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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michelle R. Martinelli

Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea gave an emotional interview after Commodores’ first SEC win since 2019

Clark Lea Commodores Vanderbilt SEC Vandy Kentucky (Organization) Mike Wright SEC Network UT

Saturday was a monumental day for Vanderbilt football, and their fans everywhere have so many reasons to celebrate.

With the Commodores’ 24-21 win over No. 24 Kentucky on the road in Week 11, they snapped a 26-game SEC losing streak and claimed their first conference victory since October 19, 2019 (when they beat Missouri 21-14).

Trailing by four late in the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt took then lead with about 30 seconds left with quarterback Mike Wright connected with receiver Will Sheppard for an eight-yard touchdown. And with a good extra point, the Commodores had a field-goal lead when the Wildcats got the ball back for a failed last-chance drive.

And just like that, Vanderbilt is a winner in the SEC again. Along with snapping a three-year conference losing streak, it was also the first SEC win for Commodores coach Clark Lea, who was understandably emotional afterward.

“I’m proud of all the guys; they earned that,” Lea told the SEC Network after praising Wright’s play and perseverance. “They earned that. It’s been a long, long run — excuse my emotions — they earned it.”

Tearing up, Lea continued to shower his squad with compliments in his emotional post-game interview. He continued:

“You’ve got a bunch of guys that are fighting. And we’re building a program. Building a program’s hard. And it takes tough people that are aligned, doing the right things the right way. And that’s what these guys are doing. I’m glad they got rewarded today.”

Like the Commodores, college football Twitter was elated for Vanderbilt... and took a few jabs at Kentucky too.

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