Vanderbilt Football head coach Clark Lea addressed the media for his weekly press conference on Sept. 29, just days before the Commodores’ matchup with No. 10 Alabama. Vanderbilt concluded its nonconference play by hosting Utah State this past Saturday, where they defeated the Aggies 55-35 to move to 5-0 on the season. The ‘Dores were promptly rewarded with another jump in the AP Poll rankings — this time to No. 16.
Vanderbilt took on Alabama at home last year during Week 6, where it upset the then-No.1 Crimson Tide, 40-35. The win was a historic marker for the program and the university, but now Lea’s team is focused on proving it wasn’t a fluke.
“We understand [this week] is a chance for our program to go down [to Tuscaloosa] and play our best,” Lea said. “We need to go and play our game and not get caught up in the externals but simply focus on playing good football.”
As for what to expect from Alabama, Lea made it clear his team is preparing for the Crimson Tide’s best effort. After last year’s stunning defeat in Nashville, Alabama will be motivated to avenge the loss on its home turf.
“We expect [Alabama] to show up and play their best,” Lea said. “And we understand the things that make them good.”
Alabama is a different team than the one Vanderbilt played last year. Junior Ty Simpson, a Tennessee native and former five-star recruit, finally earned the starting job for the Crimson Tide after spending most of his college career as Jalen Milroe’s backup. Simpson has quickly proven why he was the right guy for the job, amassing 1,138 passing yards on a 69.3% completion rate. In last week’s big showdown with Georgia, he led his team to victory with 2 touchdowns and 276 yards.
“[Simpson] makes [the offense] go [and] I think he’s developed chemistry in the system,” Lea said. “[He’s] also kind of grown in leadership, so they’re going to be challenging.”
Simpson also has a myriad of offensive weapons, particularly some of the best receivers in college football in Ryan Williams, Isiah Horton and Germie Bernard. These receivers present a unique challenge to Vanderbilt this week, but one that he feels his defense is properly equipped to handle.
“I think [Alabama’s receivers] have the ability to break the game open,” Lea said. “You can’t go against this group, identify one player and say, ‘We need to take that guy away.’ They just have too many weapons. So, we need to play 11 connected, we need to be on the same page.”
Vanderbilt, too, is a transformed team from the one the Crimson Tide faced last year. Lea believes that his team has improved in all aspects of its game and he’s confident in its ability and determination to compete.
“On our side, we feel like we’re better. We’re operating at a high level offensively [and] playing [a] complementary style defensively [where] we’re being disruptive,” Lea said. “We’re better than we were a year ago, but there’s an appetite for a little consistency there — that will be what this game comes down to.”
Lea emphasized that his team is more confident in their abilities, too. The Commodores are not focused on rankings or the national media attention — they are focused on themselves and what they always knew was possible.
“The transformation [of Vanderbilt Football] is a result of a group of special people that weren’t waiting for external signals or results to believe in something,” Lea said. “Our confidence has grown as we’ve experienced the result.”
No. 16 Vanderbilt takes on No. 10 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Oct. 4. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. CDT on ABC.
