Don't look now but Vanderbilt is 3-0 after beating Rice 38-21 on a warm Saturday evening in Nashville. A few quick thoughts before we hand out grades:

• This was a game the Commodores surely would have lost in the past.
  
• For the second week in a row, Vanderbilt dominated the final 30 minutes. Rice's five second-half possessions? Punt, punt, turnover of downs, punt, interception.
  
• Vanderbilt has never seen a player like D.J. Moore. His stat line on Saturday? Two carries for 37 yards, two kick returns for 54 yards, two punt returns for 84 yards and an interception return for 31 yards. That's a total of 206 yards. And he made it all look effortless.
• Props to the Vanderbilt special teams, which has been terrific all season. It's a lot easier to score when you start at midfield and the Commodores had three scoring drives of less than 50 yards on Saturday. Rice, meanwhile, had to march at least 69 yards on its three touchdowns and had an average starting field position of its own 21-yard line.
• Looks like Vanderbilt has learned how to finish games. Players seem to have that killer instinct, that ability to put the other team away instead of letting them back in it. It's refreshing to see the Commodores play with such confidence and urgency.

Enough rambling, it's time for the report card...

Quarterbacks: B Chris Nickson is playing exactly the way you want your senior quarterback to play. Nickson has taken care of the ball (zero turnovers in three games) and done a great job leading the offense. While he was just 7-for-16 for 71 yards in the air, keep in mind that Sean Walker dropped a sure touchdown. Nickson also had little reason to throw given that the Commodores were running the football with ease. He finished with 85 yards on 13 carries to go along with two touchdowns.

Running backs: A- How can you not love Jared Hawkins? With Jeff Jennings sidelined due to injury, the redshirt junior has thrived as the featured back, rushing for 107 yards and a score on 20 carries against Rice. The Commodores averaged a ridiculous 6.3 yards per carry.

Wide receivers/Tight Ends: B- This grade would be lower if you took out what this group accomplished on the ground. Jamie Graham had a breathtaking 27-yard touchdown run and D.J. Moore had 37 yards on two carries. Sean Walker led the way with four receptions for 40 yards, but you can bet that he'll be thinking about the one he didn't catch for a while. Tight end Brandon Barden added two catches for 22 yards.

Offensive line: A This group did exactly what an SEC team should do to a C-USA squad -- dominate. The Commodores rushed for 273 yards on 43 carries behind an offensive line that continues to improve. The guys up front play with a chip on their shoulders and are out to prove all the skeptics wrong. They're doing just that so far.

Defensive line: B- Vanderbilt's run defense was superb as Rice averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. The pass rush, however, could have been better as the front four failed to register a sack. The Dores, Broderick Stewart  (two QB hurries) in particular, still managed to put pressure on the quarterback but not as much as they would have liked.

Linebackers: B Defending the spread offense was not an easy task for Vanderbilt's young linebackers, but they more than held their own. Patrick Benoist had 10 tackles, although the best performance might have come from former safety Brent Trice, who had four tackles, including a sack, which resulted in a fumble that he recovered. John Stokes and Chris Marve combined for just four tackles in a game that did not suit their strengths.

Secondary: B+ When you consider that Rice scored 98 points in its first two games, you realize that this unit played extremely well once it stopped thinking and began playing. Myron Lewis had 10 tackles, including two sacks, Ryan Hamilton had 11, Jared Fagan had nine and Reshard Langford added seven, while D.J. Moore's fourth-quarter interception sealed the victory. At the same time, this game showed how much the Commodores miss nickelback Darlron Spead.

Special teams: A Bryant Hahnfeldt nailed his lone field goal attempt, a 48-yarder that gave the Dores a 31-21 lead, and was great on kickoffs. The coverage teams were terrific as Vandy dominated the field-position battle. That D.J. Moore kid played OK too. The only blemish was Brett Upson's 32-yard punt that was downed at the Rice 23, although I think it's safe to say t hat we're nitpicking now...Great job by this unit.

Coaching: A It's been great to see how well Vanderbilt has adjusted mid-game, which speaks volumes of the coaching staff. The defense pitched a shutout in the second half, while the offense seemingly scored at will thanks to some terrific play-calling. The Commodores have been disciplined (no turnovers and just three penalties), well-prepared and confident, all signs of good coaching.