Clark Lea, post-Virginia Tech press conference

teammates that we have that make this all possible starts with Chancellor deer Meer who was in our postgame celebration just appreciate his support I've talked a lot about driving our program forward and the resources we're going to need and being aggressive and without him having a vision for the success that we can have none of that's possible and then of course the the best teammate that I that I could ask for Candace Lee who is the best ball in America so thanks to them also want to shout out our facilities team who you know I I don't know how they did it um because you know if you were there for the scrimmages there's a lot of work that needed to be done but Tom Howard John Kelly Andrew Lee Jordan Meltzer and the Barton mow group too I mean um I walking through the Concourse last night you know just it was incredible the effort and the hours they put in to get that Stadium ready and what a what a you know I'm I'll be excited for the South End to be done but what a what a classy north end of that stadium and what a great statement for Vanderbilt football for Vanderbilt University that we're we're we're now on the road to change and um as far as the game goes I look that was the full catastrophe I mean it it had everything that you could ever want as a coach you know some of that you don't want but um I don't know that the script could be written differently for our program um because part of the Demons of our past are giving giving into the adversity that you're going to inevitably face in a football game and when those waves started to crash you know we we I think in the third quarter lost our cool a little bit and we got to learn from that because you know we were fortunate to come out on top and maybe fortunate it's the wrong way to put it because that doesn't give credit to the players and the heart that they played with um cuz they they they went out and won that game but ultimately um there's going to be so much to clean up and not to default the coach speak but I look at the execution in the third quarter some of the fourth quarter the EXP exp of touchdowns I mean you take a a lead like we had at halftime you come out in the second half and you build to a stop there early and you put a lot of pressure on them and and we could be talking about a whole different type of Victory but a win's a win and um I'm thrilled I'm thrilled for again our program I'm thrilled for our players you know I I think the players that have stuck with this uh not not many people are tough enough um to keep coming back into it and we we are we demand the highest level of operation here and um we got a bunch of tough players who've been here for now three going on four years that have continued to fight we've added a lot of tough people into this program that are help helping us get across the line on a day like today um I thank them um I thinkk our staff that works such long hours um you know for a win like this uh so much sacrific involved there there and then it's game one so we're margins away from coming in talking about a disappointing loss that's the reality and what we do now is we we can we celebrate this tonight we wake up tomorrow we focus on all corn State we focus on improving as a football team and um we didn't show up this season to win one game Gentry that was the conversation we had on Tuesday this isn't about one game it's about having a good season and what a good season requires this is a marathon not a Sprint but we are absolutely going to celebrate a tough hardfought team win today with that I'm happy to open up for questions if there are any questions maybe I just answer them what you think ofgo you big stats but also the the biggest compliment I can pay him and I and I speak on behalf of the team when I say this is when the ball is in his hands you're never out of the fight we say in this program belief is a practice and that means that your actions no matter your circumstances should reflect the Deep belief you have that you're going to come out with a positive outcome and Diego um embodies that in everything he does um so whether it's the way he trains whether it's you know the way he studies film um certainly the way he competes and practice and obviously today we saw a warrior out on the field that was going to put the game on his back and we we you know we had a couple drives there in the third where we weren't able to get with them and um again that was kind of a moment where we had breakdowns in all three phases but I I just I had no doubts on the two-minute drive we were going to tie it I thought we were going to end it with Brock I'm glad you know obviously he hadit a critical one early um love that dude um he'll get more chances but you know the team had his back too and when we went to overtime I knew we were going to score and it was just about building to a stop defensively coach what kind of emotions are you feeling did you feel after the game being Nashville native playing I how special was I see what you're trying to do there Billy and I don't appreciate it uh no it's I mean it's you guys know me I'm an emotional person even though I don't you know maybe sometimes the public Persona uh doesn't reflect that my team knows my emotions and um I feel things very deeply and this is all personal to me you know it's never not going to be personal um and the hard thing sometimes is just continuing in in especially moments of adversity just narrowing your scope um sometimes you got to let go of the big picture stuff to focus just on the next right thing the right way and uh Left Foot Right Foot breathe and there's been a lot of that um since December and I think um I'm proud of the way this program has modeled resiliency um and I'm proud of our fight and that that that is I mean I can't tell you the number of nights I've had with Barton and Earl and Ben and you know obviously when we brought Jerry on board you know Jerry's on that team to um you know and and you put all of it in for moments like this and these moments are fleeting and so you hope that there's a broader impact that's being had and I want that impact to be felt at our University level and on our campus and in the city of Nashville that's my hometown and so all of it's personal um my family my parents I mean they're all here so we get to celebrate this together and then you know like I said I'll wake up tomorrow exhale and go back to work everything this offseason was all about new new stadium coaches coming in but there was some smok in mirrors over the last month or so talking to people about what this offense would be people finally got to see today it's fun it's exciting there's a lot of options there's so much going on what did you think of that and how exciting is that for you to have this new Option I want to First just just go back to this change element and there has been a lot of change here I also think that I I don't want to um discount the work and investment that's been put into this Foundation you know the bones that we've methodically set here for 3 years aren't bad you know and so again it wasn't like starting over what we needed to do was make a couple of course changes um and and not that they were insignificant either you know but we needed to make a couple of course changes that allowed us to reach further into our potential like today that was a good team that we played against and credit to coach pry I mean that program that's a tough Virginia Tech Team to win against tough teams you it's it's going to take every ounce that you have um and so again those those course changes that we we you know worked on and the hard decisions we had to made and the changes we made didn't um didn't wipe away the work that's been invested to this point now I'm talking about culture and you're talking about offense so let's shift GE um I I've had a hard time um finding answers for our Run game as a defensive coach um you know that that's obviously Tim is the the Maestro there um but you got to also credit um gal and you know coach Kay for the work they put in you know you you look at our offense a year ago and we struggled to run the ball and that and so like the first half of that game you saw the complimentary element of who we can be we generate a turnover we score touchdowns we had the field goal we make stops on defense and you shorten the game now we fell out of that rhythm in the third quarter and that left us exposed but um I think we have a great staff and and then we have good players too and um there's more for those guys I mean I think you saw the Run game obviously Diego what he does the Motions the options like you talk about the RPO stuff the shots um Eli Stowers had a big catch for us on the sideline um and and yet there's going to be meat on the bone too like we we got more that we can do there um you know Quincy is a half a step away from breaking a glance on an RPO um and he's a big strong pass catcher Junior Cheryl I mean there's so many guys so um yes it's exciting I I think at least for three quarters today you know I I we we painted in Focus the vision of what this program needs to be and now moving forward it's going to be how do we capture a four quarter effort you mention the like the process over the last few years that that you think has been pretty sound how big is it though both from maybe an internal belief standpoint as well as maybe outside in terms of recruiting to now pair that with um you know more like an actual result yeah and I want to be careful because we're not done you know with our process I mean like I said I think we're going to we're going to dislike more than we like in the performance and I'm not trying to be a wet blanket either but that's just the nature of coaching and um we're not done with our process there's still a lot of hard work ahead but you'll never get validated and nor should you I mean this is a results trip business it's you know it is what it is and you at some point um words and actions have to intersect and they have to drive results and um so yes it is validating in a lot of ways um and you know we're going to we're going to you know we're going to be proud of that and yet I mean to get where we want to go and where I see this program going it's just it's going to take more more more so we're not satisfied certainly we're happy to be one and0 but we're going to focus now on Al state and putting together the best effort we can but um yes the results are important to to validate the vision and Mission you continue to build this how important is it and how proud are you of the way they come back from that touchdown down before border and the opportunity at the end oful to win game well um yeah super proud like I said I think that for us you know I mean you could try to look for um again you know everything you experience what are the lessons what it's the teaching what's the moment meant for um and I think the response of our team was really important because we have caved under that pressure in our past and some of that past includes me and some of that past was before me um and and like I said this idea of belief being a practice um you know um I could see it in the the defensive players's eyes and body language and I mean I want to be really clear we lost it in the third quarter order now I mean that was sloppy and um and we were able to pull it back together and um but the look in their eyes you know heading into that overtime sequence even they you know they were able to get some yards early but just God the battle back was so cool to see and so it's it's incredibly meaningful it's a great lesson for us to to step into that belief snap in snap out again um you're never out of the fight and um you know I'm proud of the way they they demonstrated that today how big was the pass rush today especially what you got from your four yeah um it was big and I I think the way we ended the first half in particular I think if I were to go back I mean I I was I called a time out there for us to get the ball back and then you know we end up pting it back to him you know and that's not necessarily the intention was to go add another score and come into the half with some breathing room um but the fact that we were able to go out there and and and have a fourman rush that was that was able to you know again with the penalty um you know sack the qu back um so yeah we got pressure on them I thought you know there were a lot of guys that contributed to that and um you know we got to we got to keep that up going over time you had just missed that kick and then you have to get the ball first you know how do you approach that and how was the team able to kind of maintain that composure to be able to score that it's just it's just not bigger than focusing on what you need to do in the moment I mean we don't there's not a lot of um I I think you do as a coach try to capture the moment and just and shift Focus not to what's just happened or what may happen but what we need to do right now but a lot of that is in the training you know so I I there's just um again I had Full Faith and confidence in the way we were playing offensively that we were going to score it was no surprise to me that we did um you know I was really focused on how we were going to generate a stop defensively and um I'm proud of the players because they they were in that moment too and um again teams of our past with held on to some of those things this team didn't and uh we're able to celebrate because of it one moreen piece kind teams answer the call in the past in that way what makes this team different why were they able to do it today yeah and I I want to I just want to say this is a mentality um it it just it takes time to change an environment it takes time to change a mindset and that's not just for the team I think that's everyone that interacts with this program I mean look we we want to build a team that inspires people to show up I want that Stadium to be sold out with people in black and gold and today it wasn't and our job is to change the mentality in every aspect It Starts Here locally it starts with how we approach our work in the product we put on the field you know my understanding is that they had to turn students away today I mean that is an incredible statement and I want to thank our student body for showing up and supporting this team um that means a lot to me and there are a lot of people out there that are just waiting to see us follow through and I hope that you know a performance a gutty performance likees on display today you know inspires people to do that so the the the statement about past teams is it has nothing to do with judging them that was a process we had to go through the reason this team's different is because we've learned from that experience the guys that stay with us have have have experienced those feelings and that frustration in the past in our day and age in college football they all had to choose to come back and they made that choice and they chose to come back because of the belief they have and there are plenty of guys that didn't choose to come back and we're better for that right and then we add in people that step in with the belief and the vision for our success and then you mix that together with the staff that's had a lot of success and and again of it is you know um coaches coach kill coming in and saying hey look man this is there's a lot of good things that we're doing here you know here are a couple things that we should look at maybe driving alignment a little differently or you know that kind of thing but that's the formula and I we couldn't beat a one and0 in year four without experiencing all of it or at least if we hadn't experienced it any of this would have been fake right well we've earned it the long hard way um and again success and these moments are fleeting we got to be able to celebrate it today and we got to shift gears tomorrow and get back to work um but um I'm proud of the team I'm also proud of our past teams and um you know I've learned a lot along the way too and and so it's made me better you know and I think that's the name of the game is how are you improving how are you getting to your highest level and as I go the program will go so um yeah this has been a a great start to our season but it's just a start there's a lot of season left here is to um getting back to work and and um find higher levels of playl injured or yeah I'm not sure I was so focused on the field so I don't want to make comment on on KT right now but um obviously I you know he wasn't out there for us at the end but I I don't have much other than that thanks the fourth down play in overtime you know what did you see there um you talking about the last snap yeah okay um I felt like they were trying to isolate uh I felt like they were looking for a one-on-one we used the timeout just to try to kind of see what formation they were going to use I did not want the game to be tied on a one-on-one 50/50 ball um I just don't feel like I mean I think your instinct in that moment is to pressure um and we had pressured a little bit early and and um in man uh one of the the the tail back screen for a touchdown was a zero pressure where you know they got us good call you know bad call on my part um the long over they hit to number 83 was a pressure where we just you know the path the pattern wasn't right and so I I just didn't want to see the ball go up in a one-on-one situation and us play another overtime because of it so we we we were in cover twoo and we we made sure that we we forced the quarterb go somewhere else um I wish we would have done a better job compressing the pocket um but we we had enough eyes back there um and awareness to end the game so that was the thought process thanks everybody thank you we'll get the players in here next