CLARK LEA OPEN
Excited to win consecutive SEC games
Meant a lot to do it at home and share it with the fans
Good to share with the chancellor and Candice Lee who are making it possible
Can’t say enough about this being a new era
Havent arrived but this may point to when the shift happened
Great things ahead with continued support
Proud of how they prepared and play
Knew they had to take away the run and had to do that
CJ Taylor had a big game, is becoming a playmaker they can depend on
The one explosive TD is the one they’ll want back but they held up well on the whole
They moved them off their mark in the passing game
Proud of the defense and the end of game stop
Offensively, can’t say enough about the run game and the OL, they’re playing to an identity
Ray Davis had a huge game, Patrick Smith created a change of pace
Mike Wright has stepped into a role late in the season for him, happy for him
Tight end group had 2 TD’s in big moments right underneath Turner Cockrill’s sails
He was glad Turner’s family was here
Not perfect, a lot to learn from, proud of the program
What’s the difference in now and 2 weeks ago?
It’s all part of the journey
This wasn’t possible without that in his opinion
They needed the SC game to get to the KY game to get to this one
Do they want to get to the point they don’t have to learn the hard way? Sure, but he’s proud of how the team has stayed on mission
Players care about themselves and the team, they aren’t worried on externals, they’re concerned with the mission
Have they turned a corner as a program?
Time will tell, don’t want to get ahead of themselves
Right now, celebrate and shift focus to the final game and extend the season
They’ve learned a lot and they’ll take the learning forward
One game from being bowl eligible, UT stands in the way, does that make it bigger?
No, it’s about us and our performance
They want to play at their highest level
They won’t add unnecessary emotions to that
Fan attendance, how can you motivate getting more Vandy fans here for UT game?
That’s not part of my job, I’m preparing my team, hopefully people are paying attention to what we’re doing
They need to focus on their job and put their energy on their performance to be ready for a great fight next week
Those other things aren’t their focus
Special teams, what’s been key?
Justin Lustig has done a great job, they’ve had really strong specialists
Hayball has been a positive part of the team
What you’re seeing is growth in personnel, they’re faster and more physical
Every snap matters
Special teams play continues
They have to win hidden yardage
CJ Taylor, what’s clicked for him?
He’s a Total representation of Vanderbilt football
Needed time to develop
He loves football, that’s never been questioned
Wasn’t sure he loved the process when he got here
As that’s gotten in line with his passion to play, they knew from the first practice in fall camp he’d chase the ball and play physically
When they grew last year and saw a trajectory change, CJ’s play on scout team had a lot to do that
He put pressure on the offense in practice
He loves to play and has great instincts
Ja’Dais Richard stepped in for Anderson and was a safety and did okay today
He’s improved through the season, he’s physical and can run
Grown day in and day out in practice
He’s pushing to start for them
It came to them today because of the targeting penalty
They’ll want the explosive TD back
Proud of how he prepared himself
Has anything changed with who calls the defense or how it’s called?
No, not at all
The staff has become comfortable with the structure
That side of the ball has been through a lot this year
They’ve stayed after it
That starts with Nick Howell
I can’t say enough about how he’s built identity in that group
Some of their issues early were alignment and eyes
Week in and week out that group shows up
That’s a statement about Nick
Season high in carries for Ray Davis
It’s about staying in rhythm and being patient
It may not show up early
They had a chance to play physically for four quarters
They used tempo to create space
They’ve missed a bit through the middle of the year
Lynch and staff have worked through play design and been creative in space
Ray’s worked and earned it, he shows up and gets the tough yards
Nick Howell wearing UVA gear today and they wore helmet stickers, what did that mean to honor UVA?
Last weekend they had the chance to celebrate a win together and that’s special, that makes you cherish relationships
People don’t have a great perspective on that if they’re outside the program but these guys care about them
They were fortunate to wake up Monday and be whole
You realize how special it is to be part of this family and how grateful they are for each other
In that same space they can grieve for their brothers at Virginia, the least they can do is honor UVA
Several guys on that staff are close to people there
Lynch’s play calling
They felt like vs. SC the plays were there, that was about Vandy
The plays they need to win the game will be there
They trust the process, they stay faithful, they make the available play
They don’t need to focus on explosive plays
They’re good to get that on what’s available
What you’re identifying is part of their growth as a team is to play to their highest level
His view of the special teams TD?
Thought they got it cleanly, lucky the second guy in could get the ball
They challenged them to create an explosive play in ST like that week
That was their chance they seized it
Happy for them and the fight they showed
They weren’t letting Florida come out with the ball in that scrum and that representative of Vanderbilt football
