Column: No Sleepwalking, No Falling For The Trap Allowed Against Utah State
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NASHVILLE—Eight days away is what could be Vanderbilt’s biggest game of Clark Lea’s tenure, a trip to Tuscaloosa, a ranked matchup and an opportunity for this Vanderbilt team to establish itself as a bonafide College Football Playoff contender.
All eyes will be on Vanderbilt football and its attempt to slay Goliath again, its attempt to move to 6-0. But, only if it takes care of business on Saturday when the nation’s eyes are turned to Alabama’s matchup with Georgia and Penn State’s matchup with Oregon.
The nation won’t notice what Vanderbilt does on Saturday unless it goes awry, but that doesn’t take away the pertinence of what it has to do. It has to come in and take care of business. It has to limit Utah State’s explosiveness. It can’t let former Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Nick Howell take advantage of what he knows about Clark Lea and his program. It’s got to approach Saturday’s matchup with the proper intensity and focus.
“We need to make sure that we're ready to go when the ball's put down,” Lea said. “These guys are focused and they have a ton of respect each week for each opponent. And what that means to us when we respect the opponents, we’ve got to put all of our effort into the preparation so that we can play at our best. That's what we owe this week Utah State, and that's what we'll do.”
The early returns appear to indicate that this Vanderbilt team isn’t falling into the trap game narrative that so often surrounds games like Vanderbilt has on Saturday. Vanderbilt running back MK Young says Lea is preaching “one climb at a time” and Vanderbilt cornerback Jordan Matthews says he didn’t know Vanderbilt faced Alabama on Oct. 4 until he was asked about it.
Lea says he hasn’t addressed the possibility of his team potentially looking ahead. He believes the makeup of his team is strong enough to avoid doing so. This is all about Utah State. This is all about Vanderbilt and it preserving its dreams.
“It’s a really big emphasis,” Matthews said of not looking ahead. “Coach Lea really forces us to go 1-0 each week and focus on each week’s task.”
Vanderbilt going 1-0 this particular week isn’t a matter of overcoming a talent gap or winning in every margin like it’s so often been in the past. It’s not about whether this group has the ability to go do what it’s setting out to do, it’s about whether it has the focus and intensity to do it.
It’s about whether it has the discipline and self control to control its urge to think about what could be a weekend from now. This is about this weekend, not next. It’s about this group and its ability to continue to be businesslike.
“The truth is we've never been a group that looks out ahead at any point in the year,” Lea said. “First morning game of the season, which is a favorite time for me in terms of just getting going first thing in the morning with the game, but want to make sure that our energy systems are optimized and we're ready to play and it will be a tough competitive game.”
All indications are that this Vanderbilt team is mature enough to get through the mental and physical test that faces it on Saturday with a significant victory. It took out its pain on Georgia State for a 70-21 win a week ago. It knocked off Charleston Southern 45-3 in a game that could’ve easily been a shutout. It’s never looked to get too ahead of itself or waver on the principles that have guided it to this point.
It’s passed every test that has come its way. They don’t stop coming, though. The others will be easy to get up for, this one will be easy to sleep through. Utah State is far too good to beat while sleepwalking. Vanderbilt has to approach it as if it’s playing an SEC opponent for it to like the result and avoid its coach driving himself crazy.
“One climb at a time,” Young said. “I think we can look forward to going 1-0 each week and I think we’re focused on Utah State. We're not looking ahead, but we’re just one climb at a time.”
_(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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