Vanderbilt HC Clark Lea makes strong statement about how it's felt to lose to the Tennessee Vols the last 3 seasons
Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea will lead his team against the Tennessee Vols on Saturday morning/afternoon in Nashville (the game is set to kick off at 11:00 AM CT). Vanderbilt is looking for its seventh win of the season while Tennessee is hoping to clinch a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Lea, […]
Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea will lead his team against the Tennessee Vols on Saturday morning/afternoon in Nashville (the game is set to kick off at 11:00 AM CT).
Vanderbilt is looking for its seventh win of the season while Tennessee is hoping to clinch a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Lea, a former Commodores fullback who is in his fourth season as the head coach at Vanderbilt, is 0-3 in his first three games against Tennessee.
And that makes Lea sick to his stomach.
"We're excited to compete against our in-state rival," said Lea on Tuesday about facing the Vols. "We're excited to play better, like we want to play a better game against them. And that's the opportunity we want to seize. We want to send our seniors out the right way…this is always the last game on the schedule. And you know, it's just — I've been sick to my stomach the last three years, whether it's leaving Knoxville or leaving our stadium here. I mean, it just doesn't sit well. So that's what our focus is on. How do we pull the best performance out of our team? And how do we represent ourselves in a way that makes us proud."
Lea also told reporters that the game against Tennessee is "extremely personal" for him.
"The unique thing about this game is that it's extremely personal to me," explained Lea. "Because I grew up in this city. I grew up following this program. I played in this program — as did Javon Haye, as did some of our other staff members. And so we understand, and again, the meaning of this game cuts deep to us. So my job is to communicate that, and to communicate how important it is as a member of this football program that we prepare in a way and show up in a way that represents and reflects the pride of the Vanderbilt community and our university. And so maybe it's a little old school, but that stuff still matters to me."
It's clear that Tennessee is going to get Vanderbilt's best shot on Saturday. The Commodores aren't going into this game hoping to win, they're going into it expecting to win. And based on how they've performed this year in games against Alabama, Auburn, Texas, and LSU, you can best believe that the Vols are going to be in for a 12-round fight on Saturday in Nashville.
Tennessee will have to make sure they match Vanderbilt's intensity on Saturday, otherwise the Vols' playoffs hopes could die in the midstate.