Inside Vanderbilt’s Simple, Yet Effective Halftime Message

Vanderbilt looked like a completely different team after halftime. It took Clark Lea to give a very simple comment for the change to show up on the field.

Sep 6, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores cheerleader carry their flags across the end zone after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

BLACKSBURG, Va. - As Virginia Tech kicker John Love hit a 27-yard field goal through the uprights as the first half clock at Lane Stadium expired, Vanderbilt went into the locker room feeling and knowing it left points on the board as well as giving away points. After all, in a half where a team turns the ball over twice and gives up a touchdown each time on the ensuing  drive, it makes it far more difficult to come back. 

Such was the case in the first half Saturday night. The Commodores two turnovers turned into 14 Virginia Tech points. It felt as though a game that the Vanderbilt teams of old would allow to spin out of control. But inside the locker room was a team that was hungry.

As the team sat down in the locker room and Clark Lea gave his message to his guys, instead of standing up and giving the team a Tim Tebow-esque halftime speech, he gave his team a simple statement.

“My message to the team was very simple, and it was not emotional: I still believe we're the better team. We have to clean up the way we play,” Lea said.

What is more important is the fact that Lea knew he did not need to give some famous speech. All Lea did was take a look around the room and sense the hunger and the determination in his players. 

"I wish that there was something dramatic to tell you about. I mean, there was buzz in the locker room, there was confidence, there was eye contact. And, these guys were ready for adjustments and ready to go attack. And they never flinched,” Lea said.

And sure enough, the message rang loud and clear in the ears of the Commodores. Receiving the kickoff to start the third quarter, it felt like from the outside that Vanderbilt needed to score points one way or another, or else things could spiral.

On the inside, Vanderbilt felt like the momentum had already shifted.

“I feel like it was shifting at the end of the first half, we just ran out of time. Then coming out of half, we had a plan to get the ball and score then get a stop and score again,” wide receiver Tre Richardson said.

The Commodores followed suit on what Richardson said, going on an 84-yard touchdown drive to open the second game to cut the deficit to just three. After forcing a three-and-out, Vanderbilt got the ball on its own 25-yard line and it was Richardson who made two “SportsCenter Top 10” worthy catches. One down the sideline to move into plus territory and the second being a one-handed grab in the end zone to put Vanderbilt ahead. Despite a missed extra point to keep the score at 23-20, the damage was already done. The momentum of the entire game was in Vanderbilt’s hands and it was not going to give it back.

“Once we did those first two things, then we executed. And that's when I got my touchdown, and that's when the momentum really started to shift. Fans started leaving, and then we executed more and more,” Richardson said.

As the stands quickly started to empty by the end of the third quarter, it was clear that it was due to Vanderbilt looking like a totally different team. Vanderbilt scored a touchdown on all five second half possessions in its 44-20 come-from-behind victory. And it all started with a concise, but powerful message in the locker room.