Alright folks, you've seen courtesy of @HOBlurker that Clark Lea is quoted as saying they did not pursue a RB transfer when Ray Davis left because they aren't going to look for cheat codes or short cuts.
Not exactly a clear and obvious direct shot at Davis but on the heels of talking about him you can't help but notice the comment.
There's a lot more he said this week. Here's a summary, or watch for yourself:
** Vanderbilt is seeing flashes of explosive play and young players coming on, but this is about winning and they have to play better.
** UNLV was able to capitalize on mistakes and earned their win.
** Lea said he has a ton of respect for Stoops and his program in so many ways. When he took the job he looked at Stoops' build at Kentucky and saw a lot of parallels. Admires the way he developed that program over time and has established sustained success. They're a great model for that in the league. He has supplemented his roster effectively in the portal and "they're a really good team."
** Important internally for VU not to forecast. They're 2-2. All their goals are out in front of them. They have better results awaiting if they train and decide to play better football. A year ago they were 3-1 and ended up playing poorly in five straight league games. They know they have to be beyond that. Their performance will be their focus this weekend. Need to collect and capture the margins they need to win at home against a league opponent.
** Lea says Vandy is banged up so it's a part of the challenge in the midseason stretch.
** Christian James will be out this week. Minor setback after the trip to Wake Forest. Assuming he progresses the way they think there's a chance he could be available next week.
** Savion Riley is questionable. Still dealing with upper body injury and hasn't practiced.
** De'Rickey White is questionable, battling an ankle injury. Has been a warrior and had to play a lot of snaps. This will persist until they can rest it.
** BJ Anderson is probable, practiced this week, no issues.
** Gunnar Hanson is probable. Slight injury on Saturday but returned.
** Grayson Morgan is questionable. Didn't practice on Tuesday but will give it a go and if he can work by Thursday he will probably play. Dealing with a back issue. Nothing major but nagging.
** CJ Taylor was banged up in the game on Saturday and is probable. He practiced Tuesday.
** Junior Uzebu is doubtful and CJ Taylor is probable.
** Prince Kollie returned to practice this week but he's been out for a while and has to get in shape. Has a year he can hold onto and they'll see how he recovers. May not go beyond four games.
** Last year's win wasn't necessarily "program defining" but it was really good for last season on the back end of some challenging losses. It showed the value of persistence and was a reward for a group of guys who stayed in the fight, stayed in the fire each week. They grew to the point where they could earn an ugly win on the road. They lost the lead late but won anyway. That's the resilience they want to be defined by. Vanderbilt has improved players and more potential to be explosive this year. But VU can't go out and fumble the ball around and expect to come out on top.
** The timing of last year's game was different last year. This is about trusting their process. It's easy externally to hit a panic button and start forecasting.
** Two weeks in a row Vanderbilt has played teams they feel like they should be in a position to win. They couldn't put pressure on Wake Forest even though they had flashes of good play. Had an opportunity to beat UNLV but they weren't ready to win it. "We didn't deserve to win those games," and they don't until they respect what it takes to win. What's important now is leadership and that starts with Lea.
** Playing Kentucky isn't the issue. It's about getting back to the kind of football they know they can play.
** After the WFU loss Lea talked about better decisions with the football, turnovers, and he was talking about QB play. AJ Swann is a very talented player and he's having an impressive season "but he's still learning how to play that position at an elite level. He will get there." He's learning through experience right now. Learning when to take chances and when to take sacks is a part of it. Against UNLV he made some decisions to throw the ball away and run the ball. That kept them in manageable third downs at times and that's a sign of improvement. Getting him through the full progression and to the running back is the next step for him so they aren't seeing so many third and fourth downs. They had 22 conversion downs against UNLV and that's way too many. They become higher pressure snaps with different pass rushes and coverages. Innately you're going to force things more in those moments. First and second down efficiency has been a huge focus for us the last two weeks.
** Tough moment to have a bad snap last week. Doesn't see that being an issue moving forward. Specialists have to take ownership over specialist play. They believe in the long snapper. Unfortunate spot on the field for that to happen. The punt return against Wake Forest as well.
** They're designing plays for dynamic players but when they face pressure or a bad defensive look they need to be able to get out of those plays.
** There's a fundamental dimension to ball protection: High and tight, protected. Going deeper into that because those issues have popped up. Decisions with the football are being addressed to not force things. Know when to take the risk. Structural things on the reverse, corner blitz, etc., where they fumbled and recovered but must have tighter protection. It's not about being beat in protection but it's about being within structure.
** Flashes of strong play this year but disappointed in the two runs for touchdowns. Structural breakdowns post-snap. They were in position with cleats in the ground. Played pretty well against the run against UNLV. Sequence of breakdowns at the end of the game.
** Ray Davis is a good player. Good vision, good feet. Knack for finding space, for cutting back to break a long one. Really good receiver and pass catcher. Lea sees not only is UK using as a check down but also designing catches for him which is smart. UK has a good scheme and good players. They've done a really nice job of solidifying their offensive line. They were able to get a QB and a RB out of the portal and they're playing well. If VU plays within structure they'll have a chance to tackle the ball. Cutting down on the explosives is key. Want to force Kentucky into third downs where they can create some disruption.
** Happy that Davis found a home and success. Excited to compete on Saturday. Not going to be worried or bothered by that. It is what it is. They had a conversation sitting down. There's always layers to things, doesn't need to talk about that now, but it was a great conversation. He was exploring options and one of which was the NFL, then the possibility of playing his last year somewhere else. Lea supported the decision just like he does anytime. His job is not to control but to support as young people plot their way in life. Vanderbilt did not look to the portal for running back when he left because they're a developmental program and that's part of being a developmental program. They won't take cheat codes or short cuts to success.
Not exactly a clear and obvious direct shot at Davis but on the heels of talking about him you can't help but notice the comment.
There's a lot more he said this week. Here's a summary, or watch for yourself:
** Vanderbilt is seeing flashes of explosive play and young players coming on, but this is about winning and they have to play better.
** UNLV was able to capitalize on mistakes and earned their win.
** Lea said he has a ton of respect for Stoops and his program in so many ways. When he took the job he looked at Stoops' build at Kentucky and saw a lot of parallels. Admires the way he developed that program over time and has established sustained success. They're a great model for that in the league. He has supplemented his roster effectively in the portal and "they're a really good team."
** Important internally for VU not to forecast. They're 2-2. All their goals are out in front of them. They have better results awaiting if they train and decide to play better football. A year ago they were 3-1 and ended up playing poorly in five straight league games. They know they have to be beyond that. Their performance will be their focus this weekend. Need to collect and capture the margins they need to win at home against a league opponent.
** Lea says Vandy is banged up so it's a part of the challenge in the midseason stretch.
** Christian James will be out this week. Minor setback after the trip to Wake Forest. Assuming he progresses the way they think there's a chance he could be available next week.
** Savion Riley is questionable. Still dealing with upper body injury and hasn't practiced.
** De'Rickey White is questionable, battling an ankle injury. Has been a warrior and had to play a lot of snaps. This will persist until they can rest it.
** BJ Anderson is probable, practiced this week, no issues.
** Gunnar Hanson is probable. Slight injury on Saturday but returned.
** Grayson Morgan is questionable. Didn't practice on Tuesday but will give it a go and if he can work by Thursday he will probably play. Dealing with a back issue. Nothing major but nagging.
** CJ Taylor was banged up in the game on Saturday and is probable. He practiced Tuesday.
** Junior Uzebu is doubtful and CJ Taylor is probable.
** Prince Kollie returned to practice this week but he's been out for a while and has to get in shape. Has a year he can hold onto and they'll see how he recovers. May not go beyond four games.
** Last year's win wasn't necessarily "program defining" but it was really good for last season on the back end of some challenging losses. It showed the value of persistence and was a reward for a group of guys who stayed in the fight, stayed in the fire each week. They grew to the point where they could earn an ugly win on the road. They lost the lead late but won anyway. That's the resilience they want to be defined by. Vanderbilt has improved players and more potential to be explosive this year. But VU can't go out and fumble the ball around and expect to come out on top.
** The timing of last year's game was different last year. This is about trusting their process. It's easy externally to hit a panic button and start forecasting.
** Two weeks in a row Vanderbilt has played teams they feel like they should be in a position to win. They couldn't put pressure on Wake Forest even though they had flashes of good play. Had an opportunity to beat UNLV but they weren't ready to win it. "We didn't deserve to win those games," and they don't until they respect what it takes to win. What's important now is leadership and that starts with Lea.
** Playing Kentucky isn't the issue. It's about getting back to the kind of football they know they can play.
** After the WFU loss Lea talked about better decisions with the football, turnovers, and he was talking about QB play. AJ Swann is a very talented player and he's having an impressive season "but he's still learning how to play that position at an elite level. He will get there." He's learning through experience right now. Learning when to take chances and when to take sacks is a part of it. Against UNLV he made some decisions to throw the ball away and run the ball. That kept them in manageable third downs at times and that's a sign of improvement. Getting him through the full progression and to the running back is the next step for him so they aren't seeing so many third and fourth downs. They had 22 conversion downs against UNLV and that's way too many. They become higher pressure snaps with different pass rushes and coverages. Innately you're going to force things more in those moments. First and second down efficiency has been a huge focus for us the last two weeks.
** Tough moment to have a bad snap last week. Doesn't see that being an issue moving forward. Specialists have to take ownership over specialist play. They believe in the long snapper. Unfortunate spot on the field for that to happen. The punt return against Wake Forest as well.
** They're designing plays for dynamic players but when they face pressure or a bad defensive look they need to be able to get out of those plays.
** There's a fundamental dimension to ball protection: High and tight, protected. Going deeper into that because those issues have popped up. Decisions with the football are being addressed to not force things. Know when to take the risk. Structural things on the reverse, corner blitz, etc., where they fumbled and recovered but must have tighter protection. It's not about being beat in protection but it's about being within structure.
** Flashes of strong play this year but disappointed in the two runs for touchdowns. Structural breakdowns post-snap. They were in position with cleats in the ground. Played pretty well against the run against UNLV. Sequence of breakdowns at the end of the game.
** Ray Davis is a good player. Good vision, good feet. Knack for finding space, for cutting back to break a long one. Really good receiver and pass catcher. Lea sees not only is UK using as a check down but also designing catches for him which is smart. UK has a good scheme and good players. They've done a really nice job of solidifying their offensive line. They were able to get a QB and a RB out of the portal and they're playing well. If VU plays within structure they'll have a chance to tackle the ball. Cutting down on the explosives is key. Want to force Kentucky into third downs where they can create some disruption.
** Happy that Davis found a home and success. Excited to compete on Saturday. Not going to be worried or bothered by that. It is what it is. They had a conversation sitting down. There's always layers to things, doesn't need to talk about that now, but it was a great conversation. He was exploring options and one of which was the NFL, then the possibility of playing his last year somewhere else. Lea supported the decision just like he does anytime. His job is not to control but to support as young people plot their way in life. Vanderbilt did not look to the portal for running back when he left because they're a developmental program and that's part of being a developmental program. They won't take cheat codes or short cuts to success.
