No. 9 Vanderbilt took its second loss of the season Saturday with a 34-31 loss to Texas.

It was a bad start that Vanderbilt just could not come back from. Texas was able to score a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, and Vanderbilt was unable to recover. Overall, Vanderbilt’s performance was notably uncharacteristic compared to its other eight games this season. There were missed tackles, penalties and the Commodores’ defense struggled to find its footing in the game. Vanderbilt ultimately scored 21 points in the final quarter, but it was too late as the onside kick ended up not succeeding.

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea spoke to the media afterward. Here is everything Lea said postgame.

Opening Statement

“I mean, obviously a really disappointing performance for us. I don’t think we played well. I respect the way we fought back. I respect the way we never quit on the game. I’m not surprised by that. That’s who we are. I despise the way we started the game. I think Texas played hard, mechanical football. And this is the feeling of one team wanting it more than the other. And I think there’s accountability that starts with me, with respect to being prepared when the ball gets put down. I felt they had more emotional energy and passion to start the game. Thought we were chasing the game down. Obviously, the first play from scrimmage, the 75 yard touchdown. That’s one play, but I think it’s  captures kind of the mindset of where our team was, and we were chasing the game down the first half and finally caught up to in the second half Disappointed, and yet I’m excited to learn from this and take learning forward and come back tomorrow and keep this team pointed in the direction towards our goals, because they’re all out in front of us. But I think I told the team this too, we can’t play another game like we played today. That’s not okay. And I’m excited to see them respond, and I’m excited to respond myself.”

What do you think accounted for that slow start today? Tough road environment, or the early kickoff?

“I don’t want to make excuses. I’ve got a ton of respect for Texas. I think they did a really nice job having their team prepared. And I just did not feel like it was almost like we were. We felt almost a little entitled, like we were going to show up and play well and create the momentum we needed, instead of kind of emotionally being in the room and making it happen. I don’t want to go too far down the road, because I need to look at the game and give it some time. There is an opportunity for us to learn something about being emotionally ready when the ball gets put down, and not having to chase the speed of the game down. I thought against a really fast team, we were just a little sluggish early. Whatever the case may be, I got to look at how we’re preparing, our training and those kinds of things. But there’s something to be learned there. We’ll learn from it.”

Pavia was sacked six times tonight. Was there anything specific with the offensive line that led to that struggle?

“I need to really take a look at the film and figure out where the tactical issues were. I mean, I think that’s a really good defense that is going to create disruption. And it seemed at times we weren’t winning our one on ones up front at times, they were really good in coverage. And so it was Diego trying to scramble out of the pocket, and just those seams closing down before we could escape. And so there’s always a number of factors. I do feel like we lost some one on ones at times. It created pressure. I know that there was really tight coverage at times where we weren’t sure where to go with the ball, and so we’re trying to extend with our feet. And they’re collapsing the pocket around them. So we’ll take a look. There’s a lesson there for us. But obviously, when your quarterbacks are on the move like that, it’s never a good thing. I admire the way he finished the game out. I admire the way our offense finished the game, although we manage that in the game situation really well. And I would have loved to have seen us recover that onside kick, but we didn’t. And the story of the game becomes a slow start that didn’t give us enough time to finish. And it’s very similar to the game we played against him a year ago in Nashville.” 

It felt like the defense maybe didn’t get as much pressure on Arch Manning as perhaps you might have wanted. Just what did you view from that defensive performance today?

“They beat us. And I think in the same vein as Aria’s question, in terms of winning our one-on-one’s, they did a really good job in protection. I think we got blitzers on our backs at times, and they were able to protect us. We just didn’t win. And so when you don’t win and you’re sending five or six, you’re creating enough time for the quarterback to operate and find an open receiver. That’s what they were able to do. I thought our performance defensively lacked detail, that the worst part of it, to me, was just the way we played on our perimeter and our efforts on the ball. And again, in our program, to say that we weren’t the hardest playing team on the field hurts me. It’s painful to say that, but that’s how I feel. And I think, in the second half, we woke up to that, and I think we started to play the way we wanted to play. It just was too late.”

Just looking at that fourth quarter comeback, obviously, that was probably a positive from the day. What do you make of your team in that fourth quarter? 

“I mean, they’re resilient, and they believe in each other. I didn’t need that performance to tell me that. I mean, that’s what I know about them. I think each of these games reveals something, but we spend a lot of time together. That’s a team that’s prideful and it’s upset that they didn’t represent themselves the right way. Today, I feel like I let them down. That’s just  the feeling we have right now. But I have a ton of respect for them, excited to let this one hurt, and let that pain kind of purify us, but then reset tomorrow and get back at it. Because we have everything out in front of us. We can’t play like we played today. And continue to say that obviously, at some point, everything won’t be out in front of us if we don’t play the right way. But no matter what, an opportunity to work with these guys, to be back on mission with them, to be resilient for them, and it means a lot to me, and so I’m excited for the chance to respond the right way.”

What do you think it is that makes receivers like Texas so difficult to cover in that kind of short passing game? 

“Well, they’re very skilled, and I think they block well on the perimeter too. So there’s leverage in the inside or outside the block based on the call, and then there’s a plan physically to collapse space when you’re not winning your leverage and sending the ball to non-block players, and you’re not playing physically and collapsing space. Then those plays run away from your pursuit. Now, I got to watch the film, but it seemed to me like we had unblocked players to the point that we weren’t finishing the tackles, you know. So that’s a fundamental technical thing we can work on. We can make that easier on people when we collapse space around the ball. I’m really interested to watch how, there’s a guy on a block with the right leverage and there’s a defender attacking the ball. I’m interested to see where the other nine guys are on the field, because it did not feel like we were getting enough people to the ball to keep those plays from becoming explosives. It’s one thing to bleed yards, and we will play patiently, but when those yards become chunks, and obviously the 75 yarders start, that’s a problem. And ultimately, look at what I loved defensively. I followed late. We could get our cleats on the ground, kept playing. The early turnover was challenging. We held them to a field goal. And if you look at the game, each side missed a field goal. We had a turnover offensively, and they were able to get three points off the turnover. And, in a game, I mean, you don’t always know how it’s going to look, but in that one, the final numbers are pretty even. That turnover is challenging, and we didn’t create one defensively, but you’re not going to create a turnover if you’re not playing the game the right way. And we’ll look at that film, and I got a bunch of prideful guys in there and prideful coaches, and we’ll find the areas we can improve, and we will keep charging at it, but this one hurts. Credit to Texas and coach Sark and the way they played early and they were able to separate, and it was too much for us to overcome again. I love the way our team battled back, but wasn’t good enough today.”