Cigars, Embrace, History: Inside Vanderbilt Football's Celebration of Win over Tennessee
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KNOXVILLE, TENN—As Clark Lea entered the media room next to Vanderbilt’s locker room in the depths of Neyland Stadium, it reeked of cigar smoke and sounded like a night club. The white brick wall was nothing in comparison to the tangible joy that this Vanderbilt team possessed as a result of its 45-24 win over Tennessee.
That’s what happens when a program does what this Vanderbilt team did on Saturday night. For the first time since 2018, this program knocked off the Volunteers, it won 10 games for the first time in program history and it made its final pitch to the College Football Playoff committee. It was a dream night for a program that has so often longed for something like this.
“This is one for the record books,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said postgame. “Meaningful week for this program and for the players to come out and play the way they did today. I mean, again, this game is their day. It's their moment. They were really impressive. And what are the emotions? I mean, some of it will sink in, some of it will take some time, but it's special, and I'm really, again, proud and happy.”
While Lea met a reporter on the sideline for his on-air postgame interview, his team was seemingly trapped in an endless euphoria as it walked away from a brief scuffle–which appeared to be fitting for this rivalry–and took in the reality that it had just knocked off the program that has long dominated it.
In the moments following the scuffle, Vanderbilt’s players made a beeline for the seating area behind its bench which made up its fan section and began its party as the Tennessee band finished their postgame duties and seemingly every person wearing black and gold lined up to embrace the Vanderbilt team that had just made history.
One fan held up an Eli Stowers jersey as he pointed towards the section, others waved pom poms and others gazed at the field while yelling and making their presence known inside a nearly-empty Neyland Stadium–which came as a result of a mass exodus of Tennessee fans once the game got out of hand. It was a spoiled senior day for Tennessee’s players and students, yet Vanderbilt’s players showed no pity.
Marlen Sewell–who had lost four games to Tennessee prior to Saturday’s win–waved to his loved ones in the crowd, Miles Capers waved an invisible belt around as to indicate what this Vanderbilt team had just done to its in-state rivals, Zaylin Wood emphatically pointed his thumb down during the Tennessee band’s rendition of Rocky Top and Sedrick Alexander embraced a Vanderbilt staffer with a bear hug.
This group had finally done it and it had a career outing from Alexander to thank.
“It definitely felt good, man,” Alexander said of the moment. “Knowing that I had my family in the stands and on the field with me, I appreciate every moment that I’m with Vanderbilt. They took a chance on me when I was in high school, that’s probably one of the biggest things. Vandy, they took a chance on me–a kid from Austin, Texas,--a lot of kids don’t get this chance.”
Alexander–who has a tattoo relating to his faith–was among the Vanderbilt players to drift over from the group in front of the Vanderbilt fan section to immerse themselves in a prayer circle led by Vanderbilt team chaplain Lance Brown. When the circle broke, Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black visibly embraced Vanderbilt running backs coach Ghaali Muhammad Lankford with a hug and led Vanderbilt’s players towards the tunnel.
Vanderbilt cornerback Mark Davis closely followed as he held up a Tennessee towel as to indicate that he had conquered the Volunteers while Sewell trailed him and celebrated alongside freshman running back Gabe Fields. The walk represented a sort of calm before the storm as Vanderbilt’s players looked over to the group of fans draped over the wall surrounding its tunnel.
When they got there, Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor made a Lambeau Leap-esque jump above the brick wall and was followed by Alexander and Vanderbilt two-way standout Martel Hight as he did so. Down the line, a near army of Vanderbilt players–including Bryce Henderson, Gabe Fisher, Jordan White, Cole Spence, Jordan Matthews and Nick Rinaldi–embraced their fanbase–and particularly Vanderbilt receiver Richie Hoskins’ dad prior to their arrival in the locker room. Hight brought out a real belt next to them as a fan on the opposite side of the tunnel taunted a Tennessee staffer by repeatedly smashing another belt.
After an on-field postgame interview in which Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia indicated that he believes he should be in line to make the trip to New York city for the Heisman Trophy ceremony and subsequently embraced Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, he ran down the line high-fiving those who had made the trip out east. Pavia’s roommate Stowers demonstrated his more stoic demeanor as he avoided the mob, high-fived the remaining fans and ducked into the locker room. Trailing behind them was former Vanderbilt wide receiver Jordan Matthews who had a declaration to make as he addressed the fanbase.
“We’re back,” Matthews yelled.
Matthews–like so many in this program–has been a participant and enthusiastic spectator of a number of Vanderbilt losses to Tennessee. This program hadn’t won in Lea’s tenure as head coach and had success less often than it had failure in this series. It had to endure plenty to get to this result, but it’s finally made it.
The Commodores outscored the Volunteers 24-3 in the second half of Saturday night’s game and backed up Pavia’s summer comments that nearly guaranteed that Vanderbilt would find a way to take control of this rivalry. Pavia says that some believed he was a fool. He proved himself right and took his victory lap in the postgame media room in front of Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee.
Saturday night marked the first time that Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee in football under Storey Lee’s watch and resulted in Lea awarding her with a game ball in the locker room after the game. Both Lea and Paiva made mention of Lee’s diligence in extending Lea’s contract. Lee was rewarded on Saturday with a monumental win.
“It is deeply, deeply gratifying,” Storey Lee told Vandy on SI. “I’ve seen this rivalry a lot and for us to finish with 10 wins in the regular season and to do it in Knoxville is extra special. I’ve just gotta say, this entire year has been an incredible step forward.”
It appeared as if everyone in Vanderbilt’s locker room could grasp the magnitude of Saturday’s performance as they swayed along to Swag Surfin’ and other songs that pounded through the locker room walls on Saturday prior to a few press conferences that were among the most crowded of Vanderbilt’s 10-win season.
In the end, it was Pavia, Lea and Storey Lee left standing in the back tunnel of Neyland Stadium grabbing dinner and sauntering over to the bus as if they didn’t want to leave the place in which they had rewritten Vanderbilt football history. It was almost fitting that those three were the only ones left in the college football cathedral that they’d just conquered.
“We celebrated a lot. And I know this group's anxious to get home and get back and get some rest and we'll have some time here to kind of decompress as we figure out what's next,” Lea said. “But definitely a special night and a night that's worth celebrating.”
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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