Arkansas, which before Oct. 17 was one of two winless teams in SEC play, had four pass plays of more than 25 yards against Vanderbilt football at FirstBank Stadium. The Razorbacks also had two rush plays of 15 yards or more.
In total, they put up 438 yards, including 187 rushing, went 8-for-16 on third down, committed no turnovers and took no sacks. Arkansas won 31-21, and Vanderbilt's losing streak is now at four games.
"Not enough detail defensively," Lea said. "To give up 187 yards on the ground is not OK. Never OK. And our third-down performance defensively, we allowed them to possess the ball and control the game, especially in the second half."
He said he doesn't plan to change defensive play-callers. Lea, who was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator
before becoming Vanderbilt's coach, called defensive plays himself in 2024, but in 2025 he brought in Steve Gregory as defensive coordinator.
That doesn't mean Lea won't change anything. The lack of execution is such that Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4) is exploring simplifying the defensive playbook, and Lea believes his defensive players are often not on the same page.
"We're a pressure-based defense, and when you're a pressure-based defense, those are high-leverage snaps, and when you're not executing them, they become touchdowns," Lea said. "We do have to examine, what is our effectiveness in these calls, and what is keeping us from executing the calls in a way that keeps us off the field?
"If that means dialing back on some of the pressure, if that means simplifying the call sheet to get our cleats in the ground so we can play a more detailed game."
Entering the game against Arkansas (3-4, 1-3), Vanderbilt ranked 11th of 16 SEC teams in total defense but 16th in scoring defense, an indication that teams are converting yards into points at a high rate.
Linebacker Bryan Longwell, who led the Commodores with 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups, said that he is the "green dot" on defense — the player who receives the calls from the coaches and is tasked with communicating them to the rest of the defense.
"I think we need to communicate it better," Longwell said. "That's my job. I need to get it out better to the defense and we should get to the line faster and execute the call."
Longwell, too, expressed confidence in the defensive play-calling. He said he believed the players were being put in good positions and the staff was making the right calls, but the players were failing to execute.
With their chances of a bowl game slipping away, the Commodores need to find a solution, fast. Arkansas was the most winnable game remaining on the schedule, and they don't play another home game for nearly a month, with two road games and an idle week in between. Next up, they will hit the road to face a resurgent Kentucky team (6-1, 4-1) in Lexington on Oct. 24.
The communication issues, on their face, may be easier to fix. But it's not just one issue at this point.
"Too many times tonight . . . we're on the ground, we're getting turned, we're getting moved," Lea said. "If you can't win at the line of scrimmage, you can't win in the SEC."
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: Inside Vanderbilt football's defensive failures in loss to Arkansas
