Clark Lea shares how Vanderbilt players responded since Alabama loss

Clark Lea and Vanderbilt have had plenty of time to think about the loss to Alabama. Coming off of a bye week, the Commodores head into a home matchup against No. 10 LSU looking to redeem themselves with a win.

Running back Sedrick Alexander said the team was “hungrier” after the loss against the Crimson Tide, hinting at an extra motivation heading into Saturday. Lea addressed those comments and that mindset, saying he likes how the players approached practice and remain focused on the ultimate goal in spite of the loss.

“I’ve been pleased with how we responded,” the coach said. “I think we came out and had a spirited bye week. I had fun last week with the guys out on the field. I thought we got meaningful work in, and then we were able to get going on Sunday. I really liked where the team was on Sunday. I think these guys are in the right head space.

“I understand what (Alexander) is saying. I don’t necessarily see it as ‘hungrier,’ I think we’re pretty mission-focused here. We feel the sting of a disappointment of a missed result, and we want to get back on the right side of that. So I think what he’s pointing out is it hurts.”

Vanderbilt had a good start early against Alabama a couple of weeks ago, forcing an interception on the opening drive and holding a 7-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Commodores held a 14-7 advantage with less than a minute to go in the first half before the Crimson Tide answered with a touchdown to tie it at 14 right before halftime.

Vanderbilt’s offense stalled out in the second half and never scored again. Alabama kicked three straight field goals in between a couple of three-and-outs and an interception from the Commodores to go up 23-14 late in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt turned it over on downs the drive after Alabama’s third field goal, and the Crimson Tide scored the dagger touchdown with 17 minutes remaining to win 30-14.

That defeat and those mistakes from the offense in the second half is still heavy on the mind of many of the players it seems. Lea understands how Alexander and others on the team might feel as if they have something to prove, and he believes they’ll get back on track this week.

“I think it is an opportunity, maybe in support of what he’s saying, I think it’s always an opportunity to re-examine the process and think, ‘What are the things we did really well in training camp or did really well during the season that maybe we’ve lost a little bit?'” the coach said. “How do we heighten focus in those areas to clean up our play? So the team’s done that and I’ve been pleased so far with the week of work.”