SEC Round-Up: Lea's Commodores elevated to top-20 in national polls

Eye rolled. Heads shook. Snickers were heard.

That was all in response to the second-year Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea declaring: “We know, in time, Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country.”

It was during the 2022 SEC Media Days when Lea, then in his second season at the helm of the Commodores, made that statement.

Reporters assembled in a room at the College Football Hall of Fame were too polite to say Lea was talking crazy, but…well, he was talking crazy.

The Commodores are traditional SEC doormats. They were 2-10 in Lea’s first season. The mere suggestion that Vandy could have the best football program in the country was laughable.

Vandy as the nation’s best football program is still unlikely, but now eyes won't roll, heads won’t shake and snickers won’t be heard at the mere suggestion.

Not after Vanderbilt clobbered No. 11 South Carolina, 31-7, last week to maintain a perfect 3-0 record.

The win elevated the Commodores to No. 20 in the national polls — their highest ranking since reaching No. 13 in 2008.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lea said of the ranking. “I think what we're focused on here is just where we want this season to go. No one talks about at the end of the year, what's you’re ranked after the first three games. It just doesn't carry significance. It's not a measure for us.”

Vanderbilt’s next game certainly carries significant even if it is against lowly Georgia State (1-2).

Last year, Vanderbilt was unbeaten when traveling to Atlanta to face Georgia State. The Commodores lost 36-32.

Later, the Commodores defeated Alabama and Auburn and almost upset Texas, but that Georgia State loss stuck in their craw.

It’s still stuck there.

“We’ve talked about it since January, so this is a really big one for us,” Lea said earlier this week. “We want to play really well.”

That just requires the Commodores to continue doing what they’ve done.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has accumulated 774 yards of total offense. Tight end Eli Stowers has 11 catches for 160 yards. Receiver Tre Richardson has 12 catches for 162.

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Diego Pavia passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 24 rushing yards in Vanderbilt’s 31-7 win over South Carolina.

Running back Jamezell Lassiter has carried just twice. Both resulted in long touchdown runs.

Linebacker Nick Rinaldi leads the SEC with five tackles for loss. Vanderbilt is third in the SEC in total defense, fourth in run defense and fifth in passing defense.

The Commodores are playing so well that Lea has a problem most Vanderbilt coaches have never had to deal with.

He has to make sure they’re not complacent.

“We have to stay focused on the team that we're becoming,” Lea said. “We want to be a better team at the end of the season than we were at the beginning. I think, to this point, I've been proud of the progress we've made. This is another week for us to take another step in that direction.”

Around the SEC

This week’s games: No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma; Arkansas at Memphis; UAB at No. 15 Tennessee; Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss; Northern Illinois at Mississippi State; South Carolina at No. 23 Missouri; Florida at No. 4 Miami; Georgia State at No. 20 Vanderbilt; SE Louisiana at No. 3 LSU; Sam Houston at No. 8 Texas

Who’s hot: Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is second in the nation with 462 rushing yards. He’s averaging 8.1 yards per carry. He’s a transfer from Louisiana Monroe, where he rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns last year as a true freshman. He’s showing those numbers are a byproduct of playing Sun Belt competition. Hardy had 112 rushing yards and scored a touchdown in a win over Kansas. He erupted for 250 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Louisiana last week. He’ll challenge South Carolina’s defense, which allowed 146 rushing yards to Vanderbilt last week.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Ahmad Hardy has scored five touchdowns through three games.

Who’s not: That would be LSU’s offense in general and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in particular. Although undefeated, LSU has struggled to score points. Projected to be a high-scoring offense, LSU is ranked 108th in the nation. The Tigers have managed only six touchdowns, and one of those was scored by the defense. Their highest-scoring output was 23 points vs. Louisiana Tech. That included a field goal in the final two minutes. Much of the offensive futility can be traced to Nussmeier, who was projected as a Heisman Trophy favorite. Nussmeier has passed for 689 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s completing just 55.6 percent of his attempts. The running game has been a problem, too. The  Tigers are ranked 117th in the country in rushing offense.

Keep an eye on: The Ole Miss defense appears soft against the run. The Rebels have allowed an average of 194.6 yards to rank 118th in the nation in run defense. Arkansas rushed for 221 yards vs. Ole Miss. Kentucky had 172. Even Georgia State, which is 94th in the country in rushing offense, had a season-high 191 vs. Ole Miss. That could be problematic this week because the Rebels face Tulane, which is averaging 222 rushing yards.

The pressure is on: Florida quarterback DJ Lagway was once a five-star recruit, who was expected to rescue Florida from the depths of mediocrity. But the five-star threw five interceptions, including a pick-six, in last week’s 20-10 loss to LSU. He has not been a running threat, either. Maybe he’s not a good fit for coach Billy Napier’s offense. Maybe he’s still hurt. Maybe he’s just rusty from missing extended practice time over the offseason because of injuries. Whatever the reason, Lagway has been a major disappointment so far. Next comes No. 4 Miami, which has a secondary that can be exploited. Whether Lagway can take advantage is another matter. Last year, Lagway was 5-1 as a starter and led a late-season surge. The Gators hope he can do it again, but he’ll have to raise his performance to a much higher level.

Best matchup: Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer won’t face each other on the field, but their performances will likely determine the outcome of their clash in Norman. Both are from the Dallas area. In fact, Arnold started for Oklahoma a year ago and was the scapegoat for a subpar season, so he transferred to Auburn. He has been effective for the Tigers with 693 yards of total offense (192 rushing, 501 passing). Mateer, a transfer from Washington State, is getting Heisman hype. He has passed for 944 yards and rushed for 161. Mateer has accounted for nine touchdowns. Arnold has accounted for eight.