fair, Temple was worse on third down going a paltry 2 of 17. Still, the 7 turnovers by Vanderbilt is completely inexcusable. Stephen Rivers, younger brother of San Diego Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers, threw 1 interception and lost a fumble, while Johnny McCrary threw two interceptions. McCrary attempted only 3 passes for the entire game. Rivers finished the game by going 12 of 25 for 186 yards and that one interception. 

Ralph Webb led the Commodores in rushing with 70 yards on 14 carries. The top receiver for Vandy was C.J. Duncan with 2 catches for 58 yards.

Temple's leading rusher was Jamie Gilmore with 65 yards on 9 rushes. Brandon Shippen had 2 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown for the Owls.

Temple will face Navy next week for a chance to go a surprising 2-0. For Vandy, they face Ole Miss at home next Saturday. If they play like they did on Thursday night, the Vanderbilt faithful may be in for another long night.