Vanderbilt Football, coming off a bye week, is ready to move forward after its recent loss to No. 9 Missouri. The Commodores took the Tigers to double overtime but ultimately missed a field goal to tie the game. Quarterback Diego Pavia had another great game for the Commodores, completing 14 of 23 passes for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns.
This weekend, the Black and Gold will host No. 1 Alabama. It’s a tough task, but head coach Clark Lea noted that the Commodores are ready for the challenge.
“I’m not surprised that they’re looking forward to the opportunity that awaits,” Lea said. “My message to them has been [that] we can’t skip any steps. This is about getting everything we can get out of our process to best position ourselves to make the plays that we’ll need to make to win a game on Saturday.”
Lea highlighted the growth that he’s witnessed from the younger players on the roster. He mentioned Jalen Lackey, Brycen Coleman, Joseph Mcvay and Yilanan Outtara as players who have taken big strides this year.
“So much of improving throughout the season is mental, and it’s easy to start being discouraged. There are a lot of guys [staying focused], and obviously, for our program to be successful, we need to look at our roster and say our roster is improving.”
Lea pointed out that he wants to establish the run game while still allowing for versatile play calling. He knows that the team is capable of stretching the field vertically thanks to Tim Beck’s creative offense and quarterback Diego Pavia’s ability to extend plays.
“We want to get to those shots,” Lea said, “In order to get to those shots, we have to possess the ball, accumulate snaps and stay on schedule.”
Lea was asked about Alabama’s two star offensive players — Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams — and how Vanderbilt’s defense plans on slowing them down. He stated that it’s imperative for Vanderbilt to slow down Milroe’s run game as much as possible.
“You can’t always have an extra player for the quarterback, so there is an element where you’re going to have to play with great block destruction,” Lea said. “[We need to] minimize the run lanes that he has and give pursuit time to catch up because you can’t survive a game against these guys keeping the safety split.”
Lea commended budding star Ryan Williams’ athletic balance and body control and discussed some strategies that he and the defense covered during the bye week.
“There are going to be times where it’s going to take two guys, but we can’t [always] do that,” Lea said. “You’re never going to fully simulate his speed or his catch radius, but we can put the best we can in the position [against him.]”
Lea also harped on how hard his team works, saying that he doesn’t want to take for granted how much his team loves to compete. One of the Commodores’ main focus points during the two-week break was avoiding penalties. Lea knows that they haven’t done a great job staying disciplined thus far, but he feels like his team is turning the corner.
“We spent a lot of time over the last week talking about penalties. We had officials at every practice, [and] we’ve made sure that there are messages in the locker room about the need to play penalty-free,” Lea said. “You’re not solving those problems on Saturday by yelling and screaming. It’s going to be about referring back to the messages that we carry and the way we train and practice to redirect quickly and focus on the next.”
Lea also expressed excitement about the health of his team, noting that a handful of players will be back this week and that no new players have been added to the injury list. He credited director of football performance Robert Stiner for building a culture of toughness.
“[Stiner did] a really nice job [this] summer preparing the team for a tough fall camp. During the season, he continues to pay attention to the elements of training that are helping our guys, from mobility to flexibility to strength training,” Lea said. “We have the spirit, the energy and the belief, so [we] have to play smarter. Smart teams win.”
The Commodores will host the Alabama Crimson Tide at 3:15 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Oct. 5, at FirstBank Stadium.
