Vanderbilt Defense Shows Ability to Pull Through Adversity Against Utah State

Vanderbilt got off to a slow start on both sides of the ball, but the Commodore defense got the stops it needed to pull away.

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores defense points after recovering the ball against the Utah State Aggies during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE – It was not the best game from a defensive standpoint for Vanderbilt in Saturday’s win over Utah State. But it was certainly not anything that could be viewed as something to panic over going forward either.

Vanderbilt’s defense got off to a slow start against a Utah State offense that has shown a propensity to put points on the scoreboard against its opponents this season. Utah State came up empty on its first drive with the ball, but took full advantage of a Vanderbilt three-and-out and scored a touchdown on a 75-yard drive for the game’s first score.

Aggies’ quarterback Bryson Barnes was giving Vanderbilt fits early on, escaping the pocket and taking off to extend drives such as his 14-yard run on 3rd and 8 that led to Utah State’s first touchdown.

But that was not the only issue Vanderbilt’s defense had early in the game. The Commodores thought they forced a safety off an errant Utah State punt on 4th and 7, but Vanderbilt was called for a holding penalty that kept the defense on the field. Later in the possession, Vanderbilt thought it forced a Utah State three-and-out and a punt, but the Commodores were called for roughing the punter that gave Utah State a fresh set of downs. 

After the second penalty that resulted in an automatic first down, the Aggies made Vanderbilt pay. Five plays after Vanderbilt roughed Utah State’s punter, Barnes threw a 16-yard touchdown to put his team back in the lead at 14-7.

At that moment in time, there was a bit of an anxious feeling in the crowd. Utah State had just taken its second lead of the game after what was a deflating drive for the Vanderbilt defense. It felt as if it was bigger than a one score game with 11:21 still to go in the second quarter.

“I knew Utah State was going to be challenging, and that we needed to try to create some space between us and them. That was a chance for us to do it,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said. “We have to look at those drives where we didn't quite get to the stop early enough. Because it felt like, when we got on our heels, the ball ended up in the end zone. And that's not okay.”.

But then, things turned around rather quickly. Once Diego Pavia and the offense went down the field to tie the game at 14, Vanderbilt’s defense came up with back-to-back three-and-outs, keeping Utah State behind the sticks in both possessions. 

In the blink of an eye, Vanderbilt had a 28-14 lead and the crowd breathed a sigh of relief, knowing their team was well on its way to a 5-0 start to the season. Despite Utah State scoring a quick touchdown before halftime, both the offense and defense found a rhythm. The defensive turnaround continued through the third quarter with three shut down drives against the Aggies’ offense before surrendering two late touchdowns.

“We're going to celebrate a resilient defense and a defense that stood strong when we needed it to and allowed us to distance ourselves from the opponent and allow us to get some guys in the game that need to play snaps,” Lea said.

Was it a perfect, or even the best game defensively for Vanderbilt this season? No, there is plenty to clean up if you ask Lea and the team. But the defense did show an ability to adjust and bounce back after a slow, uncharacteristic start.

“The main thing on the sidelines is just keeping your teammates up. We have a next play mentality, and it's head-body mentality,” Vanderbilt safety Marlen Sewell said. “So we're going to take some blows, but as long as we come back and just keep doing our thing the next play, we’re going to keep progressing as a defense.”