No, this is not the same old Vanderbilt

I loved James Frankin's comments in the postgame press conference.

This team is not snakebit. This team is not still under a curse. And no, this is not the same old Vanderbilt.

We lost because we didn't play well enough, and we're working to get better. Here are some of the highlights:

• "We’re light years ahead of where we were when I arrived on this campus. This is not the same old Vanderbilt. This is not the same old Vanderbilt. I’m not going to allow anybody to write anything or report anything different. We are going to find ways real soon how to finish those games like that and we’re not going to make those mistakes much longer, I can guarantee you that."

• "I thought we played hard, I didn’t think we played smart. You can’t beat yourself."

• "I appreciate all the fans that showed up."

• "We've got to allow other teams to beat themselves, we can’t beat ourselves."

• "We’re not defeated. (The players) understand this is a step in the right direction. No one’s going to give you anything. You've got to go out and take it."

• On Carey Spear: "He's going to make kicks to win games this year and throughout his career. He’s a big-time kicker and we still believe in him."

• "You can learn lessons and win. You don’t have to lose to win lessons."

So how is this game any different from past Vandy heartbreakers?:

"We had a chance after those huge momentum plays in the other direction, and we stole it back."

Nothing we haven't seen before, huh?

Even if Spear hits that kick, I find it hard to believe we'd have won in overtime. We had to score a touchdown down there, and I'm disappointed that Rodgers just chunked the ball out of bounds on third down.

This is a bitter pill to swallow, and hearkens back the ghosts of so many games past. I don't blame anybody for saying "Same old Vanderbilt" after this one. We took control of the game and then we gave it away.

Oh yeah, we hadn't beaten a Top 10 team in our stadium since the 1930s.

Right now, I'm having flashbacks to our missed kick to tie the LSU game in the late 1990s. I'm also having flashbacks to Warren Norman's goal-line fumble against Army two years ago.

Can you believe that the Arkansas offense scored only two touchdowns in the game, and none in the second half?

But can you believe that the difference in the game was a goal-line fumble by Zac Stacy that in 10 seconds led to a 15-point turnaround?

I think it's great that our field goal kicker makes tackles on kickoffs. It would also be nice if he could hit chip-shot field goals.

This team's learning how to find ways to win. We've also got to stop finding ways to lose.

Peace out.