Clark Lea reflects on turning point vs. South Carolina last season, impact on program

Vanderbilt fell a little flat against South Carolina last season, only putting up seven points at home — the lowest total of the year. It’s a moment head coach Clark Lea remembers quite well, specifically when entering the halftime locker room. To this day, the lesson he learned is something he instills into players.

“It was really painful,” Lea said of the loss. “In fact, we’ve talked about it. I’ve used that halftime as the moment that defined that stretch of games for me because I lost it going in because I didn’t hear the spirit and energy in the room. That’s not because we don’t have spirited and energetic players, I think this was the starting point of this idea of ‘I’ve got to help this team sustain performance longer.’ Because in those moments, you cannot find it. It’s either there or not. It’s a helpless feeling.”

Going back to 2024, South Carolina only held a 7-0 lead at the break. However, not much was going right on the offensive end. Four of five drives ended in a punt, totaling 22 plays — half of which came on one possession. The other drive was a lost fumble, eventually leading to the half’s lone touchdown.

Based on Lea’s comments, he entered the locker room with a quiet team. To that point, Vanderbilt was 6-3 and fresh off gaining bowl eligibility due to a win against Auburn. Some adversity took place earlier in the season but playing in the SEC during November is a different beast.

Fast forwarding back to 2025, Vanderbilt faces South Carolina in September. Energy will be high due to a 2-0 start, beating Virginia Tech inside Lane Stadium. Lea’s program now holds massive expectations, looking to better the 7-6 record from a year ago.

Given the opponent, a reminder of sustaining energy creeps into the conversation for Vanderbilt. A nice reminder in Week 3 before hitting the dog days of an SEC schedule.

“That was a learning moment for me, a learning moment for our team,” Lea said. “We’ve referenced that moment a few times. Not to just make it about South Carolina but just about the spirit and energy we need in this league to sustain and win games in November.”

Vanderbilt will walk into Williams-Brice Stadium, one of the more hostile environments out there. Energy will be brought from the South Carolina fans, an area Lea is hoping to match on his sideline.