Head coach Clark Lea addressed the media for his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 28, after Vanderbilt fought for a 17-10 victory over the then-No. 15 Missouri Tigers this past weekend. Now, the Commodores will travel to Austin, Texas, this weekend to face the Longhorns.
“It’s an exciting game and an exciting matchup going down to Austin. [It’s] always a great college football environment and we’re going to be playing against a really talented and well-coached Texas team,” Lea said.
Texas starting quarterback and descendant of football royalty, Arch Manning, begins this week in concussion protocol. Vanderbilt will have to prepare for the possibility of facing Manning or Troy transfer and lead backup Mathew Caldwell.
“We will certainly [prepare for both],” Lea said. “I hope that Arch is doing well. I want to be competing against the best; [Manning] gets the attention he does for a reason.”
Lea is also preparing for a schematic challenge against one of College Football’s strongest offensive minds, Steve Sarkisian.
“I’ve competed against [Sarkisian] enough to know this is a strong offensive system, so we’re going to focus on developing a plan to contain and defend them,” Lea said. “There’s a lot of talented skill on the perimeter that’s going to be a factor no matter who’s the quarterback is. But in the end, I think this is about defending an offensive system and a really talented group of players.”
This is Vanderbilt’s fourth-straight game against a ranked opponent. It has been favored in its two previous matchups but comes into Saturday higher ranked, yet still an underdog. The Commodores don’t let that phase them at all.
“This is actually the first time I’m learning of [being an underdog],” Lea said. “We’re focused on playing our best football. We feel like there’s still a better performance for us out there.”
The Commodores have far exceeded national expectations this season, in large part due to their expansive and communal player leadership. Several veteran players have stepped up to be leading voices in the locker room — and Lea made sure to recognize all those athletes.
“We have as many captains as anybody in the country. There’s a lot of leadership on this team, and I think that’s a great thing,” Lea said.
The press conference then shifted to Lea’s discussion of the “misfit” identity of Vanderbilt Football — one that he’s harped on all year. He knows that a lot of the guys on his team have a chip on their shoulder, but they are embracing that rather than shying away from it.
“That is our identity. We connect with this idea that we’re all kind of outcasts,” Lea said.
The Commodore head coach tracked the idea down to summer conversations, where he said the team met in small groups to “just share.”
“It’s a non-football kind of opportunity for coaches, staff and players to express who they are, where they’re from and why [Vanderbilt Football] is important to them. It’s just conversation,” Lea said. “I believe it was Bryan Longwell who said, ‘God, we really are a group of misfits.’ As it turns out, he’s a pretty glaring misfit himself. It’s something we kind of embrace within ourselves, and within each other.”
Using this misfit identity, Lea and his Commodores are focused wholeheartedly on their clash versus Texas this Saturday. They’ll look to avenge their 2024 loss and improve to 8-1 on the season.
“We better be men of action and men of response. That’s what will make for good play on Saturday,” Lea said.
Vanderbilt takes on Texas in Austin on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. CDT.
