Clark Lea had a message as the Vanderbilt football coach readied to take questions at his postgame press conference after an improbable win over NC State.
"I do not like how we played the game," Lea said. "I'm sure that you guys want to talk less about the celebration and more about the sloppiness."
Vanderbilthad one of the most improbable comebacks in recent college football history, given a 0.1% chance to win when NC State had the ball up three with six seconds to go. Ultimately, the Commodores (3-0) won 35-31 on Sept. 19 after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown while the Wolfpack (1-2) were attempting to run the clock out.
Vanderbilt left FirstBank Stadium with a win, and that's the most important part. It could matter when
it comes to getting the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. But if the Commodores can't clean things up, they may still struggle to get to six wins.
Vanderbilt next plays at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) on Sept. 26 (3:15 p.m., SEC Network) for its first SEC matchup of the season.
Here are the main concerns that need to be addressed before beginning SEC play:
Tamp down on the penalties
The penalties were by far the biggest issue against NC State.
The Commodores performed better offensively than the Wolfpack in many ways. They recorded more yards per play (7.1 to 5.6), a higher offensive success rate and a better average starting field position.
But all of that is nullified when you consider that Vanderbilt took 116 penalty yards on 13 total flags. That doesn't even include the 34 nullified yards on five separate plays that resulted in holding calls.
In addition to the five offensive holding calls and one more on a punt, the Commodores also had two false starts, an ineligible receiver downfield, an illegal formation, a pass interference, a roughing the passer and a face mask penalty that was declined.
The majority of the penalties came on the offensive line, where Vanderbilt shook up its starting lineup. Previously playing Orion Irving at tackle and Kevo Wesley at guard, the Commodores moved Irving to guard and Beau Johnson to tackle.
"It's frustrating," Lea said. "... We've got to move our feet and cover people up. I've got to see the film, and that's a fundamental technical issue."
Upon being told exactly how many penalties Vanderbilt had incurred, Lea said, "That's a slop fest, and we cannot win games that way. We found a way today. We'll clean it up."
Lack of explosiveness in the run game
Vanderbilt's leading rusher in the game was quarterback Jared Curtis, who ran 12 times for 64 yards. While Curtis has some physicality, he isn't a true dual-threat the way that Diego Pavia was, and with the talent the Commodores have at running back, having Curtis as the leading rusher isn't ideal.
Besides Curtis, Sedrick Alexander ran seven times for 53 yards; Makhilyn Young ran four times for 16 yards and Jamezell Lassiter ran one time for -1 yard.
Lea wasn't particularly concerned; he explained this away by saying that Vanderbilt went away from the run game after going down by three scores early, with the score necessitating a heavier passing game.
That does explain some of it, but elite rushing teams aren't necessarily forced to pass when facing a deficit. For teams that trust their ability to be explosive in the run game, it's possible to rip off runs for large gains when the defense is expecting a pass. That could be an indication that the Commodores don't trust their ability to get explosive runs − and they may well be right, considering that Vanderbilt has had just five rush plays gain 15 or more yards in its first three games.
Chunk plays on defense
Vanderbilt's defense also showed some of the same issues as against Delaware the previous week. The Commodores did a decent job disrupting NC State and keeping it behind schedule, but they gave up too many big plays, especially on their own side of the field.
The Wolfpack scored three touchdowns off plays of at least 20 yards, accounting for three of their four touchdowns scored. They also had a 17-yard pass in the red zone on a drive that ultimately resulted in a field goal.
Against SEC teams with explosive offenses, that will need to be fixed.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Vanderbilt football ready for SEC play? Three concerns after beating NC State
