What Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said about Saturday's game at Tennessee

What Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said this week about going to Tennessee for Saturday’s regular-season finale (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ABC) at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville:

Opening Statement 

“Well, first, happy Thanksgiving to everyone and hope everybody’s having a great holiday week. Here we are, Game 12, great opportunity for our team. Very excited about the challenge of the week. Obviously, anytime you’re talking about a rival, there’s emotions in it. Feeling like you have everything at stake kind of adds to those emotions in the best of ways. And these are the opportunities that you do it for. This is what you dream of, the chance to play a meaningful game in late November against a really good team that’s also a rival in state. 

“And we have a ton of respect for Tennessee. I got a ton of respect for Josh Heupel and the program he’s built there. We have a ton of respect for that environment. We’re gonna train really hard this week to be prepared for what is one of the best atmospheres in the country. And again, as a competitor, those are all things that you look forward to. It’s our job to keep the 100,000-plus fans out of the game by being disciplined and doing the things we need to do to perform. But we understand that if we’re not playing with a sense of urgency, and if we’re not emotionally ready, then we invite them into the contest. 

“So again, nothing but respect for these guys and, and yet we’re gonna prepare as hard as we can to get the result we we want and the result we’ve worked for for 321 days. And all those things are meaningful to us, and all of them are exciting for us too.”

Vanderbilt balancing its own use of tempo against a Tennessee team that runs tempo

“Handling the tempo will be critical for us. So our defense being able to be organized and get the call and have cleats in the ground. I mean, they are so effective in both the run game and the perimeter game. And then obviously too as the series goes, getting the ball up over the top when you get on your heels. And so that is the game. It’s handling that and making sure that we’re in position to play Vanderbilt football, that we’re not chasing the ball around the field. 

And we’ve done that this year. And when you do that in this league, you pay for it. Offensively, it’s just about playing our identity, which tempo change has been a part of that identity. And some of that is about get getting rhythm. 

“And this is a defense we’re playing against. It’s been really good at creating turnovers, good at creating havoc and impacting the launch point. So the play at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is gonna go a long way in determining the winner. They have a really physical offensive line. I think they do a really good job within their scheme of creating vertical seams for the runners. So we’ll need to play square and play leverage football up front. Their D-line again is among the best in the country at creating sacks impacting launch point. 

“So how we create space in the pocket to try to find space on the perimeter will be important. And the run game hasn’t been as central a feature for us, but this is still a throw-to-score, run-to-win team. And so are we patient enough in that run game to create opportunities for explosives? Because when we can play that way, we also limit the number of possessions they can have offensively too. 

“Obviously Tennessee, with Coach Heupel, has been among the best offenses in the country every year. So that starts the identity for them. We have to limit, you know, the, the number of times, the number of opportunities they get to get that offense on the field. That that has to also be a responsibility, not just for our defense, but all three phases. 

Any new injuries or significant injury updates for Vanderbilt since last week

“We have some bumps and bruises. Gabe Fisher was limited today working through a bone bruise and an ankle sprain. We’ll see where he nets out as the week goes. The rest of the guys were available. And again, Gabe did some work today, just wasn’t his normal load. So I don’t see anything that stands out as major. We’re just gonna see how Gabe responds through the week. He’s tough as nails. The fact that he finished the game last week says a lot about his willingness to be out there. And so if he can play, he will play. Otherwise, we’ll have a couple guys nurse him some things through the week, but we expect them to be available Saturday.”

Joey Aguilar bringing explosive plays back to Tennessee’s offense 

“He’s a really skilled passer. I think he’s been able to put the ball on the money. When receivers get behind the defense, I think he throws a good ball on the perimeter. And their ability to win kind of two-on-two matchups out there. So again, the horizontal stretch of the formation creates a dilemma. Because if you’re playing split safeties, I don’t know how detailed you want me to get into this, but sometimes I get going like we’re all football coaches here. But when you’re playing split safety, you have overhang players and sometimes those overhang players are in conflict between playing the run and playing the pass. And when they get pulled in the run game, you’re then playing two receivers with two DBs. So a corner and a safety versus two receivers, one of which is gonna catch the ball, one of which is gonna block. Sometimes your safety is 12-14 yards deep. 

And so how are you closing space as the ball travels, or before the ball travels, so that you can win in those two-on-two situations. When they create space out there, obviously they have explosive skill. And so part of his ability to be explosive from the quarterback position is how he’s facilitating performance in, in those positions. Certainly sometimes that ball’s up and over the top, but sometimes it’s also reading that overhang, spraying the ball out. And if you’re again, chasing the play down, that ball is gonna get into big space really quickly, and now all of a sudden you got a very skilled player that can run past you. 

“So we have to be able to play, I feel like a gap and a half in the box. Just meaning how can we keep a little bit of horizontal leverage in the way we line up defensively. And then super important that we’re reacting to the receivers and not the ball on the perimeter. Meaning as the block sets up and the step back sets up that we need to start to close some of that space before the ball’s outta the quarterback’s hand. If you can do that, you’re gonna take away some of the space. And so much of it is just, are you patient enough to rally and tackle all the way down the field to eliminate the explosives? And eventually you’re gonna have a chance to get them off schedule, and now you have to be opportunistic on that third down and stop. 

“But their first touchdown a year ago, we were up 14-0 and they score from the 28-yard line on an RPO glance, and our corner just was just behind the play. It was almost like he lost his eyes for a split second. And when you do that against this team, there’s a 28-yard touchdown. Obviously they hit the long one a year ago too, which is the same thing if you, if you, if you hesitate for a second, your eyes are in the wrong place for a second, that is an easy throw, an easy catch. 

And once they get out in space, they know what to do with the ball. So those are kind of the things that we’re talking about. 

“How do we play gap-and-a-half football in the core? How do we make sure the run wall is built inside out, outside in. But in situations where we lose the overhang, how do we play two-on-two really well, close space as the ball travels? Obviously, when you do that and you’re too aggressive, they’re gonna try to test you with a screen and go, and it’s about playing with your eyes, playing discipline, doing that while you’re tired makes it really challenging. So that’s the contest and that’ll be our focus through the week.”

This rivalry featuring two ranked teams this season, what that means from the Vanderbilt side of it

“Well, we need to win to feel like we’re doing our part of the rivalry. I haven’t been able to do that since I’ve been here. And again, that’s a testament to the program they built over there. And we’ve taken a little more time to get up on our feet here. And I mean, there’s a lots of reasons for that, but here we are with a good team and they have a good team. And this is what a rivalry game should feel like. It’s important for us to win the game, to try to create a little back and forth there. That that pressure is on us. And so what do we do? We just focus in the process. How do we best prepare to put our best performance on the field and to give ourselves a chance?

“You learn from those games. And what you learn is to beat a good team in a tough environment. It takes four quarters of focused football and we need to be emotionally ready when the ball’s put down. We need to be ready to respond when the noise hits. We need to be ready, respond when the chaos hits. Those things need to shift us into a mindset of focus and execution. And we need to let our play be charged by the emotion of the moment, but not controlled by the emotion of the moment. And that’s again, everything about what you say is an end-of-season rivalry game with both teams ranked and everything at stake. I mean, it doesn’t get better than that.”

Vandy blocking out outside noise, if this is the hardest game to do so

“You know, I think they’re all hard. I’m certainly not dismissive of the question. I think I’m trying to like picture the faces of my team and just the way I saw them this morning and the way they practiced today. I think if anything, those things actually help them channel their focus because you live for this. And so what I want them to do is experience it. I want them to be in the moment. I want them to be here together and enjoy Tuesday and enjoy Wednesday. We don’t have class this week, which, I mean, gives them a chance to really soak it in. This is a special week. We’ll have a little Thanksgiving lunch after practice on Thursday, which is always special. And I don’t know, I don’t sense like, if anything, I think the focus will be tightened this week. I don’t sense that these guys are distracted. I think they understand what our end of the bargain is and what we need to do. And also even beyond all that, I really think I just want this group to enjoy the week and enjoy the game. You know, let’s have fun with it. Don’t hold it too tight. These things don’t come around all the time, so let’s be in the moment. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s not let it pass us by. 

Vanderbilt LB Prince Kollie

“Yeah, Prince, I recruited Prince in Notre Dame. I left before he got there, so I wasn’t able to coach him there and the fact that we got reunited here obviously is like so meaningful to me. I think he’s battled through a lot here. I mean, he’s grown up, he’s become a man that I have such a respect for. He’s got such connection with team and a belief in team and it’s been fun to see him out there. He has had a great special teams role for us. And I felt like impacted the game Saturday on defense as well. And I was watching him today in practice and he was being disruptive and he’s a really good football player and we happen to have a very deep linebacker room and talented linebacker room. He’s a part of that. So he doesn’t always have the opportunity to be featured, but it’s a really good football player. He is a better person who is such a valued team member for us. And I appreciate you asking about him cause, you know, PK doesn’t get talked about enough. He’s one-of-one and we’re grateful for him.

How special Vanderbilt-Tennessee week is to him

“I mean, it means a lot. You know, I obviously, my personal history here, I mean, this game is always meaningful. You know, I’m in this mode now where I’m just trying to build a program that punches back, right? That takes that stage and on that stage and we’re getting there. That’s meaningful to feel like that, that there’s a significance to this game. A year ago was really significant for us, but also, it was Tennessee fighting for that playoff spot. And so I felt like we started with the right emotional energy a year ago. I mean, we jumped out to a lead and we weren’t able to hold onto it. And we’ve done a lot since January 7th to try to sustain performance longer and to win in November and those things need to show up for us on Saturday. So it’s a very meaningful game personally, obviously, as the coach of the team. And yet I think what performance is about is not letting any of those things impact process. And then on Saturday, for me to be at my best, it’s not about just sitting out there and the emotions of it. It’s focusing on my role and doing the best I can to position the team for success.”

Addressing Vandy’s College Football Playoff chances with the team

“It was an expectation for us. So sometimes I don’t know that we’re understood all the way with the fact that, again, I think the world kind of wants you to play small and know your place. We don’t whisper our beliefs here. This has always been what we’ve aimed for since January 7th. We’ve been talking about this. Again, when you look back a year ago, we felt like we let our goals slip in November and the narrative was, hey, we played eight games to one score in ‘24. 

“You had four losses at an average of 4.25 points. Okay, well, four wins at an average of 6.75 points. And so there’s your eight games. Well, if you tip four of those to the positive, now all of a sudden you’re looking at a ten-win regular season team. And so how do we capture those margins? That was every part of our conversation starting January 7th. Well, we’re capturing those margins so that we can be in the playoff. And I’ll ask the team this, hey, once you’re in the playoff, what’s your focus, is winning it? So that’s kind of been the driving force. And what we do when we set big goals like that is you channel those big vision, big picture kind of conversations into the smallest of habits and behaviors. That is where winning lives, where winning exists. And so we’re one of what, however many teams, and we expected to be here and we know the task at hand and we also know we’re not guaranteed anything. And we know the challenge that awaits us in Knoxville. Like we love the challenge. We live for the challenge. This is what team sport is about. It’s the mountain, it’s the climb, it’s the task. It’s binding together to do something you believe in, knowing that once you get out there, there are no guarantees, there are no promises, you gotta earn it. And those are the things that we talk about. And that’s kind of how we, that’s the language we use around this.”

His name being mentioned in coaching search rumors

“Look, my focus is on Tennessee and on finishing the season the right way. I mean, I owe that to this, these players and the staff that have put so much into this, all that stuff becomes part of the background noise that we have to be really disciplined not to allow to seep in. And does it matter? Yeah, it does matter. But again, this is about compartmentalization and setting priorities and the priority is finishing this 12th climb and feeling like we did everything we possibly could to position our program for the goals that we have. And then the rest of it is the rest of it. I tend to believe that when you take care of the things that you control, the things that you don’t control tend to take care of themselves. And there’s a part of this that is my responsibility, that’s the performance of the team. And then there’s a large part of it that I actually don’t have control over. So we’re gonna do the best we can to prepare the right way. We’re gonna do the best we can to play the right way and we’re gonna trust in the fact that those other things fall exactly as they should.”