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

“It’s been a long, long run,” Clark Lea said fighting through tears.

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.”