Vanderbilt's Clark Lea Describes Challenge of Defending Mizzou's Offense

The head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores discussed the complexities of defending the Missouri Tigers offense.

Sep 30, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson (17) scores late against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Clark Lea knows all too well the power of the Missouri Tigers offense.

The Vanderbilt Commodores' head coach watched as the Tigers went on a 21-0 scoring run en route to a 38-21 win over the Commodores in Week 5 of 2023. In his three matchups with Missouri as head coach, Lea's teams have been outscored 92-to-63.

2023's matchup featured a pass-heavy attack from Missouri, led by quarterback Brady Cook, who set career-highs in both completions with 33 and passing yards with 395 on top of four passing touchdowns. The Tigers' offense thrived on explosive plays, with 181 of Cook's passing yards came on completions over 15 yards.

"It's a challenge," Lea said of defending Missouri on a conference call Wednesday. "We did not play well against these guys a year ago, particularly on the deep ball."

On top of Cook's performance, running backs Nate Peat and Cody Schrader combined for 131 rushing yards. Though the Tigers won through the air, Lea believes the foundation of the Missouri offense is its wide-zone run scheme.

"The identity of the offense is built around the stretch running game. That's an effective tool over four quarters. Every time that play is run, you have a chance at times to hit it in the line of scrimmage or behind, but you slip one gap ... if you get separated defensively, that becomes a really challenging play, then everything from there is built off that stretch run."

The success Missouri had in the run game against Vanderbilt opened up the Tigers' passing attack as well, with the Tigers running play action of 26.6% of drop backs in the Week 5 matchup.

Cook has many receivers at his disposal that can attack defenses at all levels. Theo Wease Jr. and the speedy Marquis Johnson pose a threat over the top. Luther Burden III and Mookie Cooper are weapons after the catch and can turn short passes into long gains. Running backs Nate Noel and Jamaal Roberts are used as receivers out of the backfield.

Missouri's top playmakers, according to Lea, are put in key positions to succeed.

"When they're delivering the ball in space, they're giving it to really good players, some of the best in the country. Then they design their shots to strip down your coverage and to get one-on-ones. Those guys can really run and they attack your leverage."

Missouri was far from the only team to crack the code on the Vanderbilt defense in 2023, though. Its 36.2 points allowed per game was the most in the conference by 8.2 points. Its 457.9 yards allowed per game was also the worst in the conference by a 23.3-yard margin.

Following the season, Lea took matters into his own hands, replacing Nick Howell at defensive coordinator after two seasons.

Lea worked his way up through the coaching ranks as a respected defensive coordinator, leading Notre Dame from 2018-2020. In each of his three seasons with the Fighting Irish, his unit was in the top 15 in the nation for points allowed.

Like Missouri, Lea's system operates out of a 4-2-5 scheme he refined while working under his predecessor at Notre Dame, Mike Elko. Though he incorporated bits and pieces from Vanderbilt's old scheme, the change has been noticeable.

“I think it's a significant difference," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said of Vanderbilt's 2024 defense. "It's definitely coach Lea’s defense. They're definitely doing things differently than they have done in the past, in the three previous years that we've competed against him."

To prepare for the unit, Missouri's coaching staff did some advance work this summer. Though they couldn't watch the exact variation Lea would roll out in his first season as a play caller in three years, they referenced his tape from Notre Dame.

"We did a study this summer of his Notre Dame tape," Drinkwitz said, "just to make sure that there was some comparable. And there definitely is comparables to what he was doing in 2020, 2019, to what he's doing now.”

The Vanderbilt defense will be looking to bounce back after being upset by Georgia State in a 36-32 loss in week 3.

On the other hand, the Missouri offense will be looking to finally hit full stride after, what quarterback Brady Cook has admitted, is not even close to the full potential of the group.

Specifically, explosive plays have been relatively absent from the Missouri offense so far. Cook and the Tigers will hope they'll find the same success on explosive plays as they did against Vanderbilt in 2023.

If Vanderbilt's redesigned defense doesn't hold up, it could be a long Saturday for the Commodores.

"It's the complete package," Lea said of the Missouri offense. "It's well coached, it's well designed, it's well executed, and it's executed with good players."

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

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