Irish Breakdown

Former Notre Dame Football Assistant Scores Upset of the Year

One week after knocking off Georgia, No. 1 Alabama fell at Vanderbilt
Nick Shepkowski|
Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea screams at wide receiver Quincy Skinner Jr. (3) against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at FirstBank Stadium.
Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea screams at wide receiver Quincy Skinner Jr. (3) against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In this story:

Notre Dame Fighting IrishVanderbilt CommodoresAlabama Crimson Tide

Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea left the Fighting Irish to take the head coaching job at his alma mater Vanderbilt following the 2020 season.

On Saturday, Lea led Vanderbilt to perhaps its biggest victory in program history as the Commodores shocked No. 1 Alabama 40-35 in Nashville.

Alabama Stunned by Vanderbilt in Nashville

Earlier in the week, a short video surfaced online of the Vanderbilt scoreboard showing stats of the Commodores and Crimson Tide with the numbers favoring the home underdogs.

On Saturday, those stats were far more lopsided in Vanderbilt's favor than one could have ever imagined.

Beyond a 40-35 final score, Vanderbilt held the ball for 42:08 of the 60-minute contest, and outrushed mighty Alabama 166-84.

Not bad for a Vanderbilt program that had combined to score just 13 points against Alabama during the entire Nick Saban regime.

Twitter/X Reacts to Vanderbilt's Massive Upset of Alabama

During the upset push and as soon as the game went final, social media erupted with reaction to Vanderbilt's historic upset. Below are some of the best tweets following the game, including some from former Notre Dame players giving a nod to their old defensive coordinator.

Vanderbilt Football Twitter Account

Down Goes No. 1 Alabama!

Clark Lea Comes Through for Vanderbilt

ESPN

College Football Reddit

Field Storming Worthy

Pat McAfee Reacts

Vandy Fans Talkin' that Smack

Vandy Ain't Scared



No Such Thing as a Dull Saturday

Upset of the Decade

Former Notre Dame Linebacker/Butkus Award Winner, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Vanderbilt's Goal Posts are Down!

Published
Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

Home/Football